Review: The Strawberry Patch

I often dream about what it would be like to own a little cafe with a chalkboard menu and a tiny, intimate dining room decorated in antique furniture and lace. The offerings would change with the seasons and my guests would linger for hours over espresso and freshly made pastries.

That dream may be distant for me but is a reality for the owners of The Strawberry Patch. Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday in Kainaliu, this adorable little bistro has all the charm of a family-run cafe plus all the quality of a high-end restaurant.

The menu has something for everyone from locally sourced salads to pasta and pizza, sandwiches and even a selection of curries. Specials change with the tides but are guaranteed to please.

We tried the fried green tomatoes, roasted beet salad, macaroni and cheese, and a cheesy mushroom pasta dish that was on special. All were excellent and lovingly prepared with many locally sourced ingredients. There was also a large selection of freshly made desserts, we had the apple cake and loved it. It felt like going to a friend's house for dinner.

If you want to avoid the road noise in the outdoor seating area, call ahead to reserve a table inside at (808)322-9060. There is no alcohol available at The Strawberry Patch, but you can bring your own and they will provide glasses, and don't charge for corkage. Ok for families, but not a lot of space for large groups.

Ka'u Coffee Festival Ho'olaule'a

Iced mocha from the Flyin' Hawaiian

The Ka'u Coffee Festival's big event was held on May 4th in Pahala. Crowds of people from all over the Big Island and beyond gathered to enjoy the best coffees Ka'u has to offer.

There were plenty of coffee samples, ono food, crafts from local vendors, music, dancing, and the "Ka'u Coffee Experience," a sampling of coffees prepared in a variety of different methods by brewing experts.

Clouds for days but no rain

Who knew there were so many different ways to make coffee? The coffee experts carefully weighed the beans before grinding, brought the water up to specific temperatures before brewing, and showed us that the size of the spigot matters when pouring water over coffee grounds. The most unique brewing method was the cold brew; ice slowly melts and drips through a coffee filter to create a special drinking experience 12 hours later. Now that's caffeine commitment.

Cold brewed coffee

We enjoyed a teriyaki beef plate made with local beef by the 4-H club and an iced mocha from the Flyin' Hawaiian coffee truck. Our favorite coffee of the day (although it was extremely hard to choose) came from Rusty's Hawaiian with great, fruity flavors.

4-H'ers say, eat local!

If you missed it this year, mark your calendars for next year's Ka'u Coffee Festival held in spring in Pahala.

Ka'u Coffee Festival Triple C Recipe Contest

What do you get when you mix a lot of butter, a little sugar, and some of the world's best coffee together over scorching heat? Sugar splash burns on your belly from cooking in a swim suit?

No! I mean yes, but more importantly you get the grand prize winning recipe at the Ka'u Coffee Festival's Triple C Recipe Contest. I'm super excited to report to you all that my Coco Mocha Roca won first place candy and the overall best recipe prizes last weekend in Pahala.

You may remember that my Ka'u Coffee Brigadeiros won first place candy last year, but were edged out of the grand prize by Chelsea Lynn Kauionalani Rosario with her biscotti recipe. 

The Triple C Recipe Contest is only one part of the Ka'u Coffee Festival which is going on through May 5, 2013. I went to the ho'olaulea in Pahala on Saturday for unlimited coffee tastings, ono food, and of course great, live music. More on that event later.

If you have never been, or it has been awhile since you visited Ka'u, this is the perfect opportunity to check it out. Not only does this district of the Big Island offer views for days of the greenest ranch land and the bluest seas, but it's hard to beat the down-home, country vibe that oozes around every bend in the road. 

Before attempting to make the recipe below, you will definitely need a candy thermometer. Hope you like it!

Coco Mocha Roca

makes about 30 two inch pieces

1 cup Hawaiian cane sugar

1 cup butter, plus more greasing pan

3 TBL finely ground Ka’u coffee, divided
1 ½ cups roasted & salted Big Island macadamia nuts, chopped and divided

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup shredded coconut

Butter a 9x11 pan.

In a saucepan over medium high heat melt sugar, butter, and 2 TBL Ka’u coffee grounds and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to medium, stirring constantly for about 12 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees. Do not allow it to go ever 320 degrees.

Mix 1 cup of mac nuts in with sugar mixture.  Carefully spread mixture in pan with a wooden spoon, taking care to spread as evenly as possible. You may need 2 spoons to accomplish this since it is so hot. 

Sprinkle the chocolate chips and the remaining Ka’u coffee over all. Allow chocolate to melt for a minute or so, then spread it out evenly with the wooden spoon. Top with remaining mac nuts and coconut, pressing down a little so it sticks to the chocolate. Allow to cool completely before cutting into 2 inch squares with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

PS: If it is a very humid day, the sugar/butter part of this recipe may not set, so choose your day wisely. 

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes

I've been waiting a few years now for weekends like this. For the chance to sleep in with a puppy curled next to my back and a husband under my arm. For a side by side comparison of espresso, drip, and French pressed coffee because we have the time. For a long debate on pancakes which finally ends in peanut butter banana. For beach days involving elaborate picnic rituals with no mind to the time or the cell phone gods.

