Paris Seeks Inner Peace in Hawaii

Happy Fourth of July, Max! I’ll have to try your Maui Onion Pickle. Why does it have to take so long to taste the results? Yes, I know pickling is not a instant gratification thing. Still, a jar of those would go very nicely on a Fourth of July picnic. I actually have an instant pickle recipe (okay, it takes 24 hours) that I will send along as soon as I pull out my preserving cookbooks.

Ah, yes. Poor Paris is “getting in touch with her inner self” by enjoying herbal facials and Japanese massages. Question is: Does she have an “inner self” to get in touch with? I certainly haven’t seen any evidence of any kind of inner resolve, or “core values” as the Marines put it.

More likely, her family, or publicist, has sent her to a place without quite an many reporters where she can take advantage of all the free publicity by appearing in public with a big smile, and still be out of sight for her personal life. Has anyone recently gotten as much publicity out of a brief jail term?

This recipe could easily appear on the Hotel buffet for Paris. Hala-kahiki Pate was on a buffet we attended while in Hawaii some years ago, and I thought it is so cute. Pate, who but the rich would eat chicken livers and call it haute cuisine? The chef said that Hala-kahiki was Hawaiian for Pineapple, and I suppose he knew what he was talking about. Anyway, I didn’t have to ask for recipe, as it was nothing more than your basic pate, with Pineapple decorations. This does make a stunning display on a buffet table.

Hala-kahiki (Pineapple) Pate:

1 pound chicken livers
1 Maui onion
1 cup butter
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
3 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons brandy
Stuffed green olives, sliced
Fresh pineapple crown

Sauté the liver and onions in a pan with 1/4 cup of butter for 10 minutes. Add the curry powder, salt and pepper.

In a blender, process the livers with the remaining butter, cream cheese and brandy until very smooth. Mold into a shape that looks like the body of a pineapple. Cover and chill.

To serve, use the pineapple crown for the top of the pineapple and use the sliced green olives to simulate the rough exterior of a real pineapple.

Serve with mixed snack crackers as an appetizer or Pupu as the natives say.

Serves 1

Diet Frozen Pineapple Daiquiris

Where has my mind gone these days? Max, I forgot to tell you about the best part of Rachel’s Rehearsal Dinner. It was the dessert. Okay, deserts, plural. Five of Evelyn’s best friends each sent two cakes. Every cake was different.

After the picnic outside, we went into the dining room where there were ten different cakes to choose from: Angel Food, German Chocolate, Strawberry, Marble, Blackberry Jam, Boston Cream Pie, Dutch Apple Cake, Lord Baltimore Cake, Carrot Cake. I confess that most of us had to sample every one of them. Now, I only had a small bite of each.

And as if all those cakes were not enough, there was Pineapple Daiquiri Ice to counter the sweetness of the cakes. Nothing can be easier to prepare if you have a ice cream maker. I made up 6 batches of this luscious treat earlier in the week and stored it in storage containers. It will keep for several months, IF you can resist the urge to indulge in this Cuban delight. You, of course, knew that Daiquiris were invented in Cuba and named for a town there?

One of these on a steaming hot day (it is 94 here today) really hits the spot. Now, Max, I am not making this up, but Pineapple Daiquiri Ice is a diet food. No, really!! My recipe says that one serving of the Ice has only 87 calories, 20 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of total fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 1 milligram of sodium, and 58 milligrams of potassium. That sounds like a diet food to me. Heck, at 87 calories a serving this needs to be on everybody’s diet menu. This is healthier than a carrot, and a whole lot tastier.

Pineapple Daiquiri Ice:

2 20 ounce cans of pineapple chunks, or one 3 pound fresh pineapple
3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of lime juice
1/4 cup of rum

Using a colander, drain the juice from one can of the pineapple, and set aside for another use. (Throw into your breakfast orange juice for a nice change of taste.)

Mix the remaining can of pineapple and juice with the drained pineapple, lime juice, sugar and rum. In a blender, process the mixture in small batches until it is nearly smooth.

Using your ice-cream freezer, freeze until very stiff. Store in the freezer in a storage container.

With the rum, this sorbet does not become hard when stored in most freezers.

This makes 12 servings.

I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll bet that you could use fresh or frozen strawberries in place of the pineapple. Then, of course, it wouldn’t be a Pineapple Daiquiri, but a Strawberry Daiquiri. Aren’t I clever?

Speaking of which, I think it is time to have a diet snack and beat the heat. As they say down in Havana, “Hasta la vista, ba-by.”

Congealed Pineapple and Cucumber Salad

Most Derby Breakfasts include a selection of salads, but this old gelatin salad is a favorite. It was already a standard before World War II, and has the advantage of being prepared days before the Breakfast. You doubt its age? Max, look at the name. When did you last hear of a gelatin salad that was called “Congealed”?

Congealed Pineapple and Cucumber Salad:

Pineapple Layer:
1 cup drained, crushed pineapple–save liquid
3-ounce package of lemon Jello
Pinch salt
½ cup grated carrots

To the drained pineapple juice add enough water to make 1 ¼ cups liquid. Bring liquid to boil and dissolve the Jello. Chill until slightly thickened. Stir in the salt, carrots, and pineapple. Chill overnight in a 8 x 13 casserole.

Cucumber Layer:

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
¼ cup cold water
1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup light cream
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated onion
12 cup chopped celery
½ cucumber, grated and drained
Green food coloring

For this layer, soften the gelatin in cold water. Combine the remaining ingredients, then add the gelatin. Add one drop green food coloring. You may need a second drop, but the effect is to be a delicate lime green. Pour this over the pineapple layer and chill until firm.

Cut into small squares and garnish with a mint strip, and perhaps a strawberry slice. At a regular meal this serves 6 to 8, but at a buffet it serves 10 to 12.