Delectations

New Site

2008-02-25T02:58:00.001+08:00

I've moved to a new location.

Dinner with Josef

2008-01-09T10:02:00.000+08:00

Sunset Cocktail: Orange Smoothie

Gazpacho

Chicken Curry

Iranian Bam Dates

Gazpacho

Dice 2 large tomatoes, 1/2 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 peeled cucumbers and 1 can whole Italian plum tomatoes. Toss in a bowl with 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup Balasamic vinegar, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Puree to a consistency you like, adding some water or tomato juice to thin if necessary. Chill until ready to serve.

Chicken Curry

Cut into bite-size pieces 800 grams chicken breast filet. Puree 1-inch piece ginger, 6 garlic cloves, 1/2 red onion and 1/2 cup water. Measure out 2 tsp. cumin seeds and 1 tsp. coriander seeds. Saute seeds in 2 tsp. ghee until seeds begin to pop. Add chicken and lightly brown the pieces. Add puree mixture, 7 crushed green cardamom pods, 1 stick cinnamon and 1 tsp. turmeric, cook for about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup ground almonds, mix thoroughly. Add 3/4 cup Greek yogurt. Season with salt.

New Year's 2008

2008-01-02T13:15:00.000+08:00

New Year's Eve, for me, was a nice dinner with four of my guests. Later we watched several fireworks shows from the balcony of my apartment. The closest and most spectacular display went on for about an hour at the stock exchange garden on Ayala Avenue. Beautiful cascading showers of light filled the sky and the air soon became thick with smog. When our eyes began to smart from the smoke we went back inside to continue sipping champagne.

Chorizo Iberico
assorted olives
slices of french bread

Georges du Boeuf Brouilly

Snapper Fillet in Saffron Sauce
Roast Leg of Lamb
Roasted Small Potatoes
Creamed Spinach

Sticky Chocolate Pudding

Taittinger Champagne

Roast Leg of Lamb

Preheat oven to 500 F.

Pierce a 2.5 kilo leg of lamb allover with the tip of a sharp knife. Insert slivers of garlic in the slits. Rub lamb with olive oil and place large sprigs of rosemary in the bottom and top of the lamb. Roast in a roasting pan for 15 minutes or until lamb is slightly browned. Lower the heat to 350 F and continue to roast for 3 hours. This will give you a medium roast.

Place washed and halved new potatoes, sprinkled with olive oil and salt, in the pan 30 minutes before taking the roast out of the oven.

Lori's Top 10 Dessert List

2007-12-03T05:59:00.000+08:00

You must check out Lori's, of blog Desert Comes First, list of Top 10 Desserts. Food porn at its best, I almost fainted from the exhilaration! I know it sounds crazy but I assure you I am not exaggerating. I'm throwing caution to the wind this holidays when I get back to Manila and sample this lot of yumminess. I have tried Apt 1B's White Chocolate Cheesecake more than once I have to admit. It cost me. Big time.

The Best Chicken Soup

2007-09-21T20:53:00.000+08:00

I made this soup for grandpa's dinner last night and it was really good. I'm not really fond of chicken soup, but the addition of white wine in this recipe intrigued me. The ingredients are a perfect combination of vegetables, chicken, flavorings, liquids and cream. The morsels of dumplings created by the combination of flour and broth was a delicious surprise. The addition of cold ready-made broth is the key to creating these meltingly soft morsels. If you want a smooth soup base, then heat the broth and add it hot to the flour mixture using a whip.

Chicken Soup
adapted from the magazine Cuisine At Home

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup dry white wine
5-6 cups chicken broth
3 pieces chicken thighs (to make about 1 1/2 cooked shredded chicken)
1/2 cup frozen peas
8 pieces button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup baby carrots
2 tablespoons heavy cream
chopped parsely

Cover the chicken with water and boil for 15 minutes. Cool. Shred, don't worry if it's a little raw at the core, it will cook in the soup. Reserve the broth. I used 1 liter of ready-made chicken broth and added some of the broth from cooking my chicken to the soup.

In a Dutch oven sweat the onion, garlic, celery and herbs in olive oil, butter and about 1 teaspoon salt over medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.

Add the wine and stir to combine. Add some of the warm broth reserved from cooking the chicken and stir to combine. Add all of the ready-made broth and simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened. Season to taste. The bits of dough formed from adding the broth to the flour makes delicious mini dumplings.

Add chicken, carrots, peas and mushrooms. Finish with cream and parsley. Serves 4-6.

Sunday Lunch

2007-09-18T11:05:00.000+08:00

Another Sunday lunch with gramps, J, T and E. It was a hectic Saturday and I had some studying to do on Sunday so my menu had to be a quick one. I decided on grilled steaks, roasted new potatoes and sauteed mixed green peppers. Dessert couldn't be simpler, Chocolate Wafer Icebox Cake with Raspberry Coulis. Someone should give me a medal.

First thing I did was clean and slice the new potatoes in half. Placed it in a shallow pan and toss with extra-virgin olive oil and fine sea salt. I then roasted it in a preheated 400 degree oven for 40 minutes.

I then seasoned the steaks with salt and grilled it on a cast iron grill placed on top of two burners, heated at medium high heat. While the steaks were grilling on one side I went on to the peppers. I had yellow, red and orange bell peppers sliced thick. This I sauteed in a cast iron pan with extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt. Saute the peppers one color at a time and placed in a bowl when done, continue with the rest of the peppers.

The icebox cake was delicious. Make this the night before. I followed the simple recipe, except I used a non-stick 9-inch springform pan which made it easier to chill in the refrigerator and remove from the pan before serving. The next day, cook some some raspberries in butter and sprinkled with some sugar. The raspberries will melt partially. After about 4 minutes puree the raspberry sauce. Serve it with the wafer cake which I decorated with a few raspberries around its perimeter.

Get-Together with Grandpa

2007-09-11T14:58:00.000+08:00

My dear sweet grandfather is here in SF to visit his two grandchildren. This came as a pleasant surprise and I am thoroughly enjoying his company. My cousin J is married with a fifteen year old son and she and her family came for dinner on the second day grandpa was here (he's staying with me). It's funny how my nephew and I ended up doing our homework after dinner. Now that I'm back in school, with one year to go for my degree in Geography, I seem to have common ground with the younger generation. We even have the same sneakers. I may possibly be taking this school thing to far.

The dinner was simple and went well for everybody. I served a simple roast beef with new potatoes and pan roasted brussels sprouts. The roast beef I purchased, already marinated, from Trader Joe's. So I simply placed it in a roasting pan surrounded by red and white new potatoes, drizzled the whole thing with extra-virgin olive oil, seasoned with salt and roasted in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes. Perfect.

For the brussels sprouts, I blanched the sprouts in boiling water, drained, sliced in half, then sauteed in a pan with lots of butter on medium high heat. The sprouts will caramelize slightly, careful not to burn it.

For dessert I served the most divine Banana, Cherry and White Chocolate Muffins from my book The Domestic Goddess. This is not really a proper dessert, but its ok to live a little don't you think?

