This dish is what I always make whenever we have leftover shrimp -which doesn’t happen often so we don’t get to have this as much as we want.  I have never made this dish without using leftover shrimp.  Whenever we buy shrimp, it’s almost always cooked the same way –boiled in Sprite (soda) seasoned with salt and pepper and some onions , cooked until the  sugar in the soda caramelized , simple and delicious -which for us is the best way to have shrimp, it’s always been like that in our family… I remember licking and sucking on the shell before I peel it cause it’s so full of flavor and then I would dip the meat of the shrimp in calamansi with salt…ahhh…it’s so good! That’s the reason why we rarely have leftovers  but if you happen to have some, turn it into this dish and you’ll be WOWed the second time.  The quantities for the ingredients are just guides, you may alter it according to your taste especially the hot sauce (my family and I like it really HOT) or depending on the quantity of your shrimp.  when I cook this dish I just usually eyeball it and taste it as I cook it.. Happy Cooking

cooked shrimp with shell- about 350g
1 onion
5 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
about 2 tablespoon hot sauce
2-3 green chili peppers
patis (fish sauce), optional
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil for saute-ing

Peel the shrimp; set the meat aside, do not discard the head as it’s full of flavor-use it to make shrimp juice or broth:  if you have mortar and pestle, you can use it to mash the shrimp’s head and then add a cup of water and strain; otherwise just put the shrimp head into a bowl mash it with the back of a ladle or woden spoon, add water and strain.

Heat  extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan, saute the onion, add the tomatoes and cook until it’s tender.  Add about a cup and a half of shrimp juice; add in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (skip this step if using canned stewed tomatoes) mix thoroughly until the tomato paste is well incorporated; add in the green chili pepper and hot sauce (you may add more or less) and season with fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes; uncovered.  Add the peeled shrimp, simmer for a minute (the shrimp is already cooked, so don’t leave it simmering for a longer time or it will get tough).  Serve hot with steamed rice or your bread.

Tip: If you want less time and hassle in the kitchen, you may use a can of stewed tomatoes (about 14 oz) instead of fresh tomatoes and omit the tomato paste. You don’t need to worry about dicing the tomatoes.

Happy Eating!

 This recipe serves 4 persons

1 1/2 dry red wine
1 cip plus 2 Tbsps packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
8 chicken drumsticks, skin on
coarse salt

Bring wine, sugar, soy sauce,ginger and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until mixture has thickened to the consistency of honey, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Using a sharp knife, make three diagonal slashes through the skin and flesh on both sides of each drumsticks to help the flavor permeate the meat.

Preheat grill to medium-low (If you are using charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 7 seconds). Place drumsticks on grill, and brush with sauce. Close cover and grill 4 minutes. Flip chicken, and brush with sauce; continue to cook, flipping and brushing with sauce every 4-5 minutes, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Season with salt. Serve with coleslaw; but since we are all rice eaters in our family , I served it with steamed mixed white and brown rice.

Enjoy!

This Philippine delicacy is one of my favorite growing up. I remember always asking my mother back when I was a young girl in our province to order it from the ”kakanin” lady.  This kind of palitaw is different in a way that it is serve in the coconut milk it was cooked in. The usual palitaw that I see and buy in the market is the soft cooked rice dough serve in a wilted banana leaf  with fresh coconut and brown sugar toppings. 

