Friday, August 06, 2010

'BOLD AND LUSCIOUS' HARDY HIBISCUS (ROSE MALLOW) ~ FROZEN WHITE CHOCOLATE PIE with RASPBERRIES

"All gardeners need to know when to accept something wonderful and unexpected, taking no credit except for letting it be."

~ Allen Lacy


Hardy Hibiscus (Rose Mallow)


"Put a grain of boldness into everything you do."





FROZEN WHITE CHOCOLATE PIE with RASPBERRIES

Almond crust:
9 oz. (1 1 /4 cup) blanched toasted almonds
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup

Grease 9-inch glass pie plate. Chop almonds into 2-3 pieces each. Transfer to bowl with butter and corn syrup. Stir and spoon into prepared plate. Press onto bottom and up sides. Freeze.

Filling:
10 oz. coarsely chopped white chocolate
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/3 cup evaporated milk
3 Tbsp. creme de cacao
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 3/4 cups whipping cream
2 room temperature egg whites
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/4 cups raspberries (or favorite seasonal berries)
  • Melt chocolate and butter with milk in double boiler over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove and set in bowl filled with water & ice. Let cool until thick and paste like; stir occasionally. Blend in liqueur, vanilla and extract.
  • Beat cream until stiff peaks form. Gently beat in chocolate mixture. Beat whites with clean dry beaters until soft peaks form. Add sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time and beat until stiff but not dry. Fold gently into chocolate-cream mixture. Pour evenly into crust. Freeze until firm but not hard, about 5 hours.
  • Mound raspberries in center of pie leaving 2-inch border. (8 servings)



Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Southern Belle’

Exotic and moisture-loving (Zone 4-9)

28 comments:

Jeannie Hanson said...

lovely, as always. I do think raspberries and chocolate are the best!
btw (ha) you should take a look at your cc note at the bottom of your page. :) Jeannie

Carol said...

Lovely Joey! I so agree with Allen Lacy and your posts always offer "something wonderful and unexpected" for multiple senses. Have a great weekend!

A wildlife gardener said...

Dear Joey, whenever I come to yours, I always leave with a present of a new recipe to try :)

Then there are the stunning photos which you display...a feast for my eyes :)

My mind goes into poetic mode with your quotes...:0

All in all, you are so generous with everything...and that happy smile of yours makes mine burst into a broad beam...so you are good for my heart...bless you, dear Friend :)

Anonymous said...

Dear Joey, Well, I am amazed because here,for the first time in my life, I see something food orientated involving evaporated milk which I actually think might be edible [if not delicious!!]. EVAP as I refer to this strange liquid from a tin takes me back to my childhood when tined fruit was served with it with monotonous regularity. I have never opened a tin of EVAP, let alone eaten any since the late 1960s. But now.....

I love Hibiscus and this white flowered form is particularly appealing to me. They grow profusely in Budapest where they obviously thrive in the mediterranean heat.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Chloe m said...

Perfectly yummy, I want to try this. Your hibiscus are lovely!

joey said...

Thanks Jeannie :) Agree ... a good combo!

How sweet, Carol, and thank you. Wishing you a beautiful weekend also. As soon as I get my act together, I'm off for a long weekend at the lake :)

And you are good for my heart too, dear WG. Thank you for the kind thoughts. You were one of my first connections when I began my blog. How blessed I am to know you :)

joey said...

Hello, dear Edith. Love to tempt you :) August is the month for prolific Hibiscus here too. I have a stunning white Rose of Sharon in bloom that I will perhaps focus on in my next post. Happy weekend :)

Thanks Rosey. Summer hugs for a delightful weekend.

Roses and Lilacs said...

What a perfect combination--white hibiscus and white daisies! Sometimes things just come together and make a wonderful picture.
Marnie

D said...

