An Adult Take on a Childhood Favorite
March 23, 2012 § 14 Comments
We used to live in a compound. It has four houses, the main house was my lola’s (grandmother’s), one was our house and the two others were my father’s siblings’. We lived there most of my life until we moved house after college. There were so many memories in that compound but summers (as a child) were especially memorable as the days were spent playing with cousins in that compound – patintero, touch-taya, Chinese garter… there even was a baseball phase. I remember catching tadpoles at the canal outside our house. Yeah those were carefree times. I can’t imagine any parent allowing their kids to play in a canal today. 😯 We’d climb and pick santol and indian mangoes from the tree in my lola’s garden, devouring it with salt or toyo (soysauce). I’d always look forward to my uncle’s treats to Sunshine Market, our neighborhood grocery. I’d go straight to the snack section and pick-up Carol-Ann’s potato chips. Oh how I love that greasy but crispy, thin chips seasoned only with salt. To this day, nothing beats Carol-Ann’s and you don’t find them anymore. I love Choco vim — I’d shake it till the chocolate at the bottom dissolves, such a thrill . And there was Magnolia’s Twin Popsies, I like both the chocolate and the orange variant. A perfect heat quencher. Childhood memories… always make me smile.
The Kulinarya Cooking Club is a club that showcases Filipino dishes by way of a monthly challenge among the members. And this is my first attempt on a fairly easy but so much fun challenge this month, thanks to Arnold of Inuyaki and Jun of Jun-blog.
The theme is “ice candy” or popsicle treats, which aptly signals the start of summer. In spite of the heat, summer is always a favorite time of the year. It means I get to soak up the sun in some remote island with some frozen delights on hand. I usually go for fresh shakes nowadays but ice candy brought back so many memories that I feel like having twin popsies right now.
My take on the theme is an adult version of a childhood favorite. I made 2 versions in honor of the 2 Magnolia Twin Popsies variants. One is a delightful orange and mango flavor with a hint of ginger while the other is a chocolate popsicle made of native cacao balls and since I love a hint of orange in my chocolate, I added some orange zest to give it a twist.
Mango-Orange-Ginger Popsies
What you need:
- 3-4 pcs. Navel oranges
- 2-3 pcs. Ripe Philippine mangoes
- 3-4 slices of ginger
- ¼ cup sugar
- A dash of Cinnamon powder or stick
What you do:
- To make the ginger syrup: In a pot, dissolve sugar with ½ cup water. Add ginger slices and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil.
- Meanwhile make into juice all the oranges and 1 mango*. Combine orange/mango juice and the ginger syrup in a pitcher (for ease in pouring).
- Slice the rest of the mangoes into bite-sized pieces distribute in popsicle molds**.
- Pour the juice mixture. Place popsicle sticks over the mold and freeze.
Notes:
* You may use ready to drink juices too if desired. About 2 cups of orange juice to 1 cup of mango.
** The frozen mango makes a lot of different so fill it to the bream and then pour the juice.
Orange-flavored Choco Frozen Delight
What you need:
- 10 balls or more of native chocolate*
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp orange zest
- A dash of cinnamon powder or stick
What you do:
- Dissolve choco balls in water, adding more depending on desired thickness.**
- Add a dash of cinnamon or place the stick of cinnamon while cooking the chocolate.
- When chocolate is ready, add the zest before turning off heat.
- Strain into a pitcher and let cool.
- Pour into popsicle molds, place popsicle sticks and freeze.
Notes:
* Native chocolates are made differently; it is best that you know what kind you’re using or follow instructions if it they have it.
** The thicker the chocolate, the richer the popsicle. If you make it thick enough, it is like biting into a frozen chocolate bar.
Both were delightfully refreshing. At the last-minute I decided to add the mango on the orange version and did a happy dance when I bit into the finish product. It really made a lot of difference biting into frozen mangoes. The ginger is a great twist to a familiar flavor. Makes sure though not to overdo the ginger or it will overpower the light fruity flavor.
The chocolate version, on the hand is less sweet and much richer than that of Magnolia’s. The orange zest added a fruity dimension to dark chocolate. I intentionally didn’t add milk or cream, as I wanted it dark. If milk chocolate is the preference, go ahead and add a bit of cream.
If you don’t have a popsicle mold, you may use disposable cups. To hold the sticks in place, tape over a plastic wrap and bore a hole in the middle where the stick will go. This will make the stick stay in the middle.
Stay cool everyone!
