Corn Bread

they look like corn on the cob

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge is almost 2 months old and I am finished baking the 10th recipe, Corn Bread. I made it the other Saturday for our 4th of July barbecue dinner and we all loved it, and we don't normally like corn bread! PR's recipe is not the typical corn bread from the south because it has wheat flour, fresh corn, and loads of sweet stuff: white and brown sugar and honey. I halved the sugar and honey because I don't like overly sweet corn bread. They came out just sweet enough with the addition of the extra sweet yellow/white corn that I used. I prefer it saltier and I will add a pinch more of salt next time I make these. I really enjoyed the crunch of the polenta and the fresh corn; this corn bread is superior to the ones I have previously tasted. Better yet, I am declaring this is the bestest corn bread, ever! Thank you Peter for including this baking powder and baking soda bread in the book.

fresh corn is best

I baked some of the corn bread in a cast iron mold that has 7 slots shaped like corn. I sprinkled the bottom with chopped bacon to make them visible after unmolding. The corn molds are small, shallow, and can hold only 2 tablespoons of batter but they are so cute and fun to serve and eat. I baked the rest of the batter in unlined regular-size muffin pans. If you are baking these in muffin pans, use cupcake liners or line the bottoms with parchment because they stick to the bottom and it is difficult removing them from the pan. I also increased the heat to 400°F because the bread would not brown enough, specially the ones baked in the cast iron pan.

chewy crunchy polenta corn grits, crunchy sweet fresh corn, and salty bacon, yum!

the corn bread looks so cute beside the real thing

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: 5

Almond Milk

delicious almond milk flavored with rose water

The almond milk macarons in Midge's blog inspired me to make this drink. I have a recipe for Almond Milk in my cookbook THE FOOD OF MOROCCO but have never made it. The process is similar to making soymilk but I like that I don't have to soak the almonds overnight and was able to enjoy it a few hours after reading about it. I chilled it for an hour, cut a few rose flowers from my garden, and voila! Almond Milk With Rose Water drink that is so sweet and refreshing. It's like drinking rose flavored marzipan candy.:-)

Almond Milk Drink
1½ cups blanched whole almonds
¼ cup sugar, or to taste
water
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon rose water
1 cup cold milk (or water)

• Put the almonds and sugar in a blender with 1 cup water and blend until almond is pulverized.
• Line a fine sieve with a layer of muslin, place over a bowl and pour the almond mixture into the strainer. Add 3 tablespoons water into the blender and blend briefly to clean the blender of any almond residue. Pour into the strainer. Gather the edges of the muslin, twist, and press to extract all the liquids. Open the muslin and place it over the sieve again, add another 4 tablespoons of water on the almond pulp, stir and repeat the extraction process. Discard the almond pulp.
• Remove the sieve and stir in the almond extract, rosewater, and milk into the almond liquid, taste and adjust sugar. Chill for at least one hour and serve (with a petal or two of unsprayed pink rose floating on top of each drink).

Lasang Pinoy Sundays: Succulent Pinakbet

my favorite Filipino vegetable dish

Lasang Pinoy Sundays is a weekly food photography meme, Filipino style, is hosted by SpiCes.


Pinakbet is my favorite Filipino vegetable dish. I never get tired of it. Once in a while I cook it without the usual prawns and bagnet (pork belly confit). This time I added just a little bit of cured pork skins and I also used squash blossoms from my garden's acorn squash plant. I planted the squash so I can have fresh blossoms all summer long for my pinakbet. Those tiny green rounds are 2 day old fruits; they are incredibly crunchy and yes, the whole dish is moist and flavorful.

Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread

delicious bread but not as light as described in the book

I love the flavor of the 9th bread in The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge, Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread. However, I was not too happy with the texture because the bread did not rise as high as I wanted. *It's a good thing I only made half a recipe.* After the 2-hour first rising the dough did not double its volume, it grew larger by about 70%, maybe the raisins and walnuts had something to do with the slow rise, I don't know, but I went ahead, shaped, and baked it. The bread didn't have an oven spring either, not one millimeter, none, nada. I was scratching my head and couldn't think of the reasons why the bread did not rise properly. I followed the recipe exactly as written and I believe my SAF instant yeast is still good; it's just one of those days I guess. The bread is very yummy, though, specially with the swirly cinnamon sugar but it is not a light bread as described in the book, it is slightly dense and chewy which is not so bad really but I prefer a lighter texture. And the finished bread is somewhat ugly with bumps all over and one or two warty-looking thingies.:-)

bumpy warty loaf

The next day I made another half recipe minus ¼ cup of raisins. I let the dough relax for 1 hour before kneading in the raisins and walnuts, omitted the cinnamon sugar swirl, and let it rise for 2 hours before shaping into a loaf. The second rising took 90 minutes and the bread had an oven spring of about an inch resulting in a much lighter loaf although I miss the flavor burst of the cinnamon sugar. I will bake this bread again, perhaps with some whole wheat flour, and of course, the cinnamon sugar filling.

still a little bumpy but much smoother, taller, and lighter

the second batch is over an inch taller and has a lighter tight crumb

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 3
visual appeal 2.5
ease of preparation 4
performance 3
worth 4
Total: 21.5
Average: 3.58

Millet Suman

budbud kabog (millet and coconut milk rolls)

Suman, a Filipino snack wrapped in banana leaves is usually made of either raw or precooked glutinous rice. The bundles are boiled in plain water for about an hour and they are best eaten with ripe mangoes, with coconut milk sauce, or simply dipped in sugar. About three years ago I read about the millet seed suman which is a favorite in the Visayan region of the Philippines. The seeds are precooked in coconut milk before rolling into fat cigar shape and wrapping in banana leaves.

I've never had millet suman before which has a rather funny name, Budbud Kabog, and I have no idea what it means. And I always thought millet seeds are for making birdseed and suet cakes. I found millet seeds at the health food aisle of the Asian grocery. Koreans cook them in rice together with red and black beans. I bought 2 kinds [because I don't know what kind they use in the Philippines], glutinous, from India, which are green in color like green mungbeans, and the yellow-colored non-glutinous from Korea.

I mixed the 2 millets, about ¾ cup of each, washed them thoroughly, then cooked them in a large wok in coconut milk and added water (as needed) until the seeds are soft, then added 3 tablespoons of sugar and ½ teaspoon sea salt. The suman is good, not better than glutinous rice suman, but I like it because I'm a sucker for anything cooked in coconut milk and wrapped in fragrant banana leaves. I actually like the soft grains which are almost like corn grits or tiny quinoa. It was worth the time making them and I love it with ripe mangoes of course. *Now, why do I suddenly have the urge to chirp?*

the suman is pale yellow, almost white, maybe because of the green seeds

Here is the recipe which I modified using canned coconut milk.

left: glutinous rice suman with coconut milk and raw sugar sauce

right: glutinous and non-glutinous rice suman with chocolate and peanuts

Cinnamon Buns And Sticky Buns

glazed cinnamon bun

sticky buns with chopped macadamia nuts

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge 8th recipe is for Cinnamon Buns and Sticky Buns. After reading the recipe for the caramel glaze, I couldn't resist making the sticky buns. I halved the rolled dough and the slices from one half dough went into a 9-inch round cake pan, the bottom layered with ¼ inch of the caramel paste and a few tablespoons of chopped macadamia nuts (I ran out of pecans). I love this gooey caramel glaze, it is very good.

sticky gooey goodness

The other half of the dough was mistakenly divided into 8 portions and placed on the baking pan too far apart. I wanted thick cinnamon buns but it was already cut and they came out a little bit thin. Oh well, I can always bake another batch and make them into gigantic cinnamon buns. And the good thing is they become crispy when toasted and sinfully indulgent if paired with David Lebovitz's Salted Butter Caramel ice cream...it's like eating an open-face ice cream sandwich, sooo addicting.