Joey, I just had the pleasure of viewing your wonderful posts/photos that I missed over the last several weeks. That 'Chinese Astilbe' shot is lovely! as are those of a nice glass of wine enjoyed in the cool of the summer evening. Cheers for a great weekend!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I have a deep red hibiscus I got on sale really cheap at HD a few years back. I both hate it and love it. I'm weird that way about some plants. (Yeah, in only that way and only about plants, yeah...)

Meredith/Great Stems said...

Delicious recipe and beautiful flowers! What a nice treat to visit your blog today!

Christine B. said...

What?! A beautiful and exotic flower that is hardy in zone 4? It's almost too good to be true.

Christine in Alaska

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Joey, what a gorgeous hibiscus! I have not had the hardy hibiscus since my last home. They are so elegant. Needless to say, anything with chocolate, even white, becomes a favorite.

Eileen

Gloria Bonde said...

Joey, what a yummy recipe - I love the crust idea. Gluten free, nice

Kanak said...

Your recipes sound such a joy... pity we don't get raspberries here.But your photos are breathtaking! The hibiscus is stunning and against the daisies, more so.

Chad said...

All great shots,but I like the framing with the daisies.

imac said...

Super shots again my friend, love the Art work.

garden girl said...

The pie sounds delicious Joey! I second the kudos for its being gluten free.

Beautiful photos of the hibiscus. I love them, and am tempted to try one here to see if it will bloom in part sun.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

What a pretty hibiscus. It looks so pretty framed by those daisies!

That dessert sounds yummy.

Kathryn/plantwhateverbringsyoujoy.com said...

Wow. I had no idea there was a weather hardy hibiscus. I've always (sadly) avoided them thinking they would "just die" in the winter. Now I need to be a better sleuth! Thank you for this bit of information. I look forward to including in my garden!

Kala said...

Gorgeous images of the hibiscus. And another mouth-watering recipe from you Joey!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful flower. The recipe sounds great too. I just might have to try it but . . . A cook I ain't! LOL

joey said...

Thanks, Marnie. I love the combo too. Have lots of daisies in the garden because they are delightful companion plants.

Hello, Di, and thank you. As you can see, yin-yang opposites in both of my worlds. Arrived home last night and back in the garden today. Life is good :)

I'm not surprised at your love/hate relationship with your red hibiscus, Monica :) How is the turtlehead ... mine are about to bloom.

Thank you, Meredith. How kind!

Go for it Christine! Just be careful because it's slow ti emerge in spring and often mistaken for a big weed. I love it's cheery huge face, fun to photograph.

Thank you, Eileen. Its does take up a bit of room but so welcome when neighboring perennials are finished doing their thing and hides heavy tidying up pruning.

Thank you, Gloria. Enjoy :)

Hi, Kanak, and thank you. Hibiscus makes a huge happy statement in my August garden. And most any berry is good with this yummy recipe.

Thank you Chad. I too love the combo :)

Thanks imac ... as you noticed, had a bit of Photoshop fun with the first image :)

Hi Sue and thanks. You are most kind!

Hello, dear Kathryn. Do hope you give these a try. As you can see, they are stunning. (BTW, anxious to receive/read your book :)

Thank you, dear Kala! Always a joy to see these bloom.

Thank you, Linda. How are you faring in this horrid hot and humid weather? Looks like another oppressive week in the garden.

joey said...

Hi, RainGardener, and thanks. You might be surprised ... it's really quite easy!

Diana LaMarre said...

Hi Joey,
I planted that same hibiscus two years ago. It was full of blooms when I bought it, but has never bloomed since!

It looks healthy, just no blooms!

Maybe next year...........

joey said...

Hum, interesting Zoey. Don't give up ... perhaps it's simply shy this year.

Wendy said...

I love how you so cleverly pair your blooms with a wonderful recipe - which I again, must try! I was happy to find a few raspberries today. Hoping I get them when they ripen and before the animals do.

joey said...

Thank you, Wendy. It's fun combining the two seasonal treats.