Banana, Cherry & White Chocolate Muffin

125 grams (1 stick) butter
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups flour
3 tablespoons dried cherries, chopped
50 grams white chocolate, chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Melt the butter in saucepan, remove from heat and add the sugar, vanilla and bananas, mashing them with a fork. Stir in the sour cream and the eggs and continue to beat with the fork or a wooden spoon. Add the bicarb and the baking powder, stir well, then add the flour, cherries and chocolate.

When mixture is well blended, divide it into each of the 12 muffin cups lined with cases. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool muffins on a wire rack.

A Casual Thank You Dinner

2007-08-25T09:42:00.000+08:00

I gave a dinner for my aunt last night to thank her for bringing me my silverware all the way from Manila. I soon realized what a favor that was when I had to bring it back to the apartment. It was heavy. Really heavy. Then, I realized I wouldn't have an assistant to do all the food preparations so I created a simple menu that wouldn't take to long to cook from start to finish, but was still special. I usually serve Cava, as everyone probably knows by now, with some finger food before dinner but not this time because no one in this town drinks. So instead, I served a mild tea at the beginning and end of the dinner. It turned out well I must say.

My four guests included her daughter (my cousin), son-in-law and grandson. I was hoping to cheer them up, in my own way, because they have been going through a rough patch these past couple of months. There are just some years where nothing seems to go right and everything goes wrong. I certainly now how that is. Well, like someone I know said, "The year isn't over yet." So what happens on their way to their car from my apartment after dinner? My nephew skateboards down the road, tripped and cracked his chin open. I got a call at 10:30 pm from his worried mother while they were at the emergency room of the hospital. The doctors weren't able to get all the asphalt out. Nevertheless, he was very brave, not a peep when the doctors injected his open wound with an anesthetic. He got seven stitches and declared, according to his mother, "At least I had a good dinner before this happened." It seems like he will have to be on soup for a couple of weeks. Oh dear. Well, Emilio if it's any consolation, I'll cook you another meal when your ready.

Part of my menu was to make a tart tatin for dessert, which I didn't make because by the time I got home from doing the groceries and making a wrong turn which took me a good hour to find my way back, I didn't have the energy to make dessert. I served ginger snaps and organic "Oreos" with milk instead. The "Oreos" were a hit. I eventually made the tart and so I decided to go ahead and include it in this menu...

Mixed Vegetables

Arugula Salad

Lamb with Garlic Stir-Fry

Steamed Rice

Peach Tart Tatin

Chamomile Tea

Mixed Vegetables

equal amounts:
canned or bottled artichoke hearts, drain and quarter
Kalamata olives, drain
cherry peppers, preserved (from Rainbow grocery) or bottled roasted red peppers, drain and
quarter
extra-virgin olive oil

Toss ingredients together. Serve in a bowl with an extra cup for throwing the olive seeds. Place a container of toothpicks next to vegetables.

Arugula Salad

baby arugula and lamb's lettuce
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
Parmesan cheese, shaved

Toss leaves with oil, then add vinegar. Toss again with Parmesan shavings.

Lamb with Garlic Stir-Fry

450 grams (1 lb) lean lamb steak or fillet
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
2 scallions, white part only, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon Sichuan (can substitute with black pepper) peppercorns, roasted and freshly ground

for the marinade:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1.5 teasoons cornstarch

Cut the lamb into thin slices and put in a bowl. Mix in all the marinade ingredients and leave for 20 minutes. Drain marinade and set the lamb aside.
Heat a wok or large frying pan until it is very hot. Add the oil and whe it is slighly smoking add the marinated lamb pieces with just a litle of the marinade. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add the scallions, garlic, ginger and black pepper and stir-fry for 4 minutes. If using Sechuan pepper, sprinkle it on the lamb just before serving.

Peach Tart Tatin

Notes:

I used an award-winning ready-made puff pastry dough
It's best to use a cast iron pan
I peeled the small-sized peaches and placed them directly in the caramel
When cooking the butter and sugar, I found there was to much oil and poured it out, leaving the gooey caramel in the pan
make sure peaches are ripe or you'll have too much liquid when the peaches are cooking

Au Revoir Manila

2007-08-24T14:50:00.000+08:00

I wasn’t planning on having a despedida, but my sister insisted on doing something the night before I left for San Francisco. So she, my mom and my cousins came over around four in the afternoon. We sat and chatted and ate cheese, parma ham and olives, all washed down with a glass of Cava. Then we went to Japantown and had a fantastic dinner care of my future cousin-in-law Raj. I ordered my standard orders when in a Japanese restaurant… sashimi (salmon, saba and hamachi), miso soup and grilled saba (mackarel). The saba was perfectly cooked which is important because a few seconds more on the grill and you’d have a dry and stringy piece of fish. Raj ordered the lapu lapu (grouper) sashimi with a spicy vinegar dipping sauce, which was excellent. According to Raj, who went to school in Japan, the Japanese tourists always order this dish because its relatively inexpensive in Manila and extremely expensive in Japan. So we ordered another round and soon regretted it after stuffing ourselves with the rest of the dishes we ordered. The uni (sea urchin) was unsually fresh and sweet, not normally my favorite dish, but more than tolerable this time. Everyone else was raving about it.

After dinner we went to an Irish pub called Murphy’s for drinks. The Irish cocktail was really good, I had three! It had Franjelico, hot chocolate and Grand Marnier, topped with whipped cream. Yum! I texted some friends at the last minute and three more people joined us. Two of them were still in a meeting and one had to wake up early for a motocross competition. We had a fun time, especially when Marco showed up after his late night massage.

Rosanne's Birthday

2007-06-07T14:50:00.000+08:00

I cooked dinner for 14 last June 5 in honor of my cousin's birthday. We started at 5 pm with large green olives stuffed with feta and flowing Freisinet Cordon Negro Cava. After our light cocktails we went on to dinner, the usual birthday fare was on the menu, but I added an adult twist to each dish. I was going to make a cake but R requested I make her favorite Burnt Butter Cupcakes. After dinner we went to a karaoke bar and my usually shy voice was heard by one and all. Happy birthday Rosanne and many more to come!

Salad Greens with Caramelized Walnuts, Dates & Blue Cheese

Crispy Yogurt Fried Chicken

Conchiegle with Tomato Vodka Sauce
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' recipe)

Burnt Butter Cupcakes

Crispy Fried Chicken
The addition of cornstarch makes these very crispy and the yogurt gives the chicken a nice tangy flavor.

18 - 20 pieces of chicken
yogurt, enough to coat all the chicken
2 cups flour + 1/3 cup cornstarch + 2 teaspoons sea salt
peanut or coconut oil, for frying

Marinate chicken in yogurt, overnight, in the refrigerator.

Fill pan about an inch with oil and heat to 325 degrees F.

Place flour mixture in a sealable plastic bag. Shake chicken pieces in the flour mixture, one at a time, and pat to remove excess flour. Fry in hot oil.

It's a Boy! A Baby Shower for Teresa

2007-05-21T14:25:00.000+08:00

Six months pregnant and still looking great thanks to her vigorous exercise regiment, Teresa looked radiant and sleepy (carrying that extra weight is no joke) at the same time when she arrived at the shower we gave her last Thursday. My cousins R, K, my sister M and I gave her a shower at my place. I served green tea with jasmine and an Apple Walnut Loaf which was light enough so we could enjoy the evening's dinner. But, that's not all we had in store for the second girl in our brood of seven cousins, six of whom are girls, to have a baby. We also planned a trip to the Nail Spa and dinner at Je Suis Gourmand. It was a fabulously indulgent day for all of us, I for one broke my no-carbs diet and devoured the bread served before dinner even began. The spa was a two hour luxurious pampering of our hands and feet which included reflexology and a bubble bath. Gifts, a spa treatment and dinner... everything a pregnant lady could hope for!