toasted cinnamon bun, not just for breakfast anymore...
try it with Salted Butter Caramel Ice cream for a super duper delicious dessert or snack

The recipe does not have a layer of soft butter on the flattened dough before sprinkling the cinnamon sugar mixture. Most recipes I know have at least 2 tablespoons of soft butter for a moist cinnamon bun. But I want to follow the recipe as written so I used just cinnamon sugar and I expected the cinnamon buns to be a bit dry. Thankfully they are not and the bread itself is moist, soft, and delicious. I still prefer them with butter cinnamon sugar combo and I drizzle the insides of the coil with a little melted butter before glazing and eating. I just have to have my butter.:-)

I leave them bare and glaze them just before serving

Rating:
flavor 4
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 4
performance 5
worth 4
Total: 27
Average: 4.5

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays: Beef Tapa

a favorite pulutan: beef tapa

This week's Lasang Pinoy, Sundays: Strips. First thing that came to mind was beef tapa, strips of thinly sliced cured beef, then fried crisp and enjoyed with garlic fried rice and a fried egg or two, the original TapSiLog. It is also a favorite pulutan (appetizer) to munch on while drinking ice cold San Miguel® beer.

TapSiLog is eaten with vinegar spiced with super hot bird's eye chili pepper
or tomatoes sprinkled with sea salt

a weekly food photography meme, Pinoy style, is hosted by SpiCes.


Beef Tapa
1 pound thinly sliced beef, cut into 1-inch wide strips
1 cup pineapple juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 tsp pink salt, optional
1 to 2 tablespoons oil for frying

• Mix pieapple juice, salt, sugar, and pink salt if using. Coat the meat evenly, put in a gallon freezer zipper bag and marinate overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, drain the meat and discard marinade. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Put slices on racks and place the racks on baking sheets. Dry the beef in a warm oven (less than 200° F) for 1 to 2 hours. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and shallow fry beef until crisp.

Butifarra And Mashed Potatoes Tapa

tiny Spanish sausages and mashed potatoes appetizer

Tapas are small plates of Spanish appetizers usually eaten in between meals to go with wine. The most common tapas are potato tortilla (omelet), fried chorizos, mushrooms in garlic sauce, cured olives, and prawns also in garlic sauce.

I borrowed this tapa combination of Spanish chorizos on a bed of mashed potatoes from the Food section of The Washington Post. The tiny chorizos were grilled and served on a very silky soft mashed potatoes. I made butifarra, another type of Spanish sausage which is very mild compared to chorizo, twisting them every one inch and cooked them on a skillet instead of the grill. I separated them after they were cooked. For the mashed potatoes, I boiled yukon gold with salt and a whole garlic clove. I used the cooking water to make a very soft fluffy mashed potatoes and added about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in place of butter. This is a very delicious appetizer or dinner.

My recipe for Spanish chorizo is here. Twist every one inch to make into tiny chorizos. Or slice store-bought chorizos into ¾ inch pieces after cooking.

Next time I'll attempt to make José Andrés' deep fried chorizos wrapped in paper thin slices of potatoes. This one sounds really good.

Ciabatta

5-ounce ciabatta

The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge recipe 7: Ciabatta. This Italian rustic crusty chewy bread shaped like a slipper has become so popular and when a restaurant started to serve sandwiches using ciabatta several years ago I was eager to try but was so disappointed at first bite. The bread was incredibly leathery or maybe flip-floppy; I thought I was chewing on rawhide. And the bakeries are no better with their mediocre ciabatta but thanks to BBA and other cookbooks, not to mention several websites, I am now able to have freshly baked ciabatta at home that are flavorful and yes chewy but not rubbery.

