Food Friday: McD's Angus Third Pounder with Bacon and Cheese Burger

I can't believe I ate the whole thing. McDonald's 100% Angus Third Pounder with Bacon and Cheese Burger: a third of a pound of juicy and flavorful Angus beef patty with a slice of cheese on the bottom and topped with mustard, ketchup, slices of crisp sweet red onion, pickles, 3 slices of crispy bacon, and another slice of cheese on a soft but sturdy 5-inch bun. Yummy!

Matcha Bread Rolls with Sweet Azuki

I was given a packet of matcha powder, compliments of Obubu Tea, a Japanese matcha producer *Thank you Ian*. The tea arrived from Japan yesterday and today I baked a small batch of bread rolls filled with sweet azuki which is one of my favorite dessert pairings. Three things I love: the mellow but distinct matcha flavor which lingers in the mouth after eating the sweet-ish rolls, the sweet aroma that greeted me when I snipped open the package, and the bright green color indicating top quality. I highly recommend it.

I'm not a green tea expert but for the past 4 years I have been drinking green tea brewed from Japanese loose tea leaves. The Japanese matcha powder I have I use exclusively for making cakes, cookies, crepes, ice cream, candies, and bread. I think I drank it once but didn't like it; I prefer the brewed tea leaves. Now I know why, the very pale green matcha powder, although also from Japan, is probably old or not the best quality.

Obubu Tea matcha has a much brighter green color

Matcha An Pan (Green Tea Bread Rolls with Sweet Azuki)

3½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons instant yeast
4 tablespoons sugar
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
4 tablespoons milk powder
1 tablespoon matcha powder
1¼ cups + 2 tablespoons lukewarm water
4 tablespoons soft butter
1 egg, room temperature
homemade or canned sweet azuki

• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, stir together 2 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, milk powder, and matcha. Add the water, butter, and egg and mix on low for 1 minute. Add the remaining flour and mix on low for 1 minute. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon lukewarm water if the dough seems dry.
  
• Replace the paddle with the dough hook and mix on second speed for 4 to 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and supple. Transfer into a lightly greased container, cover with plastic wrap and let ferment on the kitchen counter for 2 hours.
  
• Transfer the dough on the work surface and knead lightly to release air bubbles. Scale the dough into 2½-ounce pieces, roll into rounds, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 minutes. Flatten the rounds into 5-inch circles. Using a 1-tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop and drop azuki on the center of the circle. Gather the edges and pinch to close. Place on parchment-lined sheet pans, seam side down, 2 inches apart, and flatten each to about 1 inch thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F 20 minutes before baking. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are light brown in color.
  

the cut roll looks like a butterfly or clover


I made a few plain rolls, so good with chocolate spread

Food Friday: Hallowe'en Treats

Only 16 more days before candy day...are you ready for Hallowe'en trick or treaters? One of the bags of candies is already open and so I opened another bag with the Milk Duds in it. One tiny box has 4 pieces, more than enough to satisfy my craving for chocolate covered chewy caramels.

Suman sa Morón

This is the third time I made this kind of suman and unlike the previous two [inedible] suman sa moron, this recipe I adapted from here is the best and most probably the most authentic. I'm not from the Visayas region where this type of suman comes from and didn't have them back in the Philippines either. But I can honestly say this recipe makes the most delicious and very soft suman with a strong smoky chocolate flavor (from Antonio Pueo tablea) and this suman is now on our list of all-time favorite Filipino treats. I can't stop eating them; they're great as a snack and for breakfast with barako coffee or hot ginger tea.

Suman sa morón is a cigar-shaped two-toned rice cake made with both glutinous and regular rice flours cooked in coconut milk, sugar, chocolate, and peanuts, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for an hour. The recipe has julienned cheddar cheese added to the chocolate portion but I omitted it. I don't know the exact amount of chocolate to substitute for the tablea if you can't find them in your area. You can start with 8 ounces of semi-sweet or dark chocolate and just eyeball the color and texture, taste the cooked paste, and adjust to your preference.

Suman sa Morón
½ cup glutinous rice flour
1½ cups regular rice flour
4 ounces whole milk
½ cup sugar
½ cup fine muscovado (raw) sugar, or more to taste
8 chocolate tablea, softened with 2 tablespoons hot water
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups coconut milk, divided
julienned cheddar cheese, optional
banana leaves, cut into 8 x 10-inch pieces
about 4 dozens 5-inch long kitchen strings