How To Make Green Tea In A Pot
First, boil a kettle of water. Place tea leaves in a strainer. Over the sink, pour some of the boiling hot water over the tea leaves and let it strain. Place the wet tea leaves into a pot or bowl and pour in hot water, let it steep for 3 minutes. Now, strain the tea into the pot your using to serve the tea. Discard the used tea leaves.

An After-Dinner Dessert Party

2007-03-20T08:39:00.001+08:00

My close-friend and cousin H is going back home to Maine this week. I'll certainly miss him! On his last weekend he threw himself a despedida at my apartment. I baked some cupcakes and had planned to bake a tart but found I lacked some of the ingredients. Good thing everyone is on a diet. The Chocolate Cake we bought from the restaurant across the street. It was delicious served warm with a caramel sauce, but the big hit were the cupcakes which were all gone in a matter of minutes.

The party was a lot of fun. I guess sweets and wine make everyone happy because everyone (especially me) was laughing all night long.

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Burnt Butter Cupcakes
(adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess)

White Chocolate & Strawberry Tart

Chocolate Cake
(made by restaurant "Apt 1B" on Sedeno St, Salcedo Vill)

Hardy's Nottage Hill Chardonnay 2005 (Australia)
Valdivieso Malbec 2003 (Chile)

Burnt Butter Cupcakes
Keep this recipe and never lose it.

For the cupcakes:
1 1/4 stick (150 grams) butter
1/2 cup flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla exrtact
2-3 tablespoons milk

For the icing:
1 1/4 stick (150 grams) butter
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3 tablespoons milk (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Melt butter in a small saucepan until it turns a dark golden color. Strain into a bowl or cup to remove sediment. Let the butter solidify at room temperature or, if its to the weather is too hot, in the fridge for about 40 minutes (it should be solid but not hard), then mix thoroughly until smooth.

Put all the cake ingredients, except the milk, in a food processor and blend to a smooth batter. Add the milk and pulse until well combined.

Divide the batter between paper cases set in a 12-cup muffin pan and cook for 15-20 minutes.

For the icing: Melt and solidify the butter the same way you did for the cakes. Place all the icing ingredients, except milk, in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add enough milk to make it spreadable (you may not need to add milk if the consistency is smooth enough). I placed everything, including the milk, into the processor and came out with a very thin consistency. To remedy the situation, I added 4 teaspoons of flour. It turned out just fine.

Roast Fillet of Beef Dinner

2007-02-27T06:52:00.000+08:00

This fairly easy dinner served six of us last Saturday night. The only thing that took longer than an hour to prepare was the dessert which needs a day for the tart to chill to the right consistency (this I found out the hard way). Two of the recipes are from other food bloggers, both of which turned out very well. The risotto I made to accompany the beef, I omitted the spicy pangrattato called for in the recipe whose flavor I thought would not compliment the beef. The tart was excellent... the next day. Unfortunately, I served the tart too soon and the consistency and flavor was unable to develop properly. I strongly suggest making the tart a day before you are to serve it, it's well worth it.

My dinner guests were a mix of people half of whom did not know each other beforehand. Ages ranged from 25 to 40 and genders were mixed. It turned out pretty well. Although, the night ended with a set of different guests who came for drinks long after dinner ended.

I served George Duboeuf Beaujolais "Brouilly" to go with this meal. One of my favorite wines.

Sherried Mushroom Soup

Cauliflower Risotto
(from blog The Traveler's Lunchbox)

Roast Fillet of Beef with Blue Cheese Sauce

White Chocolate Tart with Strawberry Jam
(adapted from blog The Flying Apple)

Sherried Wild Mushroom Soup

150 grams butter
2 onions, chopped finely
approximately 300 grams fresh shitake mushrooms, remove stems and roughly chop
approximately 400 grams white mushrooms, remove stems and roughly chop
8 cups chicken stock
salt & pepper
4 oz Sherry

Saute the onions in butter. Add the mushrooms and saute a further 2-3 minutes. Add the stock and simmer until mushrooms are softened. Puree in a blender. Pour back into pan, add Sherry, season to taste, and reheat.

Roast Filet of Beef with Blue Cheese Sauce

2 kilos beef fillet, ends cut (reserve for another recipe) and beef tied
salt & pepper
extra-virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
about 300 grams Danish Blue Cheese
250 ml all-purpose cream

Pat meat dry. Sprinkle beef generously with salt & pepper. Cover lightly with olive oil, spreading evenly.

I used a turbo-broiler to roast the beef... Turn broiler temperature to highest its setting, preheating for 10 minutes. Place beef on rack at the bottom of the broiler and roast for 35 minutes for medium. Let meat rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

If using a conventional oven: Preheat oven to 525 degrees F. Arrange meat on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast meat for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat registers 130 to 140 F. for medium-rare. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest, loosely covered, for 10 minutes before cutting.

To make the sauce: Place both ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.

White Chocolate Tart with Strawberry Jam

For the shortcrust pastry:
1 cup flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon or more ice cold water

For the filling:
300 g plain (but good quality) white chocolate
3 tbsp of caster sugar
250 g mascarpone
480 - 500 g cottage cheese
approx. 4-5 tbsp of strawberry jam
approx. 750 g ripe strawberries, cut into segments (optional)

In a bain marie gently melt the white chocolate, the mascarpone and the sugar, stirring to prevent any sticking to the bottom of the pan. As soon as the mixture is smooth remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Add the cottage cheese and puree in a blender until smooth. Pour filling into a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour to chill and thicken slightly. Spread the pastry case with jam and cover with the white chocolate filling. If using strawberries, arrange the strawberry segments on top and sprinkle with icing sugar. Chill the cake for a day/overnight.

For the shortcrust pastry put all ingredients into the food processor and pulse for some seconds until a dough ball has formed, take it out, dust with flour, cover with cling foil and leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour.

Using your fingers, press the dough into a tart pan with a removable bottom, spreading it evenly at the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Mac & Cheese Dinner

2007-02-07T07:19:00.000+08:00

Had some friends over for a very simple dinner. This recipe for Mac & Cheese will easily feed 10-12 people. Served my favorite sparkling wine, Freixenet Cava Cordon Negro (brut), to go with our meal...

Green Salad

Macaroni and Cheese
(adapted from Gourmet magazine, Dec. 1999)

Chocolate Pavlova with Strawberries

MACARONI & CHEESE WITH GARLIC BREAD CRUMBS & CHIPOTLE CHILI

For bread crumbs:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs or Japanese panko breadcrumbs

For bechamel:

1 teaspoon powdered chipotle chili (or to taste)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups whole milk

2 cups heavy cream

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 lb macaroni

2 lb extra-sharp Cheddar (preferably white), grated

Make bread crumbs:

Heat butter and oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook garlic and bread crumbs, stirring, until crumbs are golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.