The recipe below is serve with latik, my favorite topping for kakanin. I am not into palitaw that much, but when I tasted this one with “broth”, I fell for it, but it is so hard to find it sometimes in the market, it’s either it’s already gone or they didn’t have it available on that day;  it’s not one of the regular delicacy sold, probably because it spoils easy because of the coconut milk, I’m not sure or maybe because not a lot of people like it??? Still not sure there… but I sure know that I LIKE  it…A LOT!  It’s been years since I last had this  and just recently I had a craving for this palitaw with sabaw (broth) -it’s what I call it- and since I know no kakanin lady in the city I currently live in who makes this delicacy,  I had to learn how to make it myself.  I asked around- I asked my mom, my lolas and  aunts on how it is done, they did not really give me an exact recipe, they just told me how and since I’ve seen it done  a few times before, I went ahead and tried it (with fingers crossed).   It’s actually pretty easy to do and there are very few ingredients, only three in fact.  The only hard thing here is the extraction of the coconut milk; you can always use the canned one but for me, it’s not the same taste wise and besides, the coconut from the market is cheaper than the canned coconut milk– I’m just being practical here.

So, I made this a couple of days ago, it was a hit with my 2 year old son, wish I could say the same for his daddy and sister, who inspite of the fact that they don’t really like kakanin that much still ate quite a lot but said it’s not really one of their favorites. Anyways, here’s the recipe: and the picture is up there - I’m lousy at taking pictures so bear with me, that’s the best I can do… Happy cooking!

This recipe serves 4-5 persons

1 cup sweet rice flour or glutinous rice flour
water
2 cups coconut milk
For the latik:
1 coconut, shredded
2 cups lukewarm water

First, you need to extract the milk from the coconut; to do this, put the shredded coconut in a large bowl, pour in 2 cups of lukewarm water, mash the coconut with your hands to extract the milk, then use a strainer to pour the coconut milk in a clean bowl, squeeze the shredded coconut to get all that first extract of milk- this is called the kakang gata, it’s thick and creamy. Put the shredded coconut back again to the large bowl for the second extraction.  Just repeat the process, add the same amount of water; this time you will  get a thinner consistency of coconut milk extract.

Put the first extract, the kakang gata on a skillet or any shallow pan, reserving 1/4 cup. cook it over medium-high heat. Do not stir. J ust let the coconut milk boil till all the water evaporates and only the solid part is left- that will become the latik- lower the heat and stir gently ocassionally to break the latik and continue to cook it in it’s oil till it’s golden brown.

Meanwhile, while the latik is cooking, pour the second extract of coconut milk into a saucepan, add in 1 cup of brown sugar, stir until the brown sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. 

Put the sweet rice flour in a bowl, add water to  it gradually, just enough to hold the all flour together and form a moist dough, be careful when adding water, you don’t want a very sticky dough, knead a little then form into one-inch balls then flatten each ball as you make it into an oval shape, it doesn’t have to be perfect; just make sure you make uniform size “dumplings” so they will cook at the same time.  When they’re ready, drop them into the boiling coconut milk and sugar mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the “palitaw” floats, that’s when you know it’s done, then add the reserved first extract of coconut milk, the kakang gata;  simmer for 3 minutes, then add the latik and turn off heat.

Let it cool a bit before serving because the palitaw can be very, very hot. It’s a good merienda (snack) on a rainy day…warms your tummy!

Yummylicious!

I got the recipe from BHG magazine, sept 99 issue. It’s called Date-Maple Scone but I changed the name to Super Easy, No-Roll Scones cause I don’t have maple and dates always available when I need one, so I usually do substitutions. I replace dates with pre-soaked raisins; the maple syrup with corn syrup.. sometimes I replace half of the syrup with apple sauce.. hence the name  change; but for reference I am posting the original recipe below. You may change some ingredients like I mentioned if you prefer as long as you follow the measurements or quantity of ingredients.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cardamom ( I don’t have this, so I always use cinnamon powder instead)
1/3 cup butter or margerine (margerine for me)
1 beaten egg
1/3 cup maple syrup or maple-flavored syrup (corn syrupor simple syrup will do too)
1/3 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/2 cup snipped, pitted dates ( I haven’t seen or tasted dates before - I heard it’s sweet-, let alone use it so I use raisins, pre-soaked or as is)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and cardamom. Cut in butter or margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, combine egg, maple syrup, half-and-half or light cream; stir in dates. Add the liquid mixture all at once to the dry ingredients. Stir just till the mixture clings together.

