Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Atomic Tiki


Trends come and go, but tiki will always be with us. Somehow it always seems to return into each decade....sort of like our fascination with animal print or the new placement of men's facial hair. Tiki culture occupies a space somewhere in the American psyche where escapism, modernism and kitsch overlap. I wonder if this fascination with Tiki culture is prevalent in other countries too?

Hipsters with Shag tattoos love tiki. Shoppers at Urban Outfitters love tiki. Guys in Tommy Bahama shirts who listen to Jimmy Buffet love tiki. Marlene Dietrich loved tiki and you guessed it, I love Tiki, too.

Pineapple In Paradise

1 young thai coconut, milk & meat (a thick almond milk could be substituted)
1 cup fresh pineapple
1 frozen banana
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (or more, if desired)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients well and serve in Tiki appropriate glassware topped with a sprinkling of dried coconut sprinkles & an umbrella, if you've got one ;->


Fantasy Fruit Kabobs w/ Hawaiian Dream Creme

For the Kabobs:
fresh strawberries
grapes
pineapple, cubed
melon, cubed
mango, cubed
any other variety of fruit you prefer

Prepare fruit and place on 8" wooden skewers, placing the finished kabobs on a serving tray.

For the Dream Creme:
1 young thai coconut, all the meat, chopped & reserve the water
2 - 3 soft dates, chopped (or other sweetener of your choice)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh grated orange zest
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

Place ingredients into a blender and combine with just enough coconut water to make blending possible. The goal is to keep this thick-ish and super creamy. Add more coconut water as needed.

Atomic Tiki Pizza

For the Crust:
1 cup of golden flax seeds, ground
3/4 cup sunflower seeds, ground
3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh pineapple, and any juice you may have
1/'2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 tsp sea salt
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
water to blend

Combine the flax & sunflower seeds, set aside in a medium bowl. Combine the red onion, pineapple, salt, & red pepper flakes. Allow this mixture to sit on your counter a bit. After at least 30 minutes add the pineapple mixture to the dry ingredients, folding everything together gently. Add water as needed to create a thick batter.

Spread this batter onto lined dehydrator sheets and warm at 115 degrees until ready to flip (maybe 4 hrs.) flip over onto a cutting board and slice into pizza shapes or squares. Finish dehydrating until you have a nice crisp crust.

For the Pizza Sauce:
1 cup fresh tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 small yellow onion or large shallot, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked
3 dates, pitted

To create a richness in flavor, combine the fresh tomatoes, red bell pepper, onion, olive oil and salt and spread this mixture onto a lined dehydrator sheet. Allow this to reduce at 115 degrees for at least 4 - 6 hours. Then add this flavorful combination to your blender of food processor and add the soaked sun dried tomatoes and dates. Blend well, adding in the tomato soak water to blend in to a thick, rich pizza sauce.

For pizza toppings:
fresh spinach
black olives
fresh sliced tomatoes
fresh pineapple
raw cheese crumbles

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