Make macaroni:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat, then add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk, cream, chipotle chili and mustard and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Strain to remove any lumps. Add sauce to large bowl of cheese and stir until cheese has completely melted.

Cook macaroni in a 6- to 7-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 11 minutes. Drain in a colander and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in white sauce, cheese, and salt to taste.

Fill a large shallow casserole with half of macaroni mixture. Pour half of cheese bechamel on top of first layer. Repeat with another layer of macaroni and cheese bachamel. Sprinkle top with bread crumbs. Bake casseroles in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until bubbly.

Cook's note:

Macaroni and cheese may be made 2 days ahead, put into casserole, cooled completely, and chilled, covered. Do not add bread crumbs until ready to bake. (Baking may take longer than 30 minutes.)

Casual Dinner for 5

2007-02-02T08:28:00.000+08:00

I've been eating out more often than usual since H, my good friend and cousin, arrived from the States a month ago and I thought it would be nice to have dinner at home for a change. H was really showing his age and new lifestyle by falling asleep on my bed on the way to use the bathroom. He is a single father of two one-year-old twin boys and despite the two nannies still gets exhausted. I had a good laugh about that while he was sleeping because we had actually planned (his idea) to party all night (his words). Ah well, there's always another time.

My other guest K, also a relative, was good to see after quite some time. Also a new mother, her lifestyle has changed as well (although she claims otherwise). The last time the three of us were together was in San Francisco painting the town red till five in the morning. Wow, things have changed!

Indonesian Fish with Sweet & Sour Sauce

(adapted from Cooking Around the World: Indonesian)

Chicken with 40 Cloves Garlic
(adapted from the Barefoot Contessa)

2 Kinds of Rice

Eclairs
(from Australian Gourmet Traveller: Chocolate)

This was the menu for last night's very casual dinner for five. My sister baked, for the first time, the mini Eclairs, which had a Creme de Cassis cream filling. The fish looked really good in a turmeric almond sauce dotted with cherry tomatoes and green onions, it tasted good too. And if you're a garlic lover like I am then the chicken dish was perfectly seasoned with lots of garlic cloves, some rosemary and white wine. Everything was fairly easy to make and delicious.

I served two kinds of rice - a white and a purple rice from the mountains of Banaue. Purple rice happens to be my favorite and is quite rare. There's only one place I know that sells it in Baguio and even they have a limited supply. The purple rice is grown, harvested and packaged by a cooperative of indigenous Batad women farmers in Banaue's rice terraces. They also grow several other varieties of rice like red, brown and sticky white rice.

Fish with Sweet & Sour Sauce
I doubled the spice paste and sauce ingredients called for in the book and used 2 cups of water instead of 1.5 cups to make the sauce.

serves 4

2 fillets of red snapper (about 1 kilo)
cornstarch for coating
oil for frying
salt & pepper

for the spice paste:
6 garlic cloves
4 lemongrass stems
2-inch fresh langkawas (galangal)
2-inch fresh ginger
1 1/2-inch fresh turmeric or 1 teaspoon ground
1/4 cup ground almonds

for the sauce:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 cups water
4 lime leaves (optional)
1 bunch Tagalog onions, peeled and left whole or 8 shallots, quartered
2 cups cherry tomatoes or 6 tomatoes, quartered
6 scallions, sliced thinly at a diagonal
2 red chilies (optional)

Grind all the ingredients for the spice paste in food processor.

Season the fish fillets with salt & pepper. Lightly coat in cornstarch and fry in hot oil, about 8-9 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Place on serving platter.

Leave a little oil from frying in the pan, add the brown sugar, vinegar and water and bring to a boil. Add the lime leaves, Tagalog onions and spice paste, simmer for 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and simmer for 3-4 minutes until sauce has thickened. Add scallions and pour sauce over fried fish.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
adapted from Ina Garten's recipe on the Barefoot Contessa

1 whole chicken, cut into parts
40 or more cloves of garlic, unpeeled
fine sea salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups white wine
fresh thyme or rosemary leaves
1/4 cup cream - optional

Rub the chicken pieces with salt and set aside while you heat a Dutch oven or large pan on medium heat. Add the butter and oil. When the butter has completely melted, brown the chicken pieces. When all the chicken has been browned, set it aside on a plate. Saute the garlic cloves in the oil remaining in the fry pan until slightly caramelized. Add the chicken and any juices that have accumulated in the plate. Try to get most of the garlic on top of the chicken pieces. Add the wine and thyme. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and garlic with a sloted spoon to a serving platter. Reduce the remaining sauce to a syrupy consistency, then add the cream. Season to taste. Pour over chicken and garlic.

Chocolate Eclairs with Creme de Cassis Cream
M didn't make the chocolate glaze and instead sprinkled the eclairs with confectioners sugar before serving.

Alternatively, the cream can be flavored with orange or coffee liqueur.

choux pastry:
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 stick butter
90 grams or 6.5 tablespoons flour
2 eggs

filling:
300 ml thickened or all-purpose cream
40 grams (1/4 cup) confectioner's sugar
1 tablespoon Creme de Cassis

glaze:
100 grams dark couverture chocolate, chopped
30 grams liquid glucose
2.5 tablespoons thickened or all-purpose cream

Combine sugar, butter and 3/4 teaspoon salt with 185 ml of cold water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, add all the flour at once and, using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until mixture is smooth, then return mixture to a low heat and stir for 1-2 minutes or until mixture comes away from side of pan. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 15 mm plain nozzle and pipe 4-inch lengths, about an inch apart, on a silicon sheet placed on top of a cookie sheet. Bake at 220 C for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 180 C and bake for another 10 minutes. Turn off oven and cool pastries in oven with door slightly ajar.

For filling: beat cream to soft peaks, add confectioner's sugar and Creme de Cassis and beat until well combined. Cut pastries lengthwise with a serrated knife and fill with cream mixture.

For glaze: combine all in ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until well combined. Cool for 5 minutes, then spread over top of each eclair.

Place eclairs on a tray and refrigerate for 1 hour or until glaze is set. Unfilled pastries can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container. Filled eclairs are best served fresh.

2007-01-01T07:44:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year and a Wonderful 2007!

A Bridal Shower

2007-01-01T04:18:00.000+08:00

Weddings are my favorite kind of party. The romantic ambiance, the warmth of relatives you haven't seen in ages, the boisterous children, the flowers, the food, new friends made, the celebration of an important step towards disaster (just kidding!). Whatever happens afterwards, the wedding celebration is one to remember forever. I for one remember my wedding reception of 300 guests. Whether this number seems small or big to you, the party was an intimate one of close friends and family. I have to say it was the best party I ever attended.

My second to the youngest cousin, the only male in our brood of cousins, is about to be married to a sweet and lovely girl. To start of our cousin-in-law relations well, my cousins and I gave her a bridal shower. I was quite surprised when the-bride-to-be called to ask if she could invite ten of her friends! After the initial confusion among the cousins (we had planned a small party), we decided it was a good way to meet her friends before the wedding and told her it would be our pleasure to host them. There were fifteen of us in all, a mix of relatives and friends on both sides. Not all of us made it however, one cousin was stuck abroad because of a legal matters concerning her business, another cousin had to stay home because of pregnancy symptoms. Despite these set backs we went through with the shower and made the best of it. The Cava was flowing, the food delicious and the guests were interesting. The shower's theme is Books, so my cousins and I gave her a gift of three cookbooks which I think will help start her out in becoming a good home cook.

