Island Pantry
Keep your holiday cooking simple this year

By Kaui Philpotts

Local favorite Chocolate Haupia Pie is much easier to make than it looks and takes about 40 minutes to assemble. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

This year my husband and I find ourselves in a new house surrounded by boxes and unruly piles of "treasures" we'd long forgotten but couldn't live without. I can't find my "for real" tree ornaments. But then, I knew that would happen, so I bought some inexpensive "interim" ornaments that I have now also misplaced. The whole experience has lead me to consider crisis holiday decorating.

If you find yourself in this position, this is what I've discovered, and it might help you.

Forget the tree and enjoy everyone else's. But if that doesn't work for you, take a trip to the closest garden shop and buy a small tree, put it in a basket, and set it on top of a table. Buy those battery-operated tiny white lights they make for wreaths and voila! You've got lights, and you've got smell.

While you are at the garden shop, pick up as many bright red poinsettias as you can load in your car, a fresh green wreath for the front door and take a look at those miniature trees they grow in pots and decorate with tacky ornaments. If the shop has empty decorative pots, or better yet, plain terra cotta garden pots, buy some for mini-trees. Christmas cactus can also work in the pots.

When you get home, take off all the store ornaments and donate them to someone else. Put the little trees in the pots and make a grouping on a table top, end table, counter or anywhere that needs it. If you still have the energy and were smart enough to pick up a can of gold spray paint, you could spray the pots gold for sparkle.

Take the shiny paper off those pots of poinsettias and cluster them in pots and baskets you already own. Think abundance. Sometimes more is more. Don't even think about Christmas theme containers. The poinsettias look more unexpected and stylish in that wooden bowl from Bali you bought two years ago, or the Chinese basket you got last month from Ross.

Buy candles. They are on sale everywhere. Cluster them on trays. Pull out ALL your candle holders of different heights and sizes and cluster them for more impact. It's a good idea to keep the colors of the candles the same. If you have enough candlesticks, or hurricanes, group the ones that look best together (ie. all silver, all clear glass, all white). If they are scented, make sure the smells are compatible and don't overwhelm the room. Forget the Christmas potpourri unless someone has given a really good batch. The cheap stuff just doesn't make it.

Now make yourself an eggnog (brought from the supermarket) or pour a glass of wine, put on some Christmas music, dim the lights and put up your feet. You're almost there. Pick up the phone and call a friend, your mother, your kids, and tell them you love them.

The same simplicity applies to baking something to add to potluck tables at family and friends' homes. It may be a bit late to pull out all your old treasured family recipes for great-grandmother's cookies or elaborate desserts. Leave them for next year, when you plan to be more organized.

You can, of course, abandon all your baking plans and pick something up from the store instead. But if you still want to take something "homemade," here are three desserts that travel well and can be prepared in a jiffy. They make use of ready-made pie crusts and easy-to-find ingredients.

The Chocolate Haupia Pie has become a local favorite and is much simpler than it looks. It takes about 40 minutes to assemble and another hour in the refrigerator to chill. This recipe comes from Foodland's new "Maika'i Favorites" cookbook.

Chocolate Haupia Pie

• One (9-inch) prepared pie crust
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup water
• 7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Shaved chocolate to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prick the pie crust with the tines of a fork and bake until golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool.

While the crust is baking, whisk together the coconut milk, milk and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in water. Reduce the heat so that the coconut milk mixture is just simmering and whisk in the cornstarch mixture until thickened to make the haupia. Microwave the chocolate pieces for 1 minute, or until melted. Pour half the haupia into a bowl and mix with the melted chocolate. Pour the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the baked pie crust. Layer the white haupia on top of the chocolate (or you can do it the other way around, if you prefer chocolate on white). Cool in the refrigerator for a least 1 hour. With an electric mixer, whip the whipping cream with 1/4 cup of sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Spread the top of the pie with the whipped cream and garnish with shaved chocolate. Keep chilled until ready to serve. Serves 6 to 8 .

This ultra-simple French Pear Tart looks as though it took a lot more work than it did. Serve it with this version of faux-creme fraiche and everyone will love it. It has a sophistication you don't find in most island store-bought desserts.

French Pear Tart

• 2 cans (29 ounces each) Bartlett pear halves
• One 9-inch prepared pie crust
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Faux creme fraiche*

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the prepared pie crust into a tart pan if you have one (a shallow pan with a fluted edge). Otherwise, use a regular pie pan.

Drain the cans of pears and reserve one-quarter cup of the syrup. Blot the pears with paper towels and arrange on top of the unbaked pie crust in a single layer. Mix the canned syrup with the sour cream and the lemon zest. Pour over the pears.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the mixture bubbles near the center and appears set. Cool completely. Serve with the faux creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream. Serves 8.

To make the faux creme fraiche, whip 1 cup heavy cream with an electric mixer until the cream has thickened, but has not turned into "whipped cream." Blend in 1/2 cup or more sour cream to your taste.

The Chocolate Mint Squares look festive and pretty, are easy to make, and tote to everything from an office coffee break to a church social. They require no baking.

Chocolate Mint Squares

• 1 (6-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate pieces
• 1 cup butter
• 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 (8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• Few drops green food coloring, optional

Melt 1/3 cup of the the chocolate pieces with 3/4 cup butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. In a bowl, combine the melted chocolate and butter with the crumbs, coconut and nuts. Mix well. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9-by-13-inch pan or baking dish. Chill.

In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sugar, mint extract and food coloring. Mix until well blended. Spread on top of the crust. Chill until firm. In a saucepan over low heat, melt the remaining butter and chocolate pieces, stirring until smooth. Spread over cream cheese layer and chill thoroughly, about an hour. Cut into bars and serve. Makes about 3 dozen squares.