After two years of no audience, Merrie Monarch is coming back with an audience. It’s a celebration of the Hawaiian culture, the excitement of the hula halaus, the smell of fresh flowers, and the gathering of friends and family!
You can be sure there will be some ono food in various locations around town.
Merrie Monarch Arts &Crafts Fair
The Merrie Monarch Arts &Crafts Fair will be held at the Afook Chinen Civic Auditorium and Butler Buildings from Wednesday to Saturday. Hours for Wednesday through Friday are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Saturday, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Hilo Ice Shave
Hilo Ice Shave opened a couple of weeks ago at 500 Manono Street.
Hilo Ice Shave’s story is:
Ice blanketed in syrup (“halo-halo” in the Philippines, “bao bing,” in China, “patbingsu” in Korea, “snow cone,” on mainland USA). Shave ice in Hawaii has its roots dating back to Hawaii’s plantation years. Japanese immigrants came to the islands working in sugar and pineapple fields in the mid-1800s and introduced “kakigori” (shaved ice).
The Japanese immigrants used their tools to shave flakes off blocks of ice and coat it with fruit juice or sugar. In Pidgin the treat became known as shave ice (not shaved ice). On the Big Island, and Hilo in particular, we called it ice shave.
Where East meets West: “What better place than Hilo? We are the first ice shave store (that we know of) to offer the traditional Japan block ice shave machine ice shave and the fastest, best made in the U.S.A. shaved ice cube machine combined with self-serve flavor station.”
“Hilo Kine Ice Shave” is our local traditional hand shaped and favored treat with powder-like ice flakes made from ice blocks.
“Hilo Wiki Ice Shave” is the fast, fun and our family-friendly price offering. Made from ice cubes that are finely shaved (not crushed). It’s a blast for us to make and you to self-flavor.
Short N Sweet
Short N Sweet Bakery &Cafe is moving from its Kinoole location (formerly Robert’s Bakery) to its new location at the Hilo Shopping Center, where Lanky’s Pastries used to be.
Maria Short came to the Big Island with much experience as she graduated from Baltimore International culinary College and then from L’Academie de Cuisine’s Pastry Arts program with honors. She has worked as a pastry chef in restaurants, catering companies and patisseries. She also worked as a pastry chef instructor, teaching Merchant Marines how to bake.
This is where Maria met her husband, Dien, a Merchant Marine who worked as a chief steward. Dien was raised in Hawaii and left after high school to travel and see the world.
In 2004, Maria and Dien opened Short N Sweet Bakery &Cafe in Hawi. Then in 2010, moved to the former Robert’s Bakery location on Kinoole.
I first met Maria Short in Hawi, where she had a cute bakery filled with her delectable desserts. I was going around the island to work on my cookbook, ‘What the Big Island Likes to Eat,’ and she graciously shared this dessert recipe.
Macadamia Nut Sticky Buns
Short N Sweet Bakery &Cafe
Makes 12 buns
Dough
1-1/4 cups warm water
1/2 cup honey
1-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
19 ounces all-purpose flour
4 ounces cake flour
Topping
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
Cinnamon Sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Egg Wash
1 large egg, beaten
Garnish
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
To prepare dough:
Combine the warm water and honey in a large bread bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and honey, let the mixture stand until the yeast has softened. Add the egg and the oil to the yeast mixture. Sift or whisk together the flours and salt and add them to the wet ingredients. Mix until a loose dough forms; the dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubles in size. After one rising, punch down the dough, then refrigerate while making the topping.
To make the topping:
Mix butter and brown sugar together until just combined (do not cream it). Spread mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking pan.
To make cinnamon sugar:
Stir sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl until they are completely blended and there are no lumps.
To form the buns:
Pat the dough into a 10-inch x 12-inch rectangle on a well-floured surface. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with the egg wash and liberally sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Starting with the long side of the dough rectangle, roll the dough into a log, as you would roll a jelly roll. Cut the resulting log into 12 slices.
Press one-twelfth of the chopped nuts onto the top of each slice. Place the buns into the butter/brown sugar lined pan, nut side down. Be sure to leave some room around each bun.
Let buns rise again until they touch each other and have risen more than half-way up the sides of the pan.
To bake:
Bake at 350 degrees until the tops of the buns are golden brown. The brown sugar and butter on the bottom of the pan will caramelize; you should see the caramel bubbling around the edges of the pan. While the buns are still hot, invert the pan very carefully to slide the buns out onto a serving platter. (If you wait until the buns cool, the caramel will stick to the pan). Be careful with the hot caramel and do not get burned.
Let buns cool a bit before serving.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.