Cook with Jamie by Jamie Oliver
Ken Holm's Top 100 Stir-Fry Recipes by Ken Holm
365 Ways to Cook Chicken by Cheryl Sedaker

I made a buffet of cocktail food and two substantial dishes since the party will lapse into dinner time. Lots of cocktail drinks all around and the Christmas decor gave of a festive ambiance to the shower.

Berry Iced Tea

Frozen Margarita

Cava

assorted bread

Caramelized Onion Dip with Vegetable Crudites

Pithale (Indian Dip)

Egg & Nori Finger Sandwiches

Bisteeya (Moroccan Chicken Pie)

Vegetarian Burritos

Baked Brie with Dried Fruit & Nuts

Burnt Butter Cupcakes with Sugar Frosting

Egg & Nori Sandwiches
Nori sheets are sheets of seaweed used in Japanese sashimi. You can buy the shredded variety in any Japanese grocery, or use sheets.

hard-boiled eggs, sliced
Japanese mayonnaise
shredded nori
white sandwich bread, crusts removed

Spread a thin layer of mayo on one side of all the pieces of bread. Place a layer of the sliced egg on a slice of bread, top with nori and sandwich with another slice of bread. Cut sandwich in half to make finger sandwiches.

Baked Brie with Dried Fruits & Nuts

1 round of Brie or Camembert
apricots, diced
raisins
sultanas
muscovado or brown sugar

Toss the dried fruit in a bowl then mound on top of cheese round. sprinkle tops with brown sugar. Bake in 350 F oven until sugar caramelizes, about 10-15 minutes. Serve with French bread or crackers.

Burnt-Butter Brown Sugar Cupcakes
from The Domestic Goddess

These cupcakes are unbelievable good. This is the third recipe from Nigella Lawson's bake book that I've tried and all were incredibly successful. Another keeper.

12 bun muffin tray lined with muffin papers

for the cupcakes:
150g butter
125g self-raising flour
60g golden caster sugar
65g light brown sugar (or muscovado)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

for the icing:
150g butter
250-300g golden icing sugar, sieved
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 200c and start burning the butter. Put butter in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring all the time until it turns a dark golden colour. Take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a bowl or cup. In other words, this is like clarified butter, but with a smoky note. Let the butter solidify again, so it remains soft for the cupcakes (although the book says not to refrigerate, I did or I would have been waiting for days for the butter to solidify, stir well to soften before adding to the rest of the ingredients).

When the butter is solid, but still soft, put all the cake ingredients except the milk in a food processor and blitz to a smooth batter. As normal, add the milk down the funnel, pulsing sparingly to form a soft, dropping mixture.

Divide between the paper cases, and cook for 15-20 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking, get on with the icing. It's the same procedure for the butter - burn, sieve, solidify - then beat it with half the sieved sugar or enough to make it stiff. Add tablespoons of the milk and the remaining sugar alternately to reach a good consistency, and finally the vanilla.

While the icing's still soft, smear messily over the cooled and waiting cupcakes.

Sugar High Friday #26: Sugar Art

2006-12-28T10:31:00.000+08:00

Sugar High Friday is a foodblogging event started by Jennifer of blog The Domestic Goddess. As the title suggests, the event centers on a theme for the month based on sweets. Last month's theme was Chocolate Truffles and what a selection of entries! This month's host for SHF #26 is Danielle of Habeas Brulee and the theme is Sugar Art.

My last post was of cupcakes I made for my godson's fourth birthday. The recipe is from Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess. These cupcakes were buttery, moist, fluffy and fun to make. I decorated the tops with colored sugar icing and an assortment of soft candies. They were so easy to make I almost felt guilty when I got oohs and ahhs from the adults.

Birthday Cupcakes

Cupcakes for My Godson

2006-11-27T08:21:00.000+08:00

It's was my godson Xavy's fourth birthday and I made some cupcakes for his party. Xavy is a twin, the younger twin born minutes after his brother Alexandro. They are so cute! I don't know why, but I'm one of the very few who can tell them apart. Some say my powers of perceptiveness are exceptional seeing as I only see them once a year. And even then, they we're more interested in the balloon art being created by a very talented balloon artist (I'm thinking of using him myself for one of my parties).

Birthday Cupcakes
from Nigella Lawson's "How to be a Domestic Goddess"

I used candies found at the grocery to decorate these cupcakes, for a girls birthday party you could use mini marshmallows and color the icing in pastels. For adults, leave the icing white and decorate with a single sugar flower. The possibilities are endless, but a good rule of thumb would be to use decor with some height for these almost flat tops.

1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 tablespoons milk

2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons water or milk
assorted candies

12 cupcake papers

Preheat oven to 200 C.

Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and vanilla in a food processor and blitz until smooth. Pulse while pouring milk down the chute. Spoon batter evenly into cupcake cases placed in muffin pans. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Make the icing by stirring the icing sugar and water until smooth. Divide icing and color each with 1-3 drops of your choice of food colorings (I used blue, green and violet). Decorate tops with candy.

Onion Day!

2006-11-27T06:36:00.000+08:00

Onion Day takes place every year on the 4th Monday of November in Berne, Switzerland. Zorra, the creator of Bread Day last October, has made today's Onion Day a new blog event! I'm glad to hear the unassuming onion gets a day of recognition, as it is probably the most used vegetable in any kitchen. Onions come in many forms and sizes, you have red, white and green onions, pearl, Vidalia and the shallot. I use the red onion the most often and green onions (scallions) second. This relish recipe was in my collection of recipes to try out. I had some turkey breast in the freezer and all the ingredients for the relish were on hand. I thought this would make a great salad. Red onions can be pretty strong when eaten raw, a trick I learned to lessen its spicy pungency without loosing any of its flavor or crunchiness, is to soak the chopped onions in lemon juice or vinegar before adding it to the dish your making. In this case, vinegar is one of the ingredients in the recipe so I added the whole onion-vinegar mixture to the rest of the ingredients, otherwise the onions should be drained.

Turkey and Onion Relish Salad
Serves 6

Onion-Caper Walnut Relish
adapted from Marc Meyer's recipe

3/4 cup walnuts
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons salt-packed capers, rinsed and finely chopped
1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup aged sherry-wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in warm water until puffed

2 cups diced turkey breast

Mince garlic in a food processor. Add walnuts and pulse to a rough paste. Place walnut mixture in a bowl and stir in capers, onions, parsley, vinegar, olive oil and drained raisins. Season with salt and pepper.

Saute turkey in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Add relish and toss to combine. Serve on a bed of salad greens.

Onion Day Roundup

Ladies Lunch Menu for 15

2006-11-25T09:44:00.000+08:00

Although no one complained or noticed, I had to take the second course off the menu. The problem was the molds I used for the Chicken Liver Timbale, some of the timbales didn't unmold properly. Anyway, it's a good thing these ladies eat like birds and so there was enough food to go around twice.

