Pumpkin Brioche Biscocho

 Philippine-style biscocho is a super crunchy twice-baked yeast bread. There are 2 kinds of Filipino biscocho, the plain ones and the sugared variety which I prefer specially with thick chocolate drink or with coffee. I made sweet biscocho 5 years ago with regular white bread. This time I used pumpkin brioche shaped into loaf and they came out really really really good.

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Candied Breadfruit

Last week I had a somewhat strange experience at the Korean grocery store. I just picked up a large portion of winter melon (KUNDOL in the Philippines) which I was going to candy for Italian and Spanish nougat. Whenever I plan to make the kundol sweets, candied breadfruit, RIMAS in Tagalog, always comes to mind. I was silently wishing I would also find fresh breadfruit, and then to my utter surprise, right in front of me was a large bin full of breadfruit. I've never seen a fresh breadfruit before in my life and the only reason I knew was because there was a large sign that said BREADFRUIT. I've only known it in its candied triangular shape glazed with dried sugar syrup similar to marrons glacés. I remember its flavor and texture also somewhat resemble the candied chestnuts.

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Black Sesame Seed Paciencia

I think this is my third or fourth blog post about the Philippine cookies called Paciencia. I maybe a bit obsessed with these tiny crunchy cookies inherited from the Spanish, of course. It's the smooth shiny top I've wanted to replicate but is elusive to me so far. Oh, well, there's always a fifth or sixth time for trying.

For this paciencia baking adventure I added ground black sesame seeds to half a recipe adapted from Recipes of the Philippines handbook omitting the baking powder and reduced the amount of sugar. I added 2 tablespoons very thick blackcurrant sauce into another half recipe. The blackcurrant flavor is strong, not just a hint and the sesame seed is not only delicious, it's also nutritious. One website says consuming black sesame seeds regularly may restore the color of graying hair; I wonder if it's true. There's no harm in trying I suppose. Anyway, I love both flavors, really great for afternoon munchies with a cup of milky English breakfast tea.

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Green Jackfruit and Tamarind Soup

I cooked this soup a month or so ago but I went on a break from the blog at the time. I got the recipe, Sinampalukang Langka (green jackfruit in tamarind broth) from Yummy online magazine. I thought at first the ingredients are a bit unusual but I'll eat any sour soup flavored with fish sauce. I like its uncomplicated flavors and will make it again for sure.

Fresh green jackfruit is not available here in the US. I buy the Thai canned ones whenever there is a need for it. If it's available, use the fresh ones. Green jackfruit is a good ingredient for vegan recipes because of its texture and ability to absorb seasonings.

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Butter Babycakes

The recipe for these cakes had been in draft for many months already but I couldn't find the time to bake them. These are supposed to be Filipino style butter cake made with Danish butter. The photo of the individual mamon-like cake that inspired me to look for a recipe was on one of my facebook friends' weekend breakfast table.

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Fresh Pineapple Pie

I was on the phone the other day with a friend and she mentioned Philippine-style pineapple pie is becoming almost as popular as buco (young coconut) pie. Some have layers of both pineapple and buco. Because I haven't been introduced to this pie, I just have to bake.

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Tofu

fresh spring rolls filled with vegetables and tofu

Our August 2012 KCC hosts Kai and Isabel challenged us to prepare dishes that are healthy and nutritious, dishes for longevity, pampahaba ng buhay in Tagalog, or dishes that are believed to have restorative or curing power like tinola and cerveza negra specifically for nursing moms.

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Turon Pie

I call this the lazy woman's turon. I was craving for saba turon but didn't want to fry in this heat. I just brushed light olive oil on both sides of 2 pieces of spring roll wrapper, placed them on a small pie plate, filled it with thinly sliced saba banana, brown sugar, and chopped langka (jackfruit). Then I baked it in my toaster oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. I was more than satisfied with my baked turon and I didn't have to heat up a liter of oil. I'll try this with apple too as it's healthier without all the butter in a regular apple pie crust and because I love the sweet crispy wrapper. 

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Taba ng Talangka

The Republic of the Philippines, although tiny, has an endless variety of rich and unique food. One such delicacy is the taba ng talangka. Direct translation is fat of crab but the fat is actually crab roe from really tiny crabs called talangka. It's super delicious by itself with a squirt of lemon juice and extra yummy when added to fried rice or sauteed prawns.  

