Kulinarya Cooking Club: Favorite Birthday Treats

coffee ice cream topped with mangosteen preserve

What savory or sweet food would you like to have on your birthday? This was KCC's challenge for this month.

It's kinda tough because there are too many dishes to choose from (noodles: palabok, canton, guisado, lasagna, spaghetti with tomato and meat sauce) and I'd rather have lots of sweets and desserts (cakes: mocha chiffon, chocolate, ube, sans rival; ice cream: cheddar cheese, ube, langka, coffee with mangosteen preserve; and leche flan, of course).

I chose to feature Coffee Ice Cream with Mangosteen Preserve, my all-time favorite dessert since it was first introduced in the 80s by Magnolia. I can't remember when and why the flavor was discontinued by the company. About 6 years ago, I started making mangosteen preserve from tinned mangosteen. The fruit preserve is simple and easy to prepare at home. I spoon a large dollop on top of store-bought or homemade coffee ice cream and I enjoy this flavor whenever I want but most specially on my birthday.

To make: boil the syrup from 2 cans of mangosteen with 6 tablespoons sugar until almost caramelized, add the fruits, separated into sections, and cook until thick and dark brown in color.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney (Kath, Trisha, and Trissa), who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colorful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

Thank you Tressa and Jen for hosting this month's challenge.

Mango Chutney, Red Hot Chili Sauce & Mangosteen Preserves

For the past 2 days I have been attending to my garden, which is very tiny, but cleaning up after winter, and feeding plants and lawn take time. We have plenty of leftovers so I haven't really been cooking. I am making siopao this afternoon, though and will post them tomorrow. Meantime, I am sharing with you the recipes for two condiments and a fruit preserve that I made last week. Enjoy!

mango chutney and red hot chili semi-dry sauce

Chutney: 3 chopped mangoes, ½ onion, chopped, ½ C golden raisins, ¼ C chopped ginger, 1 chopped garlic clove, ½ C each white and brown sugar, 3/4 C vinegar, ¼ tsp each whole allspice, whole cloves and whole peppercorns, 1-inch pice cinnamon stick and ½ tsp salt. Bring everything to a boil, then simmer for 2½ hours. Store in sterilized jars.
Chili Sauce: Cook finely minced red hot chili, finely minced small piece of pork roast or chicharrones, sugar, salt, vinegar, chopped garlic and chopped shallots for 30 minutes until almost dry but still moist. Adjust seasoning to taste.

mangosteen preserves

I have mentioned this in a previous post. To make: boil the syrup from 2 cans of Thai mangosteen with 5 -6 T sugar until almost caramelized, add the fruits, separated into sections, and cook until thick and dark brown/purple in color. I purposely burn the bottom just for a second to deepen the flavor and color.

Sorbet, Ice Cream, Pastillas de Leche, & Peeps!

fresh pineapple sorbet with rum
It's ice cream season! Actually we have ice cream all year round, I just didn't have freezer space the last few months. But with my new ice cream book, David Lebovitz' THE PERFECT SCOOP (psst, go buy a copy, it's the only ice cream cookbook you'll ever need), I have to make room in my freezer, or I will get a compact upright freezer just for ice cream, cakes and dessert. ;D

coffee ice cream topped with mangosteen preserves, I missed you so!

pastillas de leche, recipe here

and, they're disgustingly sweet but I gotta have my peeps!

Coffee Ice Cream and Mangosteen Preserves

the best dessert pairing: coffee ice cream and mangosteen preserves

I have been lurking in several Pinoy food blogs and read about the discontinued Magnolia coffee mangosteen ice cream. The blogger said that he prefers to top the coffee ice cream with mangosteen preserves. It is an excellent idea, but I couldn't find mangosteen preserves here in the US. Fortunately I found Thai canned mangosteen in syrup at the Korean grocery, bought several cans and boiled the syrup with 2 tablespoons (per can) sugar until very thick, then added all the fruit, boiled it down some more until almost caramelized, somewhat brown red, dark purplish in color and very thick. I made coffee ice cream using very thick brewed espresso. The result is oh so heavenly. The half gallon ice cream and the preserves were history in a matter of days.