Coconut Milk

Health officials have traced a small outbreak of cholera in Silver Spring to a brand of frozen coconut milk, and ordered stores and restaurants throughout Maryland to get rid of the product.State Health Secretary Nelson J. Sabatini said yesterday that three people who attended a party on Aug. 16 contracted the disease when they ate a pudding with a coconut milk topping. One of the patients was hospitalized, but all recovered from the potentially fatal disease, he said.The product is sold under the brand name "Asian Best Frozen Fresh Coconut Milk," which is exported by Jack Hong Co. Ltd. of Bangkok, Thailand.

Nutritionists from the University of Maryland Medical Center regularly contribute a guest post. The latest post from Sierra George, dietetic intern, is printed here. Despite its name, the coconut is a fruit from the coconut palm. Tropical cultures have been using this delicious fruit for everything from food to body lotion and even currency. Until recently, Americans have seen coconut mostly as the dried, shredded ingredient of cookies, candies and cakes. Now, as more products derived from the coconut hit grocery store shelves, we are given the delicious opportunity to get creative with the coconut.

Afew months ago, while my husband and I were in Paris working for several weeks, I noticed an unusual soup listed on the chalkboard outside a cafe in our neighborhood. I wasn't planning to eat lunch there but was so intrigued by the sound of a carrot-and-coconut soup that I stopped in. The waitress asked if I wanted the potage cold or warm, and I opted for the latter. Several minutes later, she returned with a bowl of piping-hot soup that was thick, creamy and a lovely orange hue. One sip and I knew I wanted the recipe.

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth), which is printed here. This week, Amy Reed weighs in on coconut drinks. Coconut products, such as coconut water and coconut cream, are among the hot new items hitting grocery store shelves. Are these drinks beneficial for your health? Coconut water is the liquid inside a young coconut. One cup of coconut water contains about 50 calories and no protein or fat. Coconut water is low in calories, although the amount varies depending on added ingredients such as sugar or juice.

Nutritionists from the University of Maryland Medical Center regularly contribute a guest post. The latest post from Sierra George, dietetic intern, is printed here. Despite its name, the coconut is a fruit from the coconut palm. Tropical cultures have been using this delicious fruit for everything from food to body lotion and even currency. Until recently, Americans have seen coconut mostly as the dried, shredded ingredient of cookies, candies and cakes. Now, as more products derived from the coconut hit grocery store shelves, we are given the delicious opportunity to get creative with the coconut.

Thai peanut sauce and coconut milk add an intriguing flavor to tilapia. For this recipe, they are simmered to gently coat the fish. Peanut sauce is the base for many Thai dishes and is made from roasted peanuts, soy sauce and spices. I choose a thick one when it is available. Coconut milk is made by mixing shredded coconut with boiling water, letting it steep and then straining it. Fortunately, both peanut sauce and coconut milk are available ready-made. Serve this dish with basmati rice.

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth), which is printed here. This week, Amy Reed weighs in on coconut drinks. Coconut products, such as coconut water and coconut cream, are among the hot new items hitting grocery store shelves. Are these drinks beneficial for your health? Coconut water is the liquid inside a young coconut. One cup of coconut water contains about 50 calories and no protein or fat. Coconut water is low in calories, although the amount varies depending on added ingredients such as sugar or juice.

If asked to choose my favorite shellfish, without hesitation I'd pick scallops. These sweet, succulent morsels were a discovery I made as a young adult. My family indulged in shrimp and crab dishes and, for occasions, we ordered lobsters, but scallops never graced our table.I was in my 20s on a visit to France when I tasted these sublime mollusks for the first time. I've been a fan ever since.Today, when entertaining, I love to include scallops in my menus. I offer as appetizers skewered scallops wrapped in prosciutto with seasonings of lemon and rosemary.

Typically when planning the menu for a company dinner, I choose the main course first and then decide on the side dishes. Sometimes, however, when I have a special accompaniment in mind, I reverse this process. That's exactly what I did several days ago while deciding what to serve my son and his girlfriend for Sunday-night supper.Earlier in the week I had cooked long-grain jasmine rice in coconut milk and then stirred in some diced mangoes, grated lime zest, chopped pistachios and cilantro.

What's to love about coconut? It's rich and creamy, an addictive staple in Thai, Indian and Caribbean cuisine. Coconut is high in immunity-boosting lauric acid, which is touted (though not proven) to lower cholesterol and rev metabolism. What's not to love? Coconut is high in saturated fat. However, your body digests it more readily than animal fats, so don't shun the coconut. Add lushness to vegetables and whole grains with canned coconut milk. This is no sugary pina colada mix, but a solution of grated, squeezed coconut meat and water.