For this challenge I [again] forgot to take photos of the unbaked dough. Sorry about that. Anyway, I divided the dough into four 5-ounce sandwich rolls and the remainder of the dough I shaped into a long thin baguette. The rolls were shaped like a letter just like in the photos and I put them on individual pieces of parchment, uncouched. It is easier to slide them one by one from the peel onto the baking stone.

For this recipe I used a poolish which I left in the refrigerator for 2 days to develop more flavor. The ciabatta recipe is easy to follow but I find the dough a little bit dry and had to sprinkle a lot of water while kneading because the wetter the dough the more hole-y the bread will turn out. I honestly thought even with the additional water I felt the dough was still dry. And this is what's odd about this batch: three of the sandwich ciabatta rolls have random large air pockets but one didn't have any, just a few medium and small ones. The baguette also has irregular medium and tiny holes in them. I can't believe these are from the same dough. I suspect my oven has cold spots and I should have baked them in batches. But overall, I like this recipe; the bread is chewy, crusty although not as dark brown as I would have liked, and definitely more flavorful than store-bought. I love it with crisp-fried pancetta, lettuce, and tomato or simply halved and baked topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese seasoned with dried Italian herbs. I probably will NOT use this recipe again for my next ciabatta as I have PR's ciabatta test recipe for his upcoming book.

the baguette and one roll have few small air pockets, the one at the front right is hole-y

PLT: pancetta, lettuce, and tomato

crunchy crust, chewy crumb, gooey mozzarella, yummy Parmesan

Rating:
flavor 4
texture 4
visual appeal 4
ease of preparation 4
performance 4
worth 4
Total: 24
Average: 4

Guinomis

Guinomis, also spelled with a U, guinumis is a Filipino dessert or snack similar to Halo-Halo. It has diced sweet gelatin, tapioca pearls, puffed pinipig (pounded young glutinous rice), sweetened with raw sugar and pandan syrup, and topped with shaved ice and coconut milk. You will love the different textures of chewy sago and gelatin, crunchy pinipig, creamy coconut milk, and cool mouth feel of the shaved ice. Perfect for summer and sooo yummy.

Guinomis (adapted from KULINARYA guidebook)
diced cooked red agar or gelatin, flavored with lemon extract
cooked sago (large tapioca pearls)
puffed pinipig
2 cups water
3 pandan leaves
2 pieces panocha (or 1½ cups muscovado or raw sugar)
thin coconut milk
shaved ice

• Prepare the syrup: Boil the pandan leaves, water, and panocha or sugar. Simmer, uncovered, and stir until sugar has dissolved completely. Reduce until syrupy. Let cool. Discard pandan and transfer syrup into a serving container or bottle.
• Assemble the guinomis: Layer 3 tablespoons each: sago pearls, gulaman, pinipig. Drizzle syrup to taste, top with shaved ice, pour 3 to 4 tablespoons of coconut milk. Enjoy!

panocha and gur

Philippine panocha is available at Filipino and Asian groceries. Gur, the Pakistani and Indian raw sugar lumps are available in the international food section of most groceries (at least in my area). Dark muscovado sugar and raw sugar are also available in many groceries usually at the baking/flour/sugar aisle. You can use regular dark brown sugar but the flavor won't be as good as the panocha.

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays: turns ONE!

ube cupcakes for LaPiS' first birthday

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays, a weekly gallery of food photography, Filipino style, turns ONE. Congratulations to all and thanks to Ces of SpiCes. Now, let us eat ube cupcakes!:-)

Cherry And Kirsch Gratin

Early June is the best time to make cherry desserts when they're abundant and cheap. Every year I buy large containers of bing and rainier cherries for snacking. I also preserve them with sugar and cherry brandy to add to cakes, ice cream, cookies, etc. For this week's Lasang Pinoy Sundays, blame it on the A-A-A-Alcohol, I made a cherry and kirsch gratin, the recipe adapted from PURE DESSERT by Alice Medrich. I love that the cherry liqueur/white wine combination is not very strong because at least some of the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process; rather it enhances the flavor of the cherries and the custard. I a-a-azhzhure you my speech wasn't slurred after consuming a large bowl of the spiked cherry dessert.;-)