Drop scone batter mixture from a rounded tablespoon onto greased baking sheet. Bake in 400 degrees oven for 12-15 minutes (longer if you add apple sauce). Serve warm. Makes 16 scones.

In case there’s more than enough for your household….
Leftover scones can be stored in the freezer for 2 months; wrap in seram wrap and seal in an airtight container. To reheat, unwrap and rewrap infoil and put in 300 degrees oven until heated through, for about 15-18 minutes. I haven’t tried storing these scones in the freezer because there are always no leftovers scones in our house,  they’re always gone the same day they’re baked…

 Yummy!   :)

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed

For the Marinade:
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup orange juice or lemon juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp salt
cooking spray

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a plastic container with cover or you may use a ziplock bag. Add the pork tenderloin and marinate for at least 2 hours.

When you’re ready to cook it, evenly coat the grill with cooking spray and preheatl. Remove the pork from the marinade. Sprinkle it evenly with a tsp of salt and place on the preheated grill rack; grill for 20-25 minutes. Remove from grill and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting; you have to do this not just with this recipe but for all grilled, broil or baked meat, otherwise the juices will ran out and you will end up with bland piece of meat. Back to the recipe– slice it thinly after you have waited patiently and serve with steamed rice or mashed potato and a side dish of vegetable of your choice.

Enjoy ! 

This recipe is from Ina Garten, better known as Barefoot Contessa. She is one of my favorite personalities to watch on Food Network, I like her a LOT! She makes me want to try her recipes at home and I did many times and they are all great.. Her coconut cupcakes with cream cheese frosting is one of the firsts that I tried. I love coconut and cream cheese separately; but I have not tried to cook or even taste the two together in a dish, I was curious to find out what it would taste like, so try I did.

This recipe is quite popular for its great taste, you will find a lot of blogs on the internet who has done this already. This recipe is from scratch; if you want to save on time just buy her complete boxed cake mix. Here in the Philippines, I couldn’t find one, so I have to make it from scratch (I do love baking from scratch anyways). I couldn’t find any buttermilk either, so I used a substitute: put a tablespoon of lemon juice in a measuring cup; then fill it up with milk ’til it makes a cup; let stand for at least 10 minutes prior touse. I also used dessicated coconut instead of sweetened, shredded variety (again, I couldn’t find one..).   I took a picture of these cupcakes as you can see..forgive the quality of the photo though, I really sucked at taking pictures…
=================================================

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut
For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

Yummylicious!

=====================================

Ensaymada Dough
10g Instant Yeast
250g Water
180g Evaporated Milk
120g Sugar
120g Butter, softened
120g Egg Yolks
500g All-Purpose Flour

Filling
As Needed Butter, softened
As Needed Sweet Ham, sliced
As Needed Queso de Bola, grated

Topping
150g Butter
100g Sugar
As Needed Queso de Bola, grated
As Needed Sweet Ham, sliced to bits

1. In a mixing bowl, combine together yeast and water.
2. Mix until yeast is dissolved.
3. Stir in evaporated milk, sugar, butter, egg yolks and CONTINENTAL All-Purpose Flour.
4. Knead until a soft dough forms, about 5 – 6 minutes.
5. Transfer dough in a greased bowl.
6. Let rise till double, about 1 hour.
7. Punch down dough then divide into 50g pieces.
8. Let rest for 10 minutes before rolling into a thin sheet of dough like a rectangular
handkerchief, about 12” x 4” x 1/8” (thick).
9. Brush with soft butter then sprinkle with a little queso de bola and a few pieces of sliced sweet
ham.
10. Roll into a rope then twist into a snail.
11. Place in greased molds.
12. Let rise till double or very fluffy.
13. Bake at 325°F till top is lightly golden, about 8 – 10 minutes.
14. Cool completely before unmolding.
15. Prepare topping by creaming butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, or until almost while.
16. Brush on top of cooled ensaymadas.
17. Top with more queso de bola and bits of sweet ham.