Sweet Potato Soup

Chicken Liver Timbale with Tomato Bearnaisse

Lapu-lapu (Grouper) Fillet in Saffron Sauce
(from Time-Life Book of Hearty Home Cooking)

Chocolate Pavlova with Mandarin Oranges

Sweet Potato Soup
A velvety-smooth soup accented with Thai seasonings. Delicious!

1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
1 onion—chopped
3 cloves garlic—chopped
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1kg (4 cups) orange sweet potato—peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup red lentils
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

HEAT the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. ADD the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. ADD the garlic and red curry paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. ADD the sweet potato, red lentils, stock, coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar and bring to the boil. REDUCE the heat to medium and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. REMOVE from the heat and allow to cool a little. PUREE the soup in two batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. RETURN to the saucepan and stir in the lemon juice. SERVE in bowls garnished with cilantro.

Variations: Replace the sweet potato with butternut squash (pumpkin); substitute the lemon juice with lime juice; and use yellow split peas rather than red lentils (in which case you'll need to cook for around 35 minutes).

Chicken Liver Timbales
I placed this recipe here, despite the minor disaster, because it tasted good and I will add to a future menu. Use non-stick molds!

For 4 servings, you will need:

2 eggs,
2 tbsp. Madeira, sherry, or 1 tsp. lemon juice,

For the roux:
4 tbsp. butter,
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour,
1/2 c. undiluted chicken broth,
1/2 c. milk,
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves,
1/4 tsp. salt.

Butter and bread crumbs for baking dishes (optional, if using non-stick molds)
Tomato Bearnaise (recipe follows)
Chopped chives Parsley and tomato wedges for garnish

Tomato Bearnaise: Into blender or food processor with steel blade, place
3 egg yolks,
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice,
1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, and
3 tablespoons tomato paste.

Process until blended. While blender or processor is on, slowly add
3/4 cup hot melted butter.

Sauce will be thin while hot, but it will thicken as it cools.

Clean chicken livers, removing any fat, tendons or discolored portions. Place into blender or food processor with steel blade in place. Process until smooth. Add eggs, Madeira, or lemon juice. Set aside. In saucepan, melt butter. Blend in flour. Cook 1 minute. Slowly add chicken broth and milk. Cook until very thick and smooth. Add the thyme and salt. Blend sauce into chicken liver mixture. Press mixture through strainer and divide among 4 custard cups that have been buttered and sprinkled with crumbs.

Place cups into shallow pan with inch boiling water. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or just until a knife inserted in the center of a custard comes out clean. Meanwhile, prepare Tomato Bearnaise. To serve, unmold Timbales onto individual serving dishes. Spoon on the sauce and sprinkle with chopped chives. Garnish with parsley and tomato wedges. Serve hot.

Chocolate Pavlova
The Chocolate Pavlova was very good. I omitted the chopped bittersweet chocolate because I thought it would be too heavy a dessert and I doubled the amount of whipping cream. It turned out good with the orange segments. But, next time I will add bittersweet chocolate chips and Cointreau to the whipping cream. Alternatively, I could add mint to the chocolate meringue and use strawberries for the fruit. Or, sprinkle the whipped cream with banana chips, add some rum and drizzle with caramel sauce. What else...

A Birthday Brunch

2006-11-17T05:14:00.000+08:00

My sister, the party girl, celebrated her birthday all weekend long. Friday and Saturday nights lasted till morning, ending with a Sunday brunch I hosted.

Bloody Geisha
Cava Mimosa

Pancakes
(from Gourmet magazine, Dec. 1993)
Orange Sauce
Maple Flavored Syrup
Crisp Bacon

Crustless Potato Quiche
(from the Food Network's The Barefoot Contessa)

Sausages Stewed in Red Wine

Lemon Cupcakes

Bloody Geisha
adapted from Ming Tsai's Bloody Mary
Sake, a Japanese rice wine, is a wonderful alternative to vodka for those who dislike the strong alcoholic component of the usual Bloody Mary's. Choosing a premium sake is of utmost importance and definately worth the price in terms of flavor.

2 11-ounce cans V-8
11 ounces tomato juice
1 1/2 cups Premium Sake
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon naturally brewed soy sauce
2 tablespoons wasabi paste
1 tablespoon horseradish

Ice

In a bottle or other container, add V-8, tomato juice, sake, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, wasabi, and horseradish. Shake vigorously and refrigerate until ready to use. Serve in glasses filled with ice.

Cava Mimosa

semi-sec Cava or Champagne, chilled
fresh orange juice, chilled

Fill champagne glasses with half oj and half Cava.

Pancakes
These are the best pancakes ever.

3 large eggs, separated
1 stick butter, plus more for cooking pancakes
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar

In a bowl, whisk all ingredients except egg whites, until mixture is smooth. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into flour mixture.

Heat a griddle or skillet on medium-high heat. Melt about half a teaspoon of butter and, using a small ladle, pour batter into pan and cook pancakes for 1 to 2 minutes on each side. A good way to tell when the bottom side is done is when top part is filled with bubbles, it then takes a few seconds for the flipped side to cook.

Serve with 2 kinds of syrup and a side of crisp bacon. Mmmmmmmm!

Crustless Potato Quiche
This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten's TV show The Barefoot Contessa. It calls for basil leaves which I didn't have in hand so had to omit, it was delicious anyway. I used a 10-inch springform cakepan to mold the quiche. The recipe's original title is Potato Basil Frittata, I titled it differently because it seems more like a quiche than a frittata to me.

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
2-3 cups peeled and 1/2-inch diced boiling potatoes
10 large eggs
15 ounces cottage cheese, drained
3/4 pound Gruyere or Emmenthaler cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium-low heat. Add the potatoes and fry them until cooked through, turning often, about 10 to 15 minutes. Place potatoes in the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan and spread evenly. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan or microwave.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, then stir in the ricotta, Gruyere, melted butter, salt, pepper, and basil. Sprinkle on the flour and baking powder and stir into the egg mixture.

Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes and place the cakepan in the center of the oven. Bake the frittata until it is browned and puffed, 50 minutes to 1 hour. It will be rounded and firm in the middle and a knife inserted in the frittata should come out clean. Serve hot on a round serving platter.

Mixology Monday #9: Bitters

2006-11-13T11:23:00.000+08:00

It's time to get that shaker and cocktail glasses out of the closet and join Mixology Monday, a monthly blog event that follows a different theme each time. The host for this month is blog A Dash of Bitters and he chose the theme, what else? - Bitters. What a relief for that bottle of Angustura bitters sitting in my kitchen cabinet for more than a year now!

As I was perusing Dale Degroff's The Craft of the Cocktail, I read somewhere in the introduction that the first time the cocktail appeared in print was in 1806 in an American publication written by the editor about a new kind of drink. So this year could well be the 200 year anniversary of the cocktail. Cheers!

Cocktail is a stimulating liquor composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters. It is vulgarly called a bittered sling and is supposed to be an excellent electioneering potion…

The Balance and Columbian Repository, 1806
(as quoted by The Craft of the Cocktail)

Adonis Cocktail 11
from The Craft of the Cocktail

1 oz dry sherry
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz fresh orange juice
dash of bitters
dash of simple syrup
orange peel, for garnish

Shake with ice and strain into a small cocktail glass. Garnish with the orange peel.