Lasang Pinoy Sundays, a weekly gallery of food photography Pinoy-style, is hosted by SpiCes.

recipe adapted from PURE DESSERT by Alice Medrich
Cherry And Kirsch Gratin
for the topping
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1¼ tablespoons flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons kirschwasser
¼ cup plus 1½ tablespoons heavy cream

for the fruit
1 cup sweet cherries
1½ tablespoons kirschwasser
½ tablespoon sugar, or to taste
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

• To make the topping: Set a medium bowl next to the stove. In a medium stainless steel saucepan, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and flour until well blended. Whisk in the wine and kirschwasser. Cook over medium heat whisking constantly until the mixture becomes a thick custard. Continue to whisk for 2 minutes (to cook the flour), or until the custard becomes less thick and slightly translucent. Immediately scrape the custard into the bowl. Stir in 1½ tablespoons cream. Place a piece of plastic film on top to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until cool.
• To prepare the fruit: Pit and halve the cherries. Place them in a bowl, add the kirschwasser, sugar, and lemon juice, stir, and let macerate for at least 15 minutes or for several hours at room temperature. Preheat the broiler with the rack 6 inches from the heat. Taste and adjust sugar and lemon juice. Scrape the cherries and juices into a 4 x 6 oval dish and spread evenly. Broil until cherries are slightly tender and the juices are bubbling, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the pan and set aside to cool slightly for 10 minutes. Whip the remaining cream until almost stiff. Fold into the cold custard. Spread the mixture on top of the cherries. Slide under the broiler to brown the top, this may take only a minute or less. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Speaking of liquor, you may want to check out my Lambanog mixed drink.:-)

Challah

22-ounce woven round challah with golden raisins

I can't believe The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge is already on its 6th week and my enthusiasm for baking hasn't waned. Maybe because this week it's Challah, one of our favorite breads from the first time I saw its dark golden bumpy crust at the grocery. The grocery-store variety are not the very best tasting challah yet I bought the loaves on a regular basis. I only started baking them when I saw a sweet potato recipe and we had it for Thanksgiving dinner last year. It was sweet and delicious. For Christmas I baked a regular one [also] with dried cranberries in the dough. Equally yummy.

I had always wanted to try my hand at shaping a round challah that I see on the web and this challenge has encouraged me to make it. The BBA has instructions for a 2-strand braid but I wanted a 4-strand round. I found this with step by step photographs on how to shape a woven round challah, very easy to follow. After finishing weaving and the dough turned over I was so satisfied and happy with myself for accomplishing something I thought was too complicated.

The challah recipe in BBA is one of the easiest and fastest to make which means you get to eat the fruits of your labor in just a few hours. I love its tasty very soft yet chewy crumb and the fact that it has no butter. For the oil, I usually use extra light olive oil or grapeseed oil because both oils are the most neutral tasting and healthy too as they can help raise the "good" cholesterol level. I also read that olive oil increases the shelf life of baked goods which is a plus. I divided the dough into two 22-ounce pieces, one I made into a 4-strand braid. I forgot to take photos of the braiding process. I didn't use the book's instructions as the previous braids I made using this method somehow looked uneven, I can't explain why. I followed the braiding technique in this video instead and the braid came out good. No matter how it looks, lopsided or perfectly shaped, the BBA Challah is number one in my book.:)

bumpy but yummy

great for grilled cheese sandwich: grated Gouda, apple carpaccio, and fig preserves

