SRC Helping Hand: The Bad Girl's Kitchen

I saw a post, this morning, that one of the Secret Recipe Club partners wasn't able to post until a day later than scheduled. Suzanne, of Through the Bugs on My Windshield, knew that it wasn't actually an orphan situation, but asked if someone could throw some blogger love that way. No problem!

Meet Min of The Bad Girl's Kitchen. She created her site as a place everyone can come and post their favorite recipes - to share with friends, to encourage experimentation, to enjoy cooking for our families. Awesome.

There were so many of the recipes that I wanted to try, but as I needed to cook and post tonight I decided to adapt her Broccoli-Cheese Soup for dinner. I didn't have any broccoli, but I figured that cauliflower would be just as comforting. And it was warm and delicious!

 Creamy Cheesy Cruciferous Soup

1 medium fennel bulb, diced (original called for onion)
1 T minced garlic (my addition)

7 C organic chicken broth

2 heads of cauliflower

2 C shredded white cheddar cheese

2 C milk
1 C heavy cream

Cook fennel and garlic in a splash of olive oil until lightly fragrant. Add in broccoli and broth. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Add in milk and heavy cream. Heat till warmed through. Remove from heat, stir in cheese until blended and melted. Return to low heat and keep hot until serving.

 Spiced Coconut Pudding

And we tried her Spicy Coconut Custard for dessert. Wow. I didn't have any Puya chiles, so I subbed a few tepin chiles. And I skipped the candied coconut, opting to just toast some shreds with a sprinkling of smoked paprika. Wow. Did I already say that? I added in a couple teaspoons of flour and butter to make more of a pudding. And we ate it warm...well, because it was a chilly evening and we couldn't wait!

1 can (approx. 14 ounces) coconut milk

2 crushed tepin chiles

3 eggs, beaten gently

1/4 C organic granulated sugar
2 T rice flour
3 T butter

Heat coconut milk and tepin chiles in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently bring to boiling, stirring, then turn off heat. Let milk and chiles steep for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Removed the chiles. Whisk the egg yolks and chile-infused coconut milk together in a large sauce over a low to medium heat. Add in the sugar and flour. Whisk until smooth. Continue whisking until the pudding coats the back of a spoon. Remember it will thicken as it cools. Stir in the butter until it's completely melted and the pudding is glossy.

Min topped hers with a candied coconut. I toasted some coconut shreds with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkling of sugar and smoked paprika.