• With a wire whisk, thoroughly mix the 2 types of flour and divide equally into two parts.
• In a non-stick wok, place one part of the rice mixture, add the sugar, whole milk, and 1 cup coconut milk. Stir until blended and cook, constantly stirring, on medium heat until thick. It will be lumpy but will become smooth as it thickens. Transfer into a plate and let cool.
• In the same wok, place the rest of the flour mixture and add the remaining one cup coconut milk, muscovado sugar, chocolate, vanilla extract, and peanuts. Mix well and cook over medium heat while constantly stirring. Turn off the heat when mixture starts becoming oily and is smooth. Transfer into a plate and set aside to cool.
• Pass the banana leaves over stove flame to make them supple.
• Take a heaping tablespoonful of the chocolate mixture and place on the banana leaf wrapper. Sprinkle a little cheese, if using, before rolling with the banana leaf covering the mixture and roll into a ¾ inch thick rope. Take a heaping tablespoonful of the plain milk mixture and do the same process. Place the two ropes side by side and roll to form a thicker rope with the two colors fused together.
• Roll the banana leaf to wrap tightly and tie a string at both ends to secure.

• Repeat the process until all of the two mixtures have been rolled and wrapped.
• Steam in rapidly boiling water for 1 hour.

best eaten when hot with a cup or two of strong barako coffee

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful 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.

Suman, October's theme, is hosted by Sheryl http://crispywaffle.com/ and Divina http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Chocolate Nougat

I've been busy studying reading the most comprehensive and engrossing non-fiction book I have ever owned, ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas. I kid you not, browsing through the book feels like I'm a student reading a textbook and preparing for an exam because it's meant to teach. The book is divided into 4 categories and 22 chapters, 942 pages in all with additional 87 pages for conversions, baker's percentages, temperature conversions, glossary, references, formula index, and subject index.

These are the 4 categories:
Part 1: Introduction, 43 pages, a chapter on historical perspective and current opportunities on bread and pastry and a second chapter on food safety and sanitation in the bakery, which are all must-read.
Part 2: Bread, 251 pages
Part 3: Viennoisserie, 93 pages
Part 4: Pastry, 591 pages

At the start of each chapter are objectives and brief introduction or history and at the end of every chapter a summary, key terms, and review questions.
example:
Part 4, Chapter 18 Petit Fours and Confections
Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to

• define the classical categories of petit fours and the characteristics of the items.
• describe the contemporary categories of petit fours and to be able to make a selection of them.
• define the properties of saturated and super saturated sugar solutions and to be able to make them successfully.
• make a selection of sugar confections including crystalline, noncrystalline, aerated, and jelly.

While I'm not a newcomer to candy making, I'm not an expert either and this book will probably make me one after I am finished reading it and if/when I'm done making all of the formulas which might take forever. The first I made from Part 4 Chapter 18 is Chocolate Nougat because I've never had chocolate nougat before. The chocolate in the recipe is called chocolate liquor which should not to be confused with chocolate liqueur. The glossary section defines it as "the product of the whole cocoa bean after it has gone through the initial production process and can be turned into cocoa powder and cocoa butter, can be sold as unsweetened chocolate, or can be further processed into dark or milk chocolate".

Glucose is available at candy/cake supply shops or you can get Wilton's but this brand is 3x more expensive. I used Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Baking bar. The candies came out perfect, not too hard nor too soft, have the right amount of sweetness and crunch from the nuts, and the chocolate flavor is rich without being overpowering. I love it!

Chocolate Nougat
adapted from ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY by Michel Suas
1 pound ½ ounce sugar
3¼ ounces glucose
5 ounces water
10 ounces honey
2 ounces egg whites
¾ ounce sugar
3½ ounces chocolate liquor
5½ ounces blanched hazelnuts
7 ounces blanched whole almonds
2½ ounces pistachios
2 sheets 8 x 11-inch rice or potato paper

• Line the bottom of an 8 x 11-inch pan (or metal frame if you have one) with a sheet of rice paper.
• Toast the hazelnuts and almonds in a 275°F oven until golden. Turn heat down to warm (100°F), add pistachios and keep them in the oven until needed.
• In a medium heavy bottomed stainless steel pan, cook the first sugar, glucose, and water to 302°F. When the sugar mixture reaches 248°F, start cooking the honey (in a small stainless steel pan). Cook the honey to 266°F.
• Using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites with the ¾ ounce sugar. Slowly pour the honey onto the whipping egg white. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the hot sugar syrup.
• When full volume is reached, add the melted chocolate and mix until blended. Add the warm nuts and mix until incorporated.
• Transfer into the lined pan and smooth out if necessary with a buttered rubber scraper. Press the second paper on top of the nougat. Leave on the kitchen counter to set. When nougat has cooled, cut into desired sizes.

My next project from the book is Laminated Brioche. I can't wait to make and share them with my readers.:-)

Food Friday Sautéed Vegetables

green and purple yardlong beans, cherry tomatoes, and edamame beans

End of season vegetables from my garden: green and purple sitaw, cherry tomatoes, and edamame. I sautéed them in garlic, shallots, fermented anchovies (bagoong monamon), and a little chopped crispy pork rinds (chicharrones). Simply delicious.

Baked Empanada