Calamansi Muffins

Filipino food blogs don't seem to get enough of calamansi muffins because I keep reading about them. I tried to bake following the recipes available on several websites but I was not happy with the cakes. The dry-ish muffins lacked flavor and they were too sweet for my taste. I also didn't like that it's almost like chiffon cake. There's nothing wrong with soft fluffy cakes but I prefer moist and dense muffins. 

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Pork Belly Lechon Roll

I will never be a vegetarian as long as there is fatty pork belly calling my name at the grocery store. Pork belly with its skin on is my favorite part of the hog. There is no shortage of ways to cook it. This time I made a small slab into a roll seasoned in the style of Philippine roasted pig and slow-baked it in the oven. It takes 2 days to prepare and roast. The roll is flavorful enough, no sauce is necessary.

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Genmaicha Rice

I love Japanese green tea leaves with roasted rice, hot or cold. The tea is called genmaicha (pronounced with a hard g+enmycha). I recently flavored my kefir water with the tea together with grated apples and fresh mint leaves. It's the best refreshing healthy summer drink. 

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Apricot Filo Rolls

It's California apricots appreciation week or maybe month if they are available all month long. They are very juicy and sweet and best eaten on their own like an apple or a pear as a snack, and also great added to vegetable salad.

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No-Bake Peach Kefir Cheesecake

I'm going nuts over kefir milk lately. I love to drink it flavored with fresh mint leaves and salt but I want to use it for snacks and desserts too so I started draining out the whey to make it thicker similar to yogurt cheese. Et voilà! Light and yummy no-bake cheesecake in small glass containers. 

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Bulgogi Burgers

I was going to make hamburger sliders and thought why not season the beef mince with bulgogi seasoning. This way they won't need ketchup, mustard, tomatoes, pickles, and mustard which make eating regular hamburgers very messy.

I served the hamburgers in mini pita halves together with red and green lettuce. I also had one of my favorite Korean side combination: pan-roasted Korean sweet potato and kimchi. I had a really great lunch today.

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Puto Maya

Reading always makes me hungry. Once again I cooked something after reading a novel; this time it's FALLING TOGETHER by Marisa de los Santos. The last third of the novel is set in Cebu, Philippines and she mentioned some of the delicacies of that region. One of the yummies is puto maya, glutinous rice mixed with a little regular rice, cooked/steamed in coconut milk, sugar, salt, and a little ginger.

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Buco Tartlets

Creamy buco (young coconut) baked in a a buttery crust is always a great treat; truly delicious and addicting. For this batch of tartlets I used a combination of frozen shredded and dried [available from Costco]. I boiled the dried buco pieces in water before cutting them into strips. I also made a few rectangular shaped pies.  

For the most tender crust, I use White Lily® all-purpose flour. It's also good to add salted butter for better flavor. I also add a little salt to the filling.

Buco Tartlet
homemade or store-bought flaky crust
2 cups shredded buco
½ cup buco water
½ cup half and half
½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg white for egg wash

• Cut crust according to size and shape of pan/s. Refrigerate while preparing the filling. 
• In a medium saucepan, mix the rest of ingredients except egg white. Cook over medium heat, while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, until thickened and cornstarch is fully cooked. Mixture should be smooth and not grainy. Transfer into a shallow container and chill for 30 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 425°F. 
• Roll crust shells, leaving a 1-inch overhang if desired. Ease into tart molds. Spoon generous amount of filling and cover edges with crust overhang. Brush with lightly beaten egg white. 
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crust is golden brown.

Paella Negra

Black Paella never appealed to me because it looks dirty, not to mention it will make your mouth and teeth black during and after eating. I made a very small recipe after watching the Spanish chef José Andrés prepare and it sounded yummy. I was finally swayed. That's the power of television and YouTube. 

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Deviled Ham Spread

I love Underwood meat spreads specially deviled ham but the container is so small, 2 or 3 cans are needed to make a decent-sized sandwich. Well, actually, the pate is for small crackers or canape, not for a huge sandwich. I decided to make a copycat deviled ham spread adapted from several recipes I found online. The spread is delicious.

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Pretzel Bites

with kosher salt

coated with cinnamon sugar

I love pretzels, the chewy kind, not the ones you get from the mall that are very light and soft. When I read about pretzel bites, I just had to make. I didn't follow the recipe I used to make the buns except for the poaching step because I didn't want to wait 2 days to sample these tiny treats. They are so good just with kosher salt and yellow mustard but also great dipped in milk caramel or coated with cinnamon sugar.

Pretzel Bites
adapted from King Arthur Flour recipe

pretzels
1 cup bread flour
1½ cups all-purpose flour
2¼ teaspoons instant yeast
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces warm water

poaching liquid
3 cups hot water
4 tablespoons baking soda

topping
kosher or pretzel salt
sesame seeds
melted butter
cinnamon sugar

• Mix pretzel ingredients in a medium bowl. Knead by hand for 5 minutes. The dough should be soft and smooth but a little slack. Sprinkle a little flour on kneading surface and on top of dough. Cover with a plastic container and let rest for 30 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 450°F. 

• Divide dough into 6 pieces. Form each piece into 1-inch thick rope. Cut into 1-inch pieces. 
• In a medium saucepan, let water boil, then add baking soda. Lower heat to simmer and poach pretzel bites in batches for 20 seconds. Use a skimmer to remove bites; place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle half with coarse kosher or pretzel salt or sesame seeds. Leave the rest plain. Bake until dark brown, about 15 minutes. 
• Transfer salted bites on wire racks to cool or dip a few in yellow mustard and eat right away. While still warm, dip plain bites in melted butter and immediately roll in cinnamon sugar. Or leave some plain and serve with milk caramel or Nutella.

chewy crumb

Hokkaido Mango Chiffon Cupcakes

Hokkaido baked goods, from milky bread loaves to cakes, seem to be so popular in Asia. Many food blogs have been baking chiffon cupcakes for years now. I might as well join them.

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Meatless Chili Bean Stew

Sometimes, I crave for meatless dishes not just during Lent season when I try to give up excessive amount of meat every Friday. White chili bean stew topped with shredded sharp cheddar is one of my favorites because it's light, flavorful, and protein-rich.

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Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Listening to my Cajun music playlist made me want to have jambalaya. I didn't have andouille sausage and cajun seasoning. Fortunately, I have all the ingredients to make both seasoning and sausage. Just like Spanish paella, it is a simple dish to prepare and absolutely satisfying. Next time I make, I'll add duck meat instead of shrimps.

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Limoncello Tiramisu

I'm getting old and forget things more often nowadays. I bought a large bag of lemons forgetting I already got a smaller one a week earlier. That's too many lemons and so I thought I'd make lemon tiramisu. Well, I didn't. I made limoncello tiramisu instead with the limoncello I made in August 2013. At least I used up a few pieces of the lemons.

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Stewed Fruits

It's Spring! It's sunny and current temps are screaming for ice cream, and fruits. Spiced stewed fruits and vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

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