See what others have contributed to this round of Mixology Monday... MxMo9 Roundup

Dinner Menu for 10

2006-10-28T08:12:00.000+08:00

Another dinner I catered for my grandmother and mom. I had to leave early and didn't get to say hello to the artist Sanso. The first and last time I saw him was at his apartment in Paris where he served me an exquisite sweet Spanish wine which he said was his favorite (I can't remeber what it was).

Puree of Red Pepper Soup
(adapted from Sun-Drenched Cuisine)

Red Snapper Fillet in Saffron Sauce
(from Time-Life Book of Hearty Home Cooking)

Boiled New Potatoes

Slow-Cooked Duck in Olive Sauce
(adapted from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen)

Gratin of Fresh Fruit Sabayon
(from my Cordon Bleu notebooks)

Puree of Red Pepper Soup

3 medium onions, chopped
9 cloves garlic, chopped
6 tbsp unsalted butter
10 medium sized red bell peppers, stems and pith removed and coarsely chopped
3 cups canned diced tomato
3 tbsp Pernod or to taste
6 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence
6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup sour cream

Lightly saute the onion and garlic in butter until softened, then add peppers and cook over medium heat until peppers are softened.

Add tomatoes, Pernod, paprika, herbs and broth, bring to a boil.

Puree soup in a blender. Heat the soup just before serving. Remove from heat and mix in the sour cream.

Red Snapper in Saffron Sauce

1 kilo red snapper (maya-maya) or grouper (lapu-lapu) fillets
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups dry white wine
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp dried thyme leaves or 2 sprigs fresh
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
20 black peppercorns
2 tbsp butter
40 saffron threads, steeped in half cup hot water for 10 minutes
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cream, mixed with 1 tsp cornstarch

Gently rinse fillet under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle fillets with salt and set aside.

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, combine the next 7 ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Put the fish in the pan, lower the heat and poach, covered, for about 6 minutes or until fish is opaque and firm to the touch. Carefully transfer fish to a warm serving dish and cover with foil to keep warm.

Incease the heat under the skillet and reduce poaching liquid to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Strain into a small saucepan, including any liquid that has accumulated in the serving dish. Stir in saffron and mustard, simmer for 2 minutes. Whisk inthe cornstarch-cream mixture and cook until sauce has thickened slightly. Pour the sauce on the fillets and serve.

Slow-Cooked Duck with Olives

2 duckilings (5-6 lbs each)
4 medium onions, coarsely chopped
16 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
3 tbsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, including stems
4 bay leaves
4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp herbes de Provence

Preheat on oven to 475 degrees F. Halve the ducklings by cutting through both sides of the spine, set aside the the back bones, neck and wing tips for the sauce. In two roasting pans or one large enough to fit the ducklings side-by-side, make a bed of the onions, garlic, thyme, parsley and bay leaves. Prick ducks skin with a fork at 1/2-inch intevals. Rub the ducks with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence and set them on top of the vegetables, skin side up. Roast uncovered for 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 275 degrees F. Cover pan with foil and cook duck for about 3 1/2 hours, or until very tender. Remove from oven and brush duck with the oil in the pan, set aside and make the Olive Sauce.

Carefully transfer ducks to a chopping board. Remove and discard any loose bones, chopped vegetables, and clumps of fat. Quarter or cut the duck in more pieces. Wrap in foil or brush with more duck oil to prevent drying out.

Place roasting pan on medium heat and deglaze with wine, scrapping bottom to loosen caramelized juices. Add water and reduce sauce to half its original amount. Add to finished Olive Sauce.

About 10 minutes before serving, preheat the broiler and set the rack about 10 inches from the heat source. Brush with more oil and crisp duck skin under the broiler.

Place duck pieces on a serving platter and pour sauce over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Green Olive Sauce

neck, back and wing tips of the duck
1 medium onion, sliced
4 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
3 cups green olives
1/2 tsp herbes de Provence

Slowly brown bones in a skillet. Add onions and cook for about 10 minutes, until browned. Pour off any excess fat.

Add tomato paste, mix well, and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze pan with white wine. Add stock and water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain, degrease, and reduce to 2 cups. Add sauce from roasting pan.

Before serving, bring sauce to a boil, add olives, and simmer for 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings.

Gratin of Fresh Fruit Sabayon
You can use any combination of fruits for this delicious gratin.

1/2 small pineapple, peeled, cored and eyes removed
3 large bananas, sliced and sprinkled with some lemon or calamansi juice
1/4 melon, peeled and sliced
1 pomelo (suha) segments, peeled and white membrane removed

for the sabayon
8 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup water
1 whipping cream
4 tbsp Cointreau

Combine fruits in a large baking pan.

Heat sugar and water until sugar has melted. Whip egg yolks. Gradually add hot syrup and continue whipping until cooled. Add Cointreau.

Whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold into whipped egg mixture until well combined.

Pour sabayon over fruits. Place under a broiler until browned.

*the Fruits with Sabayon may be broiled a few minutes before serving, refrigerate in the meantime.

A Day at Tagaytay

2006-10-25T21:40:00.000+08:00

I spent the most pleasant day with my sister in Tagaytay. We first went to Ilog Maria to replenish our beauty and health supplies. I can't live without their Honeymilk Cleanser and Probiotic Bee Propolis. Then we had lunch, or rather a very late breakfast, at Breakfast at Antonio's where the entire menu consists of breakfast meals served all day every day. I went all out and had the Fresh Corned Beef with Sauerkraut and Boiled Potatoes AND we split the Chocolate Chip Waffles for "dessert". My sister had the Cheese and Roasted Vegetable Rosti. We then went to see some great furniture at Domicillo which is located at The Cliffhouse. Some really fabulous artwork by Soler Santos were on exhibit. The Cliffhouse is a great little place with some very good restaurants (two of the three restos were awarded Tatler's Best Restaurant 2006) and fantastic views of Taal Lake. I'll be going back soon for sure. We then ended our trip and drove down singing to the soundtrack of Studio 54. Keep on dancin keep on dancin yeah yeah!

Ladies Lunch Menu for Four

2006-10-21T14:48:00.000+08:00

I cooked this luncheon for my grandmother and her three guests - the former Philippine ambassador to France, the owner of the best pastry shop in town, and my mother. I met the former ambassador when I was studying French cuisine in Paris a long time ago. She would call and ask for recipes I learned at school so she could serve it at her dinner functions. I wonder if she ever did use them?

Puree of Black Bean Soup with Sour Cream & Toasted Cumin Seeds
(adapted from The Culinary Institute of America's Book of Soups)

Mustard Chicken on a Bed of Greens
(adapted from Le Cordon Bleu's Classic French Cookbook)

Chocolate Meringue Gateau
(from Le Cordon Bleu's Classic French Cookbook)

Puree of Black Bean Soup
The original recipe included chopped tomato and scallions as a garnish with the sour cream. Instead, I placed a dollop of sour cream on the soup and sprinkled it with toasted cumin seeds, giving the dish an Indian flavor instead of a Mexican one.

