No-Bake Mini Quark Cheesecakes with Crystallized Flowers

Clearing and rearranging storage cabinets produce yummy stuff. My mini cheesecake pan hasn't been used for ages so I made no-bake cheesecake with the freshly made quark cheese I had in the refrigerator. These cakes have the consistency of a mousse but without gelatin. I added just a little mascarpone and also whipped heavy cream and for flavor I used rosewater for half of the mixture and lavender water for the other half. You are free to use your favorite flavoring such as lemon, orange, or almond. The cheesecakes are very light and creamy with very subtle floral flavors.

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Mizu Yokan

I came across the Japanese sweets called mizuyokan while reading a Japanese novel REAL WORLD written by Natsuo Kirino. The sweets I found out are made with a mixture of kanten (agar or gelatin), water, and azuki (red bean paste). One of the websites I visited has a recipe for matcha and white bean paste. The white bean paste may be dried navy or lima beans. I used a pound of dried lima beans to make the white paste. The flavor is very mild on its own which is great when used for the matcha (green tea powder) bean cakes. I also made with sweet azuki paste I already had in the freezer and adjusted the sugar to my taste. I love the smoky flavor of azuki beans; still my favorite.

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Croissant Donuts

Ah, it's the latest New York craze, the deep-fried love child of croissant and donut, cronut! Since I was not willing to drive for more than 5 hours to New York and was desperate to try its crunchy crust and multi-layered crumb, I just had to make some.

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Pasta and Grilled Asparagus

Three days ago I downloaded for free from Amazon an Italian cookbook, a gardening book, and 2 novels. Well, the cookbook is now $1.99 but it's still a good buy though. I visit the store regularly to check for freebies and so far I like most of the books I got.

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Strawberry Swirl Bread

I've been enjoying strawberries since the start of Spring and it seems I can't get enough. I love them with cream or sea salt, and of course with Nutella. I also made a swirl bread from puree and have the slices with strawberry jam.

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Nutella Mug Cake

I never knew mug cakes have been made and blogged about for over 3 years already. Time to join; better late than never.

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Light Leche Flan and Calamansi Sherbet

I've been making and eating ice cream at an alarming frequency since the day I bought a used Italian ice cream maker with compressor a month ago. So today I made calamansi (Philippine lime) sherbet. It's a tad "healthier" because it doesn't have too much heavy cream. I really love the tart and slightly sweet sherbet which is the perfect pair with the equally healthier leche flan (caramel custard) that has just one egg yolk.

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Silver Dollar Pancakes

Why would anybody make or eat these teeny, at less than 2 inches, pancakes? Because they're fun, I suppose, specially with smoked cocktail wieners and breakfast sausage patties or simply with maple syrup and fresh fruits. The recipe I followed for these pancakes doesn't have butter or milk, just a cup of sour cream. They are very soft and fluffy, not too salty nor too sweet. 

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Ramp

Ramps or wild leeks are only available for one week in early April every year. I was lucky to find them last weekend at the farmer's market. Although I've read about them almost 2 years ago I never had them until this week. After sauteing them in smaltz (rendered chicken fat) and making compound butter with them, I now understand why these are so beloved by professional and home cooks alike. They have a mellow sweetish garlicky flavor when blanched or lightly sauteed enhancing the taste of whatever you add them to. I especially love them with eggs, I don't know why.

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Banana Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Do you have overripe bananas sitting on the kitchen counter? You can either freeze them with their skins still on then dip in chocolate or mash and make into yummy cupcakes or breakfast muffins. Add crunchy peanut butter to the cake mix then top the cakes with caramel or coffee flavored meringue frosting and your breakfast is good to go.

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Banana Blueberry Swirl Frozen Dessert

For a healthier frozen dessert I used bananas and added a swirl of pureed frozen blueberries. The bananas are sliced, frozen, then processed until smooth. The creamy bananas have no added sugar but I added a tablespoon each of sugar and heavy cream to the blueberries. It has a little bit of bitterness probably because the bananas were not overripe or I didn't fully remove the fibrous membrane on the bananas. I still like the frozen dessert though. Next time I'll add peanut butter, strawberries, or Nutella.

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Moroccan Date and Nut Candies

While rearranging the book shelves, the Moroccan cookbook caught my eye and I started browsing. It's been a while since I opened it. I've used it to make almond milk, clarified butter, and stews. I don't know if the recipes are authentic but so far most of the dishes I already cooked were delicious.

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Soy Lecithin

The other day I made salad dressing, refrigerated the half cup left-over, and naturally the oil gathered on top. No matter how I shake the dressing, it's so stubborn and wouldn't want to socialize and mix with the vinegar, unlike store-bought dressing. Then I remembered I have soy lecithin I bought a while back. It's supposed to aid in emulsifying everything from candy bars to sauces to hand cream, and it's also used to make breads rise higher.

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Grapefruit Salad

We've been drinking fresh grapefruit juice mixed with grated fresh ginger because all of us had a bout with the pesky flu. I'm really liking the bright and refreshing color of pink grapefruit and thought why not make Thai-style salad with them. I added some fresh mandarin orange segments (yes I peeled them one by one), grape tomatoes, tiny cucumber coins, and served on top of mixed spring greens. The slightly tart, salty, and sweet Thai-style dressing goes well with the salad. Yummy!

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Spanish Potato and Chorizo Mini Tortillas

For a grab-and-go breakfast, snack, or baon (packed lunch) these mini tortillas are very convenient and good either warmed in the microwave oven or at room temperature. I made them Spanish potato tortilla style. Next time it'll be bacon, spinach, and cheddar cheese or maybe all-vegetables with white cheese. The possibilities are endless. Just mix and match your favorite ingredients, add them to beaten eggs and you'll have a satisfying and nutritious on the go meal or snack.

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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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