Enjoy!

This recipe is from one of my favorite chef on TV, Tyler Florence. I’ve tried a few baked cheesecake recipes before, they’re all great but this one is quite simple and doesn’t call for too much creamcheese- which is great because they are quite expensive. Tyler’s ultimate cheesecake recipe has warm lemon blueberry topping, but fresh blueberries are rarely available here in the Philippines, so I made strawberries toppings instead (you can opt for the canned toppings available in the supermarkets to make it more easier and less time consuming).   You may also use chocolate cookies (like oreos) for crust as I did because I don’t have graham crakers at  hand.  So if you’re craving for yummy cheesecake….what are you waiting for?  Try this recipe and have fun baking!

Crust
2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 pound cream cheese, 2 (8-ounce) blocks, softened
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream
1 lemon, zested
1 dash vanilla extract

Strawberry Topping, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Make the crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

For the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling), so be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours. Loosen the cheesecake from the sides of the pan by running a thin metal spatula around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to a cake plate. Using a spatula spread a layer of stawberry topping over the surface, arrange the reserve strawberry pieces in the center and pour the sauce over.

Slice the cheesecake with a thin, non-serrated knife that has been dipped in hot water. Wipe dry after each cut.

Strawberry Topping
2 lbs fresh strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 cup strawberry jam
1 tbsp lemon juice

Set aside few nice pieces of strawberries for garnish. Toss the rest of the strawberries with sugar and salt in a bowl, let stand for half an hour, tossing occasionally. Meanwhile, put the jam in a small saucepan and heat for 3 minutes, stir in lemon juice and pour over strawberries, stir to combine; let cool and chill for about two hours before using.

Yummylicious!

============================================

For the filling:
1 can of condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1 tbsp butter

Brioche:
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup warm milk
2 envelopes active dry yeast
3 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
3 large eggs (room temperature)
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks, 12 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature

Egg wash:1 egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water

Cook the filling:  In a medium-size saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the yema and cook over medium-high heat; stirring constantly until the mixture begins to thicken, lower the heat and continue cooking for 15 more minutes or until you reached a soft caramel-like consistency or if you like a more solid yema, you can cook it for a few more minutes (just remember that the longer you cook it, the harder it will become when it cools). Remove the saucepan from heat and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place 1/3 cup warm water, warm milk and yeast in the bowl of a standing heavy-duty mixer; stir until yeast dissolves and let proof for 10 minutes. Add flour and salt, mix on low speed just until flour is moistened, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the eggs on low speed, then add sugar. On medium speed, beat until the dough comes together, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low.

Add butter, two tablespoons at a time, beating until each piece is almost incorporated before adding next. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until dough pulls away from sides of bowl, about 10 minutes.

Transfer the dough into a clean bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch the dough down to deflate it every 30 minutes until it stops rising (it will take 2 hours in total).

Butter and flour muffin pans or about 30 individual brioche tins set on a baking sheet. Divide the brioche dough into 30 pieces and shape each into a smooth ball. Place a tablespoon of yema into each ball and bring up the sides of the dough while pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Smooth the ball by rolling it between your hands and place it, join side down, in the prepared tins. Continue with the remaining brioche pieces, cover and leave them for about 30 min or until doubled in size.

Brush the brioches with beaten egg and bake in a preheated 400F for 12-15 min, until well-risen and golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack slightly, turn out of the pan and serve warm with your favorite cup of coffee or hot tea.

 Yummylicious!

=========================================

Makes about 1 and 1/2 cups

1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan over medium low heat, combine cream, sugar and flour; stir well. Add butter and cook stirring constantly, over medium heat until butter is melted and mixture begins to boil. Cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla. 

Serve warm with your favorite desert.

Enjoy!