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Fish Ube Jam

You must be wondering why the sweet haleyang ube (purple yam jam) is shaped like a fish. As a small child I used to wonder too as to why this favorite dessert is shaped as such but only during our town's annual festival celebration in honor of its patron saint. The haleya could have been shaped into a large gumamela or kalachuchi but no, year after year I saw a fish haleyang ube not just in our house but the neighbors' too. I'm guessing it has a religious meaning, that is, it's the symbol of Jesus Christ.

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Ube, Buco-Pandan, and Ensaimada Yeast Waffles

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Ice Candy

honeymansi, watermelon lambanog cocktail, and mango lime 

This year, it seems Spring took a vacation somewhere cooler because Summer arrived directly from Winter. Our Yoshino cherries bloomed almost overnight and it's so warm that for the first time we had to turn on our AC in the middle of March. It's perfect timing that our KCC hosts, Arnold and Jun, chose ice candy for this month's theme to cool us off. Thank you guys.

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Frog Legs Adobo

I watched yet again Andrew Zimmerman's Bizarre Foods Philippine edition currently streaming through Netflix and thought the bloated stuffed frog legs looked funny and weird. When I was a kid we used to have them adobo style with achuete (annatto). They were tiny though and not as meaty as the ones I found recently at the Asian market.  

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Baliwag Pandesal

Pin It

I've had these bite size sweet rich soft yellowish pandesal back in the Philippines. A few Filipino bloggers claim these are the Baliwag-style rolls. The recipe they follow is the same as the pan de leche, with the addition of milk of course.  

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Whole Wheat Pandesal

I regularly bakePandesalsince the day I learned how to bake bread properly but this is the first time I added not just whole wheat flour but also a small portion of sourdough. I can honestly say I love the rolls for the nutty flavor and the hint of sweetness from the whole wheat flour. I was also surprised the rolls are not dense and heavy; they have soft fluffy crumb and really crispy crust. 

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Egg White Leche Flan

How do I make a healthy version of a dessert or any food that I want to have on my birthday? This month's Kulinarya Cooking Club challenge was a toughie for me. I couldn't think of any Filipino dish that I can tweak into something healthier but still delicious as there are several yummy healthy vegetable dishes or ice and fruit desserts that don't need any improvements, in my honest opinion. As much as I love tofu and seitan, I can't imagine myself enjoying a plate of tofurkey lechon or seitan mechado on my birthday.

My creative juices ran dry for this challenge so forgive me for my uninspired Leche Flan using all egg whites and fat-free sweetened condensed milk. I used whole milk because I want the flan to be edible, at least. The flan is actually good; it's soft and smooth although not creamy with a texture similar to gelatin. Buuut, I won't be having this on my special day which for me is a time to indulge in food I really really love, food that will certainly make me happy, unhealthy they may be.

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Egg Morcon

Hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage then deep-fried is a dish called Scotch Eggs. I found a similar recipe, Egg Morcon, in my Filipino Seventh-day Adventist vegetarian cookbook. The boiled eggs are wrapped in embutido made with textured vegetable protein (dried tofu bits).. Reversing the recipe from vegetarian to a meaty dish, I seasoned ground beef with a little powdered garlic and onion, soy sauce, and sea salt, and added a little milk, soft bread crumbs, and an egg for binder. I rolled the morcon in panko before deep-frying until golden brown and crispy. I love them with steamed rice, banana ketchup, and cherry tomatoes.

Pianono, Pionono, Pio Nono

Filipino Pionono filled with sweet Star margarine 

Spanish Pionono filled and topped with custard

The internet is a wonderful thing. I found out while searching for a Spanish dessert that the Filipino jelly roll called Pianono came from the Spanish Swiss roll cake Pionono. According to this website the Spanish Pionono was created in honor of Pope Pius IX; Pio Nono is Italian for Pope Pius IX. It's not hard to understand why the cake exists in the Philippines as many of our cakes, desserts, and candies came from the Spanish.

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Arroz Caldo

arroz caldo topped with crispy flaked chicken, chicken chicharrones,
crispy fried scallions and shaved garlic

Arroz Caldo, a favorite comforting and restorative Filipino rice dish was chosen by our host, the indefatigable super Mom Joy for November 2011 Kulinarya Cooking Club. Arroz Caldo comes from the Spanish arroz for rice and caldo for broth. I have featured Arroz Caldo once before and am reprinting 2 paragraphs from that post.

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Iced Guinatan Halo Halo with Mochi Pearls

iced guinatan with mochi pearls

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