SAMBOS AND SILVANAS

Half of me wants to detox and diet but half of me wants to celebrate the new year. I am so thankful to have another year to look forward to, a blank chapter to fill with life stories. I know that sometimes we just get dragged along by life's currents that we are only half aware that time is ticking by. While it may seem that life just goes on and on, for someone like  me who has  experienced a drastic life changing event, life can seem pretty volatile. I have now learned that life is indeed fleeting. Our courses have been charted for us and we do not know where that leads and when we'll reach our final destination.  I'd like to take the opportunity to appreciate each day and enjoy life and everything it gives.

EGG PIE

A pie cooling on the window sill is such a pretty sight. The aroma is a scent sent from heaven. The prospect of the first bite just thrills the imagination. Baking a pie might seem a task if you think about it but it actually is an enjoyable activity once you start the process. I am not an avid pie maker but have always wanted to know how to make the perfect pie. The perfect pie has to have a great tasting filling and a crisp, flaky and buttery crust.

BLACK FOREST CAKE

When it comes to food, being "old fashioned" is a good thing. New trends are churned daily but there are tried and tested classics that we keep turning back to. 

Chocoholics may beg to differ but I like my chocolate cake layered with other flavours. 

YEMA CAKE

It has been four years since I've started this blog and it has been a wonderful journey. I thank everyone who often come to visit, those who leave comments, those who cook from the recipe and those who do and come back to tell me about it. The blog has become a big part of my life and I am very thankful for it.

THAI STICKY RICE AND MANGO DESSERT

Sticky rice is enjoyed in the east as in the west. Although treated differently, they are usually made into comforting desserts. 

COCONUT JAM

Coconut is the cheap and cheerful ingredient that we use a lot in Filipino cooking, both sweet and savoury. Coconut milk is more used than dairy milk and is so versatile. It can be reduced, curdled to render the oil, baked into cakes and mixed into sauces.

Coconut jam is the very common spread used to fill breads. It is made with coconut milk and sugar and reduced to a very thick paste. It is sweet, really sweet. It is in fact a sweet remedy for mouth ulcers.

ALMOND JELLY

I still have to find out how almond extract smells unlike the almond nut. Nevertheless, I love almonds in both in forms. 

Almond jelly is one of the few desserts on the Chinese restaurant menu and the one that I like best. Slivers of soft set almond flavoured jelly is served with fruits and more almond flavouring. It is a very simple concoction, yet the taste is so perfect.

KOREAN STYLE BEAN SPROUTS

The one thing that I like best about Korean cuisine is the myriad accroutrements that come every dish. Although each one is delicious, it is the bean sprouts salad (sookju namul) that I like best. The bean sprouts are blanched before being mixed with a dressing. It's simple taste makes it the perfect side dish. Although it is best served with Korean dishes (like bulgogi), it can be served with anything. 

FETA CHEESE DRESSING

We all need a fresh spark on our usual menu from time to time. Sometimes a little change in the details is all it takes. Before you grab the jar of mayo yet again to slather on something, imagine how much more flavour a simple dressing like this would give to your food.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

All the holidays seem to be tumbling forward at a very fast pace and I can't keep up; yet Father's day is rather special and is never ever to be missed. 

BLUE VELVET CAKE

Blue food is supposedly revolting. I remember hearing of an experiment where chicken was painted with blue food colouring. People who tried them found their taste off-putting and nothing like chicken at all.

I am a curious sort of person and, although I have never been good in science, I like doing experiments in my kitchen. The most popular post on this blog is the red velvet cake.  I like it so much and I believe that a good thing is worth repeating. Following the process of the red velvet cake recipe, I experimented on making a blue velvet cake: a velvet cake that's blue in both colour and flavour. 

AVOCADO MAYO

Summer swings our moods to a high level, thanks to the good weather and plenty of sunshine. It is the perfect and perhaps the only time we can do our barbies and picnics. Although some summer food such as fruits, salads and grills are healthy, there are also those that aren't but we can't help but eat.

IMPOSSIBLE CAKE (CHOCOFLAN)

I am a doubting Thomas when it comes to trying new recipes. Not that I doubt the recipe. I doubt my skills at following recipes. Sometimes though, there are recipes that I just have to try to make because they look so delicious. 

I love pouring custard rather than cream on chocolate cake so when I saw this recipe I knew this was something I'd like. Not only did it have chocolate cake and custard, it also had caramel. Just by the looks of it, I could tell how delicious it was. 

PAN DE COCO (COCONUT BUNS)

In the pre-Starbucks days, the local bakery in any town in the Philippines is the hub of activity at dawn, mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Although rice is the staple food, a bakery is never more than a few yards away from one's home. The daily supply of bread is bought freshly baked in the wood-fired oven of the local panaderia (bakery). 

BRAZO DE MERCEDES

This dessert was named after Mercedes's arm, which is the literal meaning of its name. I don't know the real origin of this dessert but the name and the use of a lot of egg yolks suggests that it probably is of Hispanic roots. It is a Filipino favourite but is not dissimilar to the Spanish brazo de gitano (gypsy's arm) which is a Swiss roll type dessert. It has the components of the Spanish canonigo and French Ile Flottante which are meringue islands floating in custard but in a jelly roll form.

CLASSIC TIRAMISU

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert which simply means "pick me up" or metaphorically "make me happy". This name cannot be more very apt because the creamy trifle is perked up with strong espresso and Marsala wine.

HOMEMADE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

The mere mention of sweet and sour sauce would bring to mind Chinese food. Although a combination of sweetness and tang features in Chinese cuisine, it is not as we know it. Traditional dishes uses vinegar as the usual souring agent and brown sugar bricks that are similar to palm sugar in taste. 

IRISH CHAMP

Potatoes are the food of champions. They are nutritious and good enough to be eaten on its own. It is, however, the staple side dish and source of carbs of many a nation around the globe. 

The English usually serve them boiled, roast or chipped. For the Irish though, mash is a big favourite, steeped in tradition and is the traditional accompaniment to their stews.

Irish champ is simply mashed potatoes with spring onions thrown in. I chose thick spring onions with a leeky flavour and sauteed them first in butter before combining with the rest of the ingredients. This simple addition has a lot of impact on the taste of the mash and gives it a fresh taste and extra savoury flavour. A simple stew with champ is a perfect comfort meal.

adapted from Allrecipes Irish Champ recipe

Ingredients:

1 kg. of unpeeled potatoes
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. chopped spring onions
1 c. milk
1 tsp. of salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Method:

Boil the potatoes until soft. Peel while hot. The best way to do this is to hold the hot potato with a kitchen towel and pick on the potato skin with the tip of a paring knife. Hold the loosened skin and pull off.

Mash the potatoes. I used a potato ricer to do this.

Heat up a sauté  pan and add in the butter. On low heat, saute the spring onions until softened. Add in the milk and bring to a boil. Add in the mashed potatoes, salt and pepper and stir. It is ready when it is piping hot.

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BAKERY STYLE CHOCOLATE CHUNK MUFFINS

There are good days and bad days. And then there are really good days. Such days are when you open the front door and a delivery man hands you a huge hamper full of chocolates.

MATCHA AND LIME CUSTARD MOCHI

As the Chinese new year celebration draws to an end, lets focus on the dessert menu. Auspicious food still has to be on the table so I chose something that will keep the family glued together. Sticky food is meant to promote family unity. Round shaped food bring unending prosperity. Nothing fits the bill more perfectly than mochi.