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth), which is reprinted here. This week, Amy Reed, RD, LDN, weighs in on milk. When you are standing in the milk aisle in the grocery store, what are you looking for? Are you lactose intolerant? Do you have a milk allergy? Do you dislike the taste of certain milk products? Are you vegan? How much money do you want to spend on milk?

Now that Picture of Health has a new blog home, we're restarting our healthy recipe feature. We will gather healthy recipes from magazines, cookbooks and websites and share them with you. We'd also like to hear from you with your recipe ideas. You can e-mail them to andrea.walker@baltsun.com or meredith.cohn@baltsun.com . This week's recipes is for Curry Vegetables and comes from Chef Meg Galvin at SparkRecipes.com , a free website associated with SparkPeople.com, a free Internet community that helps you track meals.

For lovers of Asian flavors, organic and local food and, of course, noodles, the new Republic Noodle in Federal Hill hits a sweet spot. Owners David Lynch and Christopher Boylan — who live nearby — opened the Asian restaurant in September, hoping to make it a new neighborhood favorite. With Lynch and chef de cuisine Henry Hong, formerly of Suzie's Soba, working the wok, and a menu gathering flavors and cooking methods from across the continent (the name "Republic Noodle" is a nod to the pan-Asian approach)

Coping with vast amounts of snow brings out something primal in human nature: the struggle between good and bad behavior, how we conduct ourselves under trying conditions. After an hour at the pushing end of a steel shovel, people "rediscover the elementary truths about human nature," says P.M. Forni, a Johns Hopkins University professor who is an expert on civility and manners. Forni, author of "The Civility Solution: What To Do When People Are Rude," sees the "wonderful lesson" a snowstorm brings, a chance for people to discover "the existence of neighbors."

When veteran restaurateur and chef Robert Kinkead decided to open a seafood restaurant in Annapolis where Phillips was, the news created quite a stir. After all, his Washington establishment, Kinkead's, has been one of D.C.'s best-known eating places for decades. Here was someone with a known record coming in, taking over a dead space and planning to offer fresh, classic American seafood dishes, everything local when possible. It would be less expensive than his original restaurant, but the quality would be the same.

What's to love about coconut? It's rich and creamy, an addictive staple in Thai, Indian and Caribbean cuisine. Coconut is high in immunity-boosting lauric acid, which is touted (though not proven) to lower cholesterol and rev metabolism. What's not to love? Coconut is high in saturated fat. However, your body digests it more readily than animal fats, so don't shun the coconut. Add lushness to vegetables and whole grains with canned coconut milk. This is no sugary pina colada mix, but a solution of grated, squeezed coconut meat and water.

If something sweet to eat is on your mind, then these recipes -- an egg custard pie and an old-fashioned coconut cake made with coconut milk -- should send you full steam ahead into the kitchen.Doris C. Griffin of Baltimore asked for the cake recipe. She writes that she is retired and has moved to Charlestown Retirement Community and lost her recipe in the move.Carolyn Dickerson of Abingdon responded with the coconutcake choice.Dickerson's fresh coconut cake2 whole coconuts2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour1 2/3 cups sugarCoconut milk from 2 coconuts1 teaspoon salt2/3 cup butter3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder2 teaspoons vanilla3 eggs separatedNote: To prepare coconuts.

BANGKOK DELIGHT 8825 Centre Park Drive in Columbia. Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday; 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Call (410) 730-0032. Colorful, ornate paper umbrellas hang upside-down from the ceiling of Bangkok Delight, making for a fun eating atmosphere. The eat-in menu is extensive, but the carryout menu has plenty to offer as well, including four soup dishes, 10 appetizers, a handful of desserts and close to 30 entrees, ranging from curry to seafood to Thai fried rice and noodles.

NEW DELHI, India - A religious festival in northern India turned into a horrific deadly crush yesterday as thousands of Hindu pilgrims stampeded at a temple shrine, piling into each other on a treacherous walkway slick with spilled coconut milk. Officials said at least 168 people, most of them men, suffocated. Television images showed dead pilgrims strewn on the narrow walkway near the Chamunda Devi temple, at the southern edge of the 15th-century Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur, in the western state of Rajasthan.

Afew months ago, while my husband and I were in Paris working for several weeks, I noticed an unusual soup listed on the chalkboard outside a cafe in our neighborhood. I wasn't planning to eat lunch there but was so intrigued by the sound of a carrot-and-coconut soup that I stopped in. The waitress asked if I wanted the potage cold or warm, and I opted for the latter. Several minutes later, she returned with a bowl of piping-hot soup that was thick, creamy and a lovely orange hue. One sip and I knew I wanted the recipe.