Making Tiramisu
March 18, 2012 § 3 Comments
Credits: Papers by Sahlin Studio from the Art and Soul kit and Crystal Wilkerson from the Room Collection kit; Elements by Sahlin Studio from the Art and Soul kit for the lace, Ezane from ScrapMatters’ Life’s Little Surprises kit for the journal.
It’s not just another Saturday – it’s the 3rd Saturday since I moved to my new place. It has been 2 weeks of unpacking, arranging and cleaning whenever I’m home.
Today I declared a cleaning and arranging time out. I just want to rest and appreciate my new home. To celebrate my moving in – so to speak, I invited some friends over for dessert and coffee after dinner. I’m not ready to invite them for the real deal. Kitchen still not ready for that, or should I say, I’m not ready for that… haha!
Anyhow, I made tiramisu, my 2nd attempt actually. The first one failed because I used our local broas – you know the one I used to make this. It went all watery on me. The broas was too light, it soaked up a lot of the espresso;
I went and bought this instead. It’s much denser and holds well when soaked in liquid.
Tiramisu
What you need:
- 3 large Eggs, with yolks and whites separated
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 8 oz. Mascarpone
- 20 Lady Fingers
- 1 cup Espresso or Strong Coffee
- 2 tbsp. Cognac or Brandy
- 1 cup Cocoa
What you do:
1. Combine 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon Espresso, sugar, and Cognac into the large mixing bowl.
2. Beat 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add Mascarpone and beat 3 to 5 minutes until consistency is smooth.
4. In another bowl, combine 3 egg whites and a pinch of sugar. Beat until mixture forms stiff peaks.
5. Gently fold into Mascarpone mixture.
6. Pour rest of Espresso into a flat dish, dip one side of each Lady Finger, and layer on bottom of serving dish.
7. Spread 1/3 of the Mascarpone mixture and sprinkle with cocoa.
8. Continue layering and finish with a Mascarpone layer.
9. Sprinkle with cocoa and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.
This is the way to dazzle, I must say. A no bake dessert that is impressive in flavors – it’s the Cognac. Simple enough allowing me lots of time before dinner to relax and enjoy the flat.
Where to Eat in Macau: Restaurante Litoral
March 8, 2012 § 6 Comments
Walking along Rua do Almirante Sergio after our scrumptious lunch at A Lorcha last August, I chanced upon Restaurante Litoral – the other Macanese restaurant I wanted to try. I took note of it for when we return. I never thought that I would be trying this other famous Macanese restaurant so soon.
The family decided to spend the holidays in Hong Kong and Macau. For a family of foodies, what better way to spend the holidays than in gastronome paradise? Restaurante Litoral, when I suggested it, was a unanimous yes.
To others, Macau is more of a gambling mecca, to me it is a food haven. You will find Western and Chinese cuisines in hotels and clubs as well as in small sidewalk stalls, but the main point of a Macau visit (at least to me) is to delight in Macanese cuisine. The 500 years of multicultural influence lead to a fusion of Portuguese, Chinese, African, and Indian flavors that is now uniquely Macanese. Many dishes evolved from the spice blends the Portuguese women used attempting to replicate European dishes.
Housed in a 2-storey building in a quiet street, Restaurante Litoral is packed to the bream during our visit and I have a sneaking suspicion it is every night. We were shown to our table on the 2nd floor where (again), a Filipina served us.
We started with a squid salad tossed in lemon and olive oil dressing. Then came the clams, just as scrumptious as the one in A Lorcha. The soup infused with the delicious flavors of clams simmered in white wine, olive oil and lemon is fantastic especially when dipped in bread.
Then the dishes came one after the other.
Baked Duck Rice – a cut above the rest. Rice simmered in duck stock and fat with succulent duck confit thrown in and then topped with bacon and chorizo. A dish with everything I love.
With the Baked Duck Rice, who would think we’d order another rice dish? But by the sound of it, Suckling Pig on Fried Rice, we just had to try it. It had us at suckling pig. Glad we did. It was lighter than the Duck Rice but the flavor and the crispy skin of the suckling pig was to die for.
Bacalhau a Lagareiro or grilled cod-fish with potatoes and garlic. A common dish in Portugal, Spain and in some Portuguese colonies like Angola, Macau and Brazil. Its essential ingredient is salted codfish so be ready for the saltiness. I, for one, love Bacalhau, some are however put off by the saltiness. Salted cod has been around since 500 years ago when there was no refrigeration. Just like our daings and our danggits, drying and salting are ancient methods of preserving the nutrients and can actually make the fish tastier.
Braised Oxtail in Red Wine Sauce – extremely soft oxtail in very tasty sauce. Two thumbs up!!