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: a perfect 5

Apple Carpaccio

apple carpaccio with orange blossom and mint ice cream

Alice Medrich in her cookbook PURE DESSERT has a recipe for microwaved thinly sliced apples she calls Summer Apple Carpaccio. The apple halves take 45 seconds to cook in the microwave oven and have less than a teaspoon of sugar each. The apple slices become soft and almost transparent but still crunchy and they are served either fanned or shaped to look like garden roses. She suggests pairing them with Rose Water and Mint ice cream or drizzle with caramel ssauce. I adapted her ice cream recipe using orange blossom water because I was not sure if I will like the rose water flavor, doubled the mint leaves for a stronger mint flavor, and increased the milk by just half a cup. The ice cream flavors are so good together and perfect with the simple sweet apple. And the rose apple "petals" look pretty and fun to eat. The apples are also fantastic with Salted Caramel ice cream.

recipes are adapted from PURE DESSERT by Alice Medrich
Apple Carpaccio

• Cut the apples in half lengthwise. Peel and core. Place one half apple cut side down on a cutting board and cut crosswise into 1/8 inch slices, leaving the slices in place. Transfer into a saucer, sprinkle with ½ to 1 teaspoon sugar, cover with a bowl, and microwave on high for 45 seconds (1000 watts oven). Cook one half apple at a time.

• Fan the cooked apple and transfer on a serving plate using an offset spatula. Or shape into roses. Cool completely before shaping. Twist the middle slice without removing it, into a cone to form the bud at the center of the rose. Wrap one or two adjacent slices partially around the bud to resemble the inner petals of the rose. Continue to arrange the adjacent slices, working from the center outward, until the apple looks like an open garden rose. Use an offset spatula to transfer the rose to a serving plate.

cooks in 45 seconds and shaping takes a few minutes

Orange Blossom Water And Mint Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
12 mint leaves
½ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons orange blossom water, more or less to taste
2½ cups heavy whipping cream

• Blend the mint leaves and milk in a blender. Strain milk through a very fine sieve into a measuring bowl with spout. Add the sugar and stir until completely dissolved. Add the orange blossom water and heavy whipping cream, stir to combine. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn for 20 minutes. Transfer into an ice cream container and freeze until scoopable. Serve with apple carpaccio rose.

BBAC: Casatiello

with steamed asparagus for brunch

and fresh strawberries for breakfast

I love the fifth bread in the BBAC, Casatiello. I am so glad I joined this baking challenge because I would never have paid attention to this bread if I hadn't. Whenever I flip through the book I always skip it thinking it's just another version of brioche and it actually is. The difference is, this Italian cousin of brioche is filled with meat and cheese. It's a savory buttery delicious bread which I enjoy very much for breakfast with fresh fruits and for brunch with steamed asparagus. It's also very good with a sprinkling of powdered sugar or a drizzle of maple syrup, both sugary additions complement the toasted slices.

I filled the bread with diced mortadella and grated Asiago pressato. I like the mild flavor of the mortadella, think Spam only better, and I love the bits of fat and whole black peppercorns in it. The meat and cheese came out evenly distributed throughout the bread but I would have liked more filling and should have increased the amount by at least ¼ cup of each.

baked in a small loaf pan and 12-ounce coffee cans

I like this bread so much I baked a second batch (half a recipe), filled it with sopressata and a combination of diced Asiago pressato and coarsely grated young Gouda, and because I wanted to celebrate my "discovery" of this bread I baked it in a bundt pan. Taking a needed break from too much butter, I used extra virgin olive oil to replace almost all of the butter. I'm not sure if it is the olive oil but the second batch is more tender and flakier but just as delicious as the all-butter Casatiello; the flavor of the oil is very subtle, btw.

I can't believe this is half a recipe: the dough more than doubled in bulk after 50 minutes of proofing and had a good oven spring too, filling the pan almost to the top

it looks purty durn yummy

specially with sweet wine

Rating:
flavor 5
texture 5
visual appeal 5
ease of preparation 5
performance 5
worth 5
Total: 30
Average: a perfect 5, another winner. Woohoo!