I'd cruised many a weekend solo as my industrious other half ran a business. I'm happy to tell you my weekends are revived now that said business is sold. We are beyond ourselves with relief and happiness. We are more than ready to move on to other things.

Other things include some sailing and roadtripping, more on that later. For now, I'm pretty excited about weekends.

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes
inspired by Joy the Baker

1 egg
2 TBL melted butter, plus more for cooking
2 TBL peanut butter
1 cup buttermilk or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 apple bananas, sliced (or 2 regular bananas)
maple syrup to serve

In a medium bowl mix egg, melted butter, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla until smooth. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt and mix until well combined. Fold in banana slices.

In a pan over medium heat add a little butter or oil. Spoon about 2 TBL batter and 4 banana slices into the pan for each pancake. When little bubbles start to form in the batter, flip and cook for another minute or so. Repeat, repeat until all batter is used up.

Top with more banana slices, if desired, and pure maple syrup. Enjoy!

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

Ladies and gentlemen I have officially completed my first catering gig. Thanks to a friend from work who knows I'm kind of into cooking, I busted out 6 dozen pineapple upside down cupcakes and 12 dozen Kona coffee brigadeiros for a wedding. Phew! This was a lot of work for my tiny kitchen. Good news is, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Need some goodies for an event? Shoot me an email: gwenedwards82@gmail.com

In the meantime, wow the crowd with these precious little cupcakes. Recipe below.

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes
adapted from Betty Crocker
makes 12

For cake:
1 1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

For topping:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6 pineapple slices, fresh or canned
6 maraschino cherries

Preheat oven to 350. To prepare the batter for the cake, measure all ingredients into a large bowl. Blend 30 seconds on low, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high for 3 minutes, scraping occasionally. 

To prepare topping, cut the 1/4 cup butter into 12 equal pieces, placing each one into a cupcake tin. Place cupcake pan in oven for a minute or until butter melts. Sprinkle brown sugar into each tin (about 1 TBL in each) and top with a piece of pineapple and 1/2 maraschino cherry. You will need to cut the pineapple to fit, in whatever shape you like. You only want one layer of fruit. 

Spoon cake batter over topping in each tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert onto a baking sheet, leaving the pan over the cakes for a few minutes. This gives the topping a chance to stick to the cake. Enjoy!

Avocado Kim Chee Potstickers

As promised, below is the recipe I entered in this weekend's Big Island Avocado Festival. While the recipe didn't snag any awards, I do think it is a fun vegetarian version of potstickers that is totally unexpected.

They do take some time to assemble, so if you can borrow an extra set of hands, that would make the process much faster.

Avocado Kim Chee Potstickers

By

Gwen Edwards

For potstickers:

·      1 package locally made potsticker/gyoza wrappers  (you'll need about 50)

·      1 ripe Big Island avocado

·      1 fresh egg

·      1 cup locally made kim chee

·      1 chopped Big Island green onion

·      ¼ cup chopped Big Island cilantro

·      ¼ cup chopped Thai basil

·      1 Big Island lime

·      Salt to taste

·      About 6 TBL spoons coconut oil

For dipping sauce:

(adapted from For the Love of Cooking)

·      ½ cup Hawaiian shoyu

·      ½ cup water

·      4 TBL spoons rice vinegar

·      4 tsp Hawaiian sugar

·      4 tsp sesame oil

·      1 chopped green onion

·      2 chopped garlic cloves

·      1 tsp chopped ginger

Instructions:

Make dipping sauce first, so it can marinate.  Combine ingredients in a mason jar and shake well.

In a small bowl, combine and mash avocado, chopped herbs, lime juice and salt.

In a food processer, pulse kim chee until shredded.

In another small bowl, beat the egg.

Working one at a time, fill each wrapper with 1 tsp avocado mixture and 1 tsp kim chee.

With your finger, put a little egg on edge of wrapper, fold over and press to seal.

In a skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tsp coconut oil.

Cook 6 – 10 potstickers at a time - do not crowd in pan.

Cook covered for 2 minutes, flip and cook another 2 minutes uncovered.

Repeat until all potstickers are cooked, adding coconut oil as needed.

Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!

Big Island Avocado Festival & Recipe Contest

The creamy green fruit was celebrated once again at the 7th Annual Avocado Festival held at the Sheraton Kona.

The free event included a variety of food and craft vendors, live music and hula, a recipe contest, and appearances by Miss Kona Coffee and Avocado Man.

10 foot tall Avocado Man

Samples of recipe contest entries were on offer and included a number of creative and delicious dishes including the overall winner, Avocado Truffles and the People's Choice winner, Mushroom and Avocado Flan. My entry, Avocado Kim Chee Potstickers, got a nod for creativity. I'll be posting the recipe soon.

Avocado Kim Chee Potstickers

If you missed this free community event this year, look for it again next spring. And work on those avocado recipes!