For dessert, we wanted to try the egg yolk soufflé but they ran out of stock so we settled with their chocolate mousse, mango pudding and of course their version of Serradurra, biscuit mousse.
It was as yummy as the one we tried at A Lorcha. I will attempt to make this one of these days or I will be burning miles to get my fix of this very addictive dessert.
My verdict: Maybe it’s the number of dishes we tried but in my humble opinion, Litoral wins over A Lorcha by a hair. Both restaurants are worth visiting again. Perhaps I’ll need to go back to A Lorcha to try more dishes next time.
Restaurante Litoral Rua do Almirante Sergio 216-A r/c, Macau Tel: +853 2896-7878 Cafe Litoral Rua do Regedor, Bloco 4 Wai Chin Kok Taipa, Macau Tel: +853 2882-5255
Not Quite There Yet
February 28, 2012 § 5 Comments
Exhausting weekend. No, I have not moved yet but my paintings and most of my furniture has though. I spent most of last Saturday general cleaning and planning which wall the paintings go.
“Tama na ba ma’am, Is this alright? “Baba pa, taas pa, medyo kanan pa, lower, higher, a little more to the right…” – an example of the weekend I had with the workers.
The grease trap under the kitchen sink leaked, flooding the kitchen. The drain in the balcony is clogged, the range hood doesn’t have a socket nearby, the lights are not bright enough… problems one wouldn’t know or notice until one is about to move in, I reckon. It was so exhausting but satisfying at the end of the day. Seeing that I’m almost there make me jump for joy.
A glimpse of my unfinished living room
While the recent purchases are settled in their own little corner in my new flat, there are the existing things that I own that needs to move with me. That is no doubt, stressing me out. Imagine the packing and the unpacking.
I’ve weeded out stuff that I don’t need over the past months. I’ve sold some, given away many and ate at home so much. Truth to tell, I’ve stopped stocking up on food. I’ve been consuming stuff from the freezer and the cupboard (which would mainly be canned and bottled products). The less you have, the less you’ll need to transfer, yes? I’ve made some progress… I’ve consumed the last of my canned tuna and with it I made a quick lunch just to get us by.
Tuna with Fried Kesong Puti
I used this recipe sans the arugula and mushrooms.
You will need:
- 1 can tuna in Olive Oil
- ½ a tablespoon capers, slightly crushed
- A dash chili flakes (optional)
- A few strands fresh dill, (I snip it with a scissor)
- Any bread will do; I used English Muffins but Ciabatta or sliced baguette will do just fine.
- Kesong Puti (Filipino fresh cheese), sliced
What you do:
- Sauté the capers with a bit of oil from the can until it start to crisp.
- Stir in the tuna with half of the oil from the can, adding more depending on your preference (I like mine drier).
- Add the dill and let it simmer for a minute. Season with chili flakes, salt and freshly cracked pepper.
- Meanwhile, pan-fry the sliced cheese in hot oil until golden brown.
- Spread tuna mixture on your choice of bread and top with the fried kesong puti.
Enjoy! And being a new member of the Kulinarya Cooking Club (yay!), I was inspired to fuse in a Filipino ingredient on this dish. It has inspired me too to learn to cook more Filipino dishes. In my attempt to whip up new dishes, I’ve neglected our own native dishes along the way. So here’s to more Filipino (inspired) dishes on this blog. 🙂
Where to Eat in Macau: A Lorcha
February 12, 2012 § 11 Comments
“Where’s the best Macanese / Portuguese restaurants in Macau?” I asked many including a search on the Internet. It came down to A Lorcha and Ristorante Litoral.
A Lorcha won by a hairline. So before heading out, we reserved a table for 2 while keeping in mind to try Litoral next time we’re back.
One of the oldest and most famous Taoist temple in Macau.
We arrived before the restaurant opened so we walked to the Ama Temple and looked around.
Shortly after the restaurant opened, we were shown our corner table. When we saw how quickly the restaurant filled up, I was glad we made that reservation.
Known to offer the best Portuguese cuisine in Macau, it is popular with the locals and tourists alike. They serve home-style Portuguese cooking that is presented simply without much thought on food styling, but with food so tasty it needs none of the fancy tricks.
The server who happens to be Filipina immediately came to the rescue when the wide choice left us uncertain about what best to order.
We had the Grilled Charcoal Pork Chourico for starters and after tasting this, we asked if we could buy some from them, instead they pointed us to a nearby supermarket to look for the brand “Nobre”.
Shhh… this turned out to be better than what they served us.
The Clams with Garlic, Coriander & Olive Oil is a popularly ordered dish and we had to try it. It was heavenly. The soup sweet and so flavorful from the clams and the other aromatics we devoured it straight from the bowl.
