Tag: Swiss Family Robinson

Coconut Macaroons with Guava Jam

Posted June 23, 2022 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

This recipe goes out to my brand new “brother-in-law-in-law” (anybody know the term for a sister-in-law’s spouse?). My sister-in-law got married last month, and her husband LOVES guava! For her bridal shower, she made cupcakes filled with super luscious guava jam, and I’ve been dreaming about them ever since. So when I saw guava mentioned in SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON, I knew I had to try my hand at making my own guava jam.

But what to pair with it? That was easy: coconut. In the book, coconuts are mentioned no less than 36 times! Such a prominent ingredient simply HAD to be in my dessert, so I decided to make coconut macaroons and turn them into little guava thumbprint cookies. I used this macaroon recipe from The Slow Roasted Italian as my jumping off point, then started riffing from there.

These cookies turned out SO good. They’re sweet, a bit tart, and caramelized at the edges where the coconut get nice and toasty. Plus, the cookies are egg free, so they’re perfect if you have an egg allergy!

DEFINITELY making these again soon. Maybe for the next family gathering!

Pineapple Slaw

Posted June 9, 2022 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

Time for more tropical goodness! This recipe is a snap to throw together and includes multiple ingredients mentioned in Swiss Family Robinson: pineapple, cabbage, carrot, and lime. Plus, it’s dotted with cute little carrot hearts. Let’s make some Pineapple Slaw!

Pineapples turn up regularly in Swiss Family Robinson, so even though I used them in my Seared Salmon with Pineapple Mango Chutney, I wanted to use them again. I loved the idea of a cold, fresh side dish to pair with my salmon entree, so I went hunting on Pinterest and found this Hawaiian Slaw recipe from The Skinny Fork. I love that it uses so many ingredients from the book, and it has a touch of gingery, peppery spice to complement the chutney in my entree. Plus, how cute are those little veggie hearts??? I just made a few minor changes to suit what I had in the fridge.

With the weather heating up, this refreshing, sweet-n-spicy side dish is the perfect thing to keep in mind when those sweltering summer days are upon us. Enjoy!

Seared Salmon with Pineapple Mango Chutney

Posted May 26, 2022 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 2 Comments

Are you ready to get tropical??? 😀 Since Swiss Family Robinson mentions LOADS of tropical ingredients, I wanted to use as many as possible in this menu. I don’t get many chances to make island-inspired dishes here on the blog, so this has been lots of fun for me. Let’s begin!

As the canvas for my island flavors, I chose the salmon Ernest catches in chapter four. I love that it’s such a personal triumph for Ernest. He’s one of my favorite characters, maybe because I think his father is too hard on him (Astronomy is a worthy pursuit, Mr. Robinson! 😉). Plus, salmon pairs well with so many of the fruits mentioned in the book, so it’s a great choice from a culinary perspective too!

For my fruit, I chose to make pineapple mango chutney. Since this was my first time making chutney, I looked to two recipes for guidance: a pineapple chutney recipe from Garlic & Zest and a mango version from Tastes Better from Scratch. Mango isn’t expressly mentioned in Swiss Family Robinson, but I felt it would bridge the gap well between the sweet pineapple and other savory flavors of the chutney. It’s also great at carrying spice, and although this chutney isn’t flaming hot, I wanted the heat that IS there to shine through.

Everything came together so beautifully. The salmon was tender and delicate, melding perfectly with the juicy fruit, bright bell pepper, and sharp onion. The spicy kick from the pepper flakes and sweet Thai chili sauce (one of my favorite condiments!) added just the right level of complexity. What an easy way to make a memorable dish!

Cassava Rolls with Honey Lemon Fig Butter

Posted May 12, 2022 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Swiss Family Robinson has been on my TBR for ages. Like, maybe decades. I think I never felt much urgency to read it because I saw the movie a kid, so I already knew the story. I finally read it a few weeks ago, and not only is it a fun read, it’s positively PACKED with food. Like it was written with me in mind! Get ready for a menu bursting with fun tropical ingredients. I’m so excited to begin! 😀

Today’s recipe is cassava rolls. Cassava bread/cakes are a staple of the family’s diet in the book. The flour itself is made from dried, ground cassava root, also commonly known as yuca (fun fact: tapioca flour is made from the starch of the same root!). I don’t work with alternative flours much, so I was excited to try something knew.

Let me say, this took LOTS of experimentation to get right. First I tried making yeasted cassava rolls, but they never really rose, even after I tweaked the recipe. Then I used my trusty soda bread recipe as a starting point. This at least gave it some rise, but the texture was dense and chewy. In the end, I added a couple eggs and subbed in all-purpose flour for 25% of the total flour to give the rolls more lift and a lighter structure. The final rolls have a rugged exterior and soft, pleasantly chewy interior with an almost nutty flavor.

To pair with it, I whipped up a quick batch of compound butter with honey, lemon, and figs—all ingredients that appear in the book!