Daring Cooks: Risotto

coconut milk and orange risotto pudding with kabocha squash

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto.

Knowing the only person in my house who will eat risotto is me, I had to prepare one that I will definitely want to eat and write about for my very first Daring Cooks challenge. Revisiting and being inspired by this yummy recipe I cooked a sweet risotto with just 6 ingredients added to the rice: coconut milk, milk, water, sugar, orange peels, and a pinch of salt. I like that it is easier to cook because the arborio rice is preboiled in plain water before adding both milk. The rice is tender and creamy but not mushy nor gummy and the flavor combination of coconut milk and orange essence is simply delightful. The kabocha squash which is boiled separately in coconut milk, water, and sugar is the 'icing' on the pudding. Each serving is drizzled with a little coconut milk and sprinkled with orange zest.

Coconut Risotto Pudding
a quarter of a kabocha squash
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons sugar
1 large orange
½ cup arborio rice
water
a pinch of sea salt

• Cut kabocha lengthwise into 1 inch thick pieces and cook gently with ¾ cup coconut milk and ½ cup water until fork tender, turning once, about 15 minutes. 
• Put 1¼ cups of water and the rice in a medium saucepan . With a vegetable peeler, remove the zest of half of the orange and add to the saucepan.Turn the heat on high and let the mixture come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 12 minutes or until rice is almost cooked. Add 1 cup coconut milk, milk, sugar, and salt and cook over medium heat while constantly stirring until the rice is tender, about 12 minutes. The pudding should be creamy and not soupy. Remove the orange zest and discard.
• Slice the cooked kabocha. Zest the remaining orange half with a zester. Spoon the risotto pudding into individual bowls, top with a few slices of kabocha. Sprinkle with orange zest and drizzle coconut milk on top. Serve with extra kabocha pieces on the side.

Milo Toast

 Milo and sweetened condensed milk on toasted bread

As a child [up to my 20s], my favorite breakfast drink was Milo malted chocolate powder mixed in ice cold milk. I started drinking coffee in my late twenties and haven't had Milo since. I occasionaly drink Nesquick hot chocolate and sometimes add a little in my coffee, not often because it makes my coffee sweet and I prefer unsweetened coffee.

I read in several Filipino blogs a restaurant in the Philippines that serves Milo Toast, a toasted brown bread topped with dry Milo and a drizzling of sweetened condensed milk. It's a popular breakfast food in Singapore and other Asian cities. I used to eat dry Milo or Ovaltine from a cup. I got the habit from my older sister who was a very picky eater. She was forced by my mother to eat dry Ovaltine because she couldn't stand the combination of Ovaltine/Milo and milk, it made her nauseous. While I didn't have problem with food of any kind, I followed my sister's lead and discovered eating dry Ovaltine or Milo was better as a snack than a drink.

I can't remember the last time we had Milo in the house, maybe more than 20 years ago. We always have Horlicks or Carnation malted milk and Nesquick which doesn't have malt. So I went to the grocery store and bought a small tin of Milo, toasted 2 slices of white bread, topped one with Nesquick and the other with Milo. The Milo won hands down because of two things, flavor and texture. Milo is malted and has granular consistency which is sort of crunchy and I love its tendency to stick to the roof of my mouth. I know I'm weird. And now I'm totally hooked. OMG! Very yummy. Very sweet. Very addicting.

To make Milo Toast: Toast slices of white or whole wheat bread, drizzle all over with sweetened condensed milk, spread Milo on toast, drizzle with more milk. You may also butter the bread before drizzling with milk but I prefer it without. Enjoy the toasts with sunny-side-up fried egg/s and a large mug of coffee or combination coffee and tea with sweetened condensed milk. 

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays: Seafood

LaPis Sundays, a gallery of food photography, Pinoy style, is hosted by SpiCes and Feisty Cook

I prepared the salmon a la Bistek Tagalog (beefsteak) seasoned with calamansi or lemon juice and soy sauce, and served on a bed of sauteed sweet onions

Fried Salmon Steaks and Onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, sliced into rings
a large pinch of sea salt
2 pounds salmon steaks
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons calamansi or lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
ground black pepper, to taste

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a nonstick skillet, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cook the onion over medium heat until soft and slightly browned. Transfer into a serving plate, cover to keep warm, and set aside.
• Pat dry the salmon and coat both sides of the steaks with a mixture of 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, ¼ teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. In the same skillet, heat the remaining oil and fry the salmon over medium-high heat until cooked. Spread the onion on the platter. Lay the cooked fish on top of the onion. Heat the remaining soy sauce and lemon juice in the same skillet and pour all over the fish. Serve immediately.

Triple Malt Chocolate Cupcakes

I love thick and yummy chocolate malted milkshake. This cupcake is as delicious and has lots of malted milk flavor but won't give you brain freeze. I baked these as gift to a neighbor who last month twice, maybe three times, plowed 2 feet of snow on our cul-de-sac without any compensation. He even helped shovel our driveway once. He does it every year when it snows heavily because he is a nice person. He and his brother-in-law own a snow clearing business and he knows that cul-de-sacs are the last to be plowed, if at all. I gave him and his wife this cake and also baked for them a large loaf of Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Torpedo.

Triple Malt Chocolate Cupcakes

makes about 30 cupcakes
2 cups malted milk powder
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
3 large eggs
1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups whole milk
1 recipe Vanilla Malt Frosting
coarsely chopped malted milk balls

• Heat the oven to 350°F. Line three 12-muffin pans with paper liners. Set aside.
• Combine malted milk powder, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl, and whisk to aerate and break up any lumps. Set aside.
• Combine eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla in a separate large bowl, and whisk until combined and smooth. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, and whisk until just incorporated. Add ½ of the milk, and whisk until smooth. Continue with remaining flour mixture and milk, alternating between each and whisking until all ingredients are just incorporated and smooth.
• Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Remove pans from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pans and let cool completely on the wire rack. Frost tops of cupcakes with Vanilla Malt Frosting and sprinkle with chopped malted milk balls.

Vanilla Malt Frosting

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups powdered sugar
¾ cup malted milk powder
½ cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated. Increase speed to medium high and beat until mixture is light and whipped, about 3 minutes.
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add remaining ingredients and return to low speed until ingredients are incorporated. Increase speed to medium high and continue whipping until frosting is evenly combined and light, about 3 minutes.

Recipe adapted from here.

I made this as the original layer cake one and a half years ago. If you are making layer cake, click on the recipe source for baking time. Here is the photo of the layer cake.

a treat that both children and adults will love

I got the malted milk powder from here. You can use either Carnation or Horlicks which are available from the grocery stores but the cake won't be as malty.