It tastes better than it looks. It’s a promise.
We likewise had to give their African Chicken a try. Although we knew that we have probably over ordered by this time, our Filipina server managed to convince us to order the Portuguese Fried Rice.
Needless to say, we left her a huge tip. It had great flavors!!! It could very well be the best among the dishes we’ve tried. We ended up ordering too much but we just had to have their famous Serradurra – it’s a milk crème pudding topped with crumbled biscuits.
It was sooo good!!! I crave for it sometimes. Sweetness just right and the consistency of the pudding so smooth it melts in the mouth. The biscuit crumble completes it – definitely the icing on the cake.
What a pity there were only 2 of us, I’d love to try more of their dishes… Other worth trying are the grilled bacalhau (codfish), sautéed pork with clams, and grilled prawns.
Restaurante A Lorcha 289A Yua do Almirante Sergo, Macau Peninsula +853-2839-3193 Opens daily except Tuesday from 12:30-3:00pm; 6:30-11:00pmHappiness
February 7, 2012 § 4 Comments
Is it February already? Boy, what a hectic start of the year. It’s performance review again at work and I’m in the middle of moving with last-minute touches and changes here and there. So you can imagine what’s been keeping me busy lately. Except for the one weekend I was in Laos, I haven’t had much of a weekend since 2012 set in but my new flat is getting to look livable by the day. Not without glitches, I’m afraid. I hope I am still friends with my contractor-friend when we’re done. I wanted to move in 2 months ago but… well it didn’t happen.
Another problem came up today. I could sulk and brood about it but I chose to look at the brighter side. Today, I purchased the most beautiful and perhaps the most valuable piece of furniture I so far own. That makes me happy. And when I’m happy I make Tuna Mushroom Pasta.
Canned tuna never tasted so good. I passed by the deli before heading home and was even happier to find fresh dill.
This must be God’s way of telling me that everything is not all that bad. The problem will be solved (hopefully tomorrow) but tonight, we will celebrate.
Tuna Mushroom Pasta
You will need:
- 1 can tuna in Olive Oil
- 3-4 shiitake or brown mushrooms, sliced
- ½ a tablespoon capers, slightly mashed
- Baby Arugula
- A dash chili flakes (optional)
- A few strands fresh dill, (I snip it with a scissor)
- 200-250 gram pasta of your choice
What you do:
Cook the pasta as the pack directs. Meanwhile, sauté the capers with a bit of oil from the can, add the mushrooms and sauté for another minute or until the capers starts to crisp. Stir in the tuna with half of the oil from the can, adding more depending on your preference (I like mine drier). Add the dill and a bunch of arugula. Let it simmer until the arugula starts to wilt. Season with chili flakes, salt and freshly cracked pepper. I chose to have it with pasta, but this dish goes well with pasta, rice, and oatmeal or even on top of sliced baguette.
Everyone knows that the saltiness of the caper and the citrusy burst of fresh dill is perfect complement to tuna. We added a new dimension as the mushroom lends an earthy flavor, the arugula some tangy zest while the chili boosts all these up. Go ahead, give it a try and let this simple dish give a bit of happiness today.
Mozza in Singapore
January 25, 2012 § 1 Comment
Osteria Mozza and the more casual Pizzeria Mozza next door is Mario Batali and partners Joe Bastianich and Nancy Silverton’s first venture into Asia, bringing their über successful and unanimously adored restaurants closer to us. Along with some of the best celebrity restaurants lined up at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the restaurant is packed most days. We made sure to reserve a table even before we left Manila.
A fan of Batali since Molto Mario, to dine in both Pizzeria and Osteria was heaven-sent. It was my dad’s 70th birthday and what better way to celebrate than to delight in his signature rich sauces and wonderful choices of Mozzarella and Burrata flown in from Southern Italy.
After biting into the chewy, crisp, puffy pizza, I had a feeling it will be a while before I devour another crust like this. Pizza is all about the crust after all and their chewy and charred crust is everything great bread should be. Loaded with toppings such as specks, squash blossoms, fennel sausage and chanterelle… what more can a pizza-lover asks for?
Clockwise: Funghi Misti; Nephew tasting his Margherita; Bacon, Salami, Fennel Sausage, pancetta; Pizzetta of Squash blossom, burrata and tomato
Among the many great tasting pizzas we ordered, Funghi Misti with fontina, taleggio and thyme came out to be the favorite. The simple Margherita remains a close second. Nothing beats a simple pizza with a perfect crust.