1 lb dry black beans
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, chopped fine (about 2.5 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1.25 cups)
2 quarts vegetable broth (may use chicken broth)
sachet: 1 tsp. cumin seeds, 1-inch slice fresh ginger, 1 dry hot chili, and 4-5 parsley stems tied in a cheesecloth pouch
1/4 cup calamansi juice or 1 lemon, juiced
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 tsp cumin seeds, dry toasted

Place beans in a large pot and pour enough water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then remove fromthe heat. cover and soak, 1 hour. Drain the beans and set aside.

Heat the olice oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, leeks and onions. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent, about 10 minutes.

Add the beans, broth and sachet. Bring to a simmer and cook covered until the beans are tender, 1-1.5 hours. From time to time stir down the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to prevent the beans from sticking.

Toast cumin seeds in a small pan over medium heat, being carefull not to burn the seeds.

Remove the sachet and discard. Puree the soup in blender. Return to soup pot and bring back to a simmer. Just before serving, stir in the calamansi or lemon juice, season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with sour cream and toasted cumin seeds.

Mustard Chicken
The original recipe called for grilling the marinated chicken. I roasted mine in a turbo-broiler which made the succulent chicken quite tender and crisp on the outside. An alternative would be to roast the chicken on a grill in a roasting pan in a conventional oven.

1 chicken, weighing about 1 kg.
180 ml (6 fl oz) lemon or calamansi juice
75 ml (2.5 fl oz) olive oil
salt & pepper
3.5 tbsp Dijon mustard

With the breast of the bird down, split open the chicken by cutting along both sides of the backbone. Cut along the carcass, removing and discarding all the bones except the leg and wing tips. Open the chicken out flat, skin side up, and press it down with the heal of your hand to flatten.

Mix the lemon juice and oil, pour over the chicken and leave to marinate for 2 hours.

Brush the chicken liberally with mustard and season with salt. Roast the chicken in a turbo broiler, set at 350 degrees F, for 20 minutes or until the juices run clear and skin is crisp.

Remove the chicken from the heat and brush lightly with more mustard. Cut in four pieces. Serve on salad greens tossed with favorite dressing. I used a simple vinaigrette.

Chocolate Meringue Gateau
Probably the most difficult part of making this gateau is making the chocolate cigarettes for decoration, especially in a tropical kitchen with out airconditioning. But, with a little ingenuity, it is indeed possible.

for the almond meringue
100 g ground almonds
100 g confectioner's sugar
3.5 tbsp milk
7 egg whites
350 g granulated sugar

for the chocolate mousse
150 g dark chocolate, cut into pieces
250 g (2 sticks) butter
4 eggs, separated
45 g granulated sugar

for the decoration
500 g couverture chocolate
5 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat oven 250 edgrees F (Gas 1/2).

Make the almond meringue: mix together the almonds, icing sugar and milk. Whisk the egg whites with the granulated sugar to a stiff meringue, then gently fold into the almond mixture.

Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle (I used the bag without a nozzle). Pipe three 9-inch rounds on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper. Cook in preheated oven for 1.5 hours. Leave to cool.

Make the mousse: melt the chocolate in a bowl set in a bain marie (or use a double boiler). Remove from the hot water. Add the butter and stir until melted and completely incorporated, then mix in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar to a stiff meringue and fold into the mixture. Set aside in a cool place (chill in the refrigerator).

Set one of the meringue rounds in the bottom of a 10-inch springform tin. Add enough chocolate mousse to half fill the tin. Set another meringue round on top and cover with half the remaining mousse. Place the third meringue round on top and cover with the remaining mousse.

Prepare the decoration: melt the couverture chocolate in a bowl set in a bain marie, then stir in the oil. At this point, you ar einstructed to pour the chocolate on to a marble surface and leave to chill slightly. This will never happen in a tropical country. So, I poured a thin layer of the chocolate into baking pans and placed them in the fridge until hardened.

Scrape the chocolate into "cigarettes" or small fans with a palette knife.

Remove the side of the springform tin. Smooth the top and cover the sides of the gateau with the mousse, then decorate the top and sides with the chocolate cigarettes. Place back in the fridge until ready to serve.

Family Gathering Menu 2

2006-10-14T23:08:00.000+08:00

I found some good recipes while looking through some old cookbooks and magazines. The dishes did not look old fashioned at all.

Pureed Red Pepper Soup with Lemon Cream
(adapted from Sun-Drenched Cuisine)

Yucatan Baked Fish
(Bon Appetit magazine, Sept. 1978)

Braised Beef Short Ribs on Island Style Risotto with Cilantro Oil

Chocolate Mousse
(from my Cordon Bleu notebooks)

Pureed Red Pepper Soup
I used peppers from my Uncles hydroponic farm. The peppers need to be thick and juicy, not the small thin-walled kind you find often in the groceries.

serves 4

for the soup
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium sized red bell peppers, stems and pith removed and coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped tomato
1 tbsp Pernod or to taste
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence - optional
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup sour cream - optional

for the lemon cream
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp grated lemon rind
dash cayenne pepper

Lightly saute the onion and garlic in butter until softened, then add peppers and cook over medium heat until peppers are softened.

Add tomatoes, Pernod, paprika, herbs and broth, bring to a boil.

Puree soup in a blender. You may mix in the sour cream at this point. I left it out to retain the peppers deep red color and flavor.

Prepare the lemon cream: Stir together all ingredients.

Serve soup hot with a dollop of lemon cream.

Pescado a la Yucateca
I had to use tuna for this dish because there was nothing else available. It came out quiet good. Be careful not to overcook the fish.

6 to 8 servings

3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup coarselychopped onion
1/2 cup green olives, chopped
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers or pimiento
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup snipped cilantro
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 to 5 lbs red snapper or other white fish fillet

Preheat oven to 400 degress F.

Grease large baking dish. Saute onions in oil in medium skillet over low heat, about 5 minutes. Add olives, peppers, capers and cilantro and cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in juices, season with salt and pepper.

Place fish in prepared dish. Pour sauce over and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes, basting frequently.

Menu for Family Gathering

2006-09-23T12:52:00.000+08:00

I love to cook and I love to give parties and have get-togethers. There's nothing more satisfying to me than to cook a great meal that is much appreciated. This menu is one I created recently for a family lunch at my grandmother's home.

Gazpacho

Salmon Poached in Olive Oil
(from The Slow Mediterrenean Cookbook)

Basque Chicken
(from my Cordon Bleu notebooks)
Buttered Rice

Apple Pastis with Vanilla Ice Cream
(from The Slow Mediterrenean Cookbook)

I made everything, except the Salmon and Pastis, a day before. The Pastis is a pie made of crisp layers of filo and thinly sliced apple compote, had I made it a day before the filo would have become soggy so I made the compote a day before and assembled and baked the pie the morning of the luncheon. As for the salmon dish, it needed to be cooked fresh because reheating would have made it tough. The salmon came out meltingly tender and flavorful.

Gazpacho
All the ingredient may be altered to suit your tastes. I myself prefer more garlic...

12 juicy red tomatoes, large dice
6 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
2 red peppers, coarsely chopped
2 green peppers, coarsely chopped
2 onions, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup Arengga vinegar or cider vinegar
salt

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. After an hour the vegetables should be covered with rendered tomato juices. Puree vegetables in a blender, not too smooth, the soup should be slightly coarse.