The more upscale Osteria Mozza on the other end of the duplex is still casual and loud, fostering a relaxed atmosphere amidst the elegant interior.
Clockwise: Crispy Pig’s Trotter croquettes; Red Endive, Fennel & Parmigiano Reggiano with anchovy dates dressing; Orecchiette with sausage and swiss chard; Buffala Mozzarella starter
A bigger menu with more of the good stuff from the famous Crispy Pig’s trotter croquettes to an impeccably seasoned Porcini Rubbed Wagyu Rib-Eye Bistecca.
Impeccably seasoned and grilled till the porcini crust is crispy. The meat cooked perfectly and the portions big enough to share. Wow!
Desserts should not be missed as well. All were delightfully great but one particular favorite that piqued my fancy was the Rosemary Olive Oil Cakes with Olive oil gelato and Rosemary brittle.
The flavors so interestingly subtle and melds so well together. An absolute delight.
If I find myself in Singapore again, I will definitely find my way back for more of Batali and Silverton’s goodness.
Great Holiday Leftover Ideas: Pulled Chicken Melt
January 7, 2012 § 2 Comments
Every year, Christmas passes and stuffs your refrigerator with so much food. What do you do with all these? A friend’s solution to his “too much food” dilemma is to throw a party to serve all the cold cuts, cheeses, hams and wine he received over the holidays. A cool idea, don’t you think?
Overwhelmed with the pile of food I have in my refrigerator, I noted to myself to eat at least half of what’s in it before I leave for a trip next week. Not an easy task really, but I shall try.
Knowing that I love pulled pork, my US-based cousin home for the holidays, brought this for me. She said the pork was not available but this was just as yummy.
I usually have them the traditional way – on a bun but I didn’t have any. I made Pulled Chicken Melt instead with leftover Fontina on sliced ciabatta bread.
A few minutes in the toaster oven, just to melt the cheese and lunch is ready and yummy to boot. How easy is that?
This is great as hors d’oeuvres too. Ahhh… I shall share this at tomorrow’s “leftover” party. Jack Daniel’s Pulled Chicken consumed. Fontina consumed. More to go…
A Blessed Christmas
December 25, 2011 § 1 Comment
Christmas is here and I almost missed it. It has been crazy catching up with work, fixing my new flat, buying presents, getting together, family reunions… I could go on and on. So forgive me, if you will, for not posting a recipe this month.
I’m making it up now by featuring a yummy dessert I got as a present this Christmas. It’s called Sans Rival Chips and it’s brilliant for the season especially when you’ve had too much to eat. These chips sans the butter is a great alternative to a sans rival craving… perfect for the season.
Have a Blessed Christmas everyone.
Sans Rival Chips Fudgies by Jenny S Contact: (63) 917-888-1122; (632) 852-0557Din Tai Fung
December 5, 2011 § 3 Comments
Credits: Brown Textured paper by J Sprague; Stitches by Carina Gardner, Feathers by J Sprague, Button by LivE Winter Breeze Jewel Brad.
The waiter arrives with the steamer, sets it down before you and removes the lid letting a cloud of steam escape, revealing 10 dumplings.
You gingerly pick up one with your chopsticks and at first instinct, you want to bite right in, but you’ve been burned before so you set it on a soup spoon, bite a small piece making a hole through the skin.
You slather some ginger-soy-vinegar sauce on it before you take a bite and drink the broth from the spoon. You are in heaven… biting into dumpling with skin so fine yet firm, the meat steamed to perfection letting out soup that is so tasty it’s euphoric.
Din Tai Fung’s Xiao long bao never fails to evoke that sense of euphoria – at least for me. Funny how I planned the hotel in Taipei to be near a Din Tai Fung and it turned out to be the original shop to boot. On our first night in Taipei, we sallied forth for the best dumpling we’ve ever tasted so far. Alas the lines were so long, we gave up. We returned at 5pm on our last night and we were ushered in right away.
We walked passed a glass-in kitchen showcasing chefs at work in an assembly line – making dumplings. Each dumpling is said to have 18 exquisite folds.
The restaurant at 5pm on a weeknight is almost full, halfway through our meal, a huge group occupied the remaining empty tables and by the time we stepped out of the restaurant, a line has already formed. Amazing how a shop established more than 20 years ago has managed to maintain if not improve its stature over the years. Customers, mostly locals, still fall in line for a meal at Din Tai Fung.
Although their Xiao long bao is still the star here, they’ve mastered a few dishes that have likewise become favorites like the fried pork chops.
Another instant hit is a new dish called pork and shrimp pot stickers. This one is pan-fried to crispy perfection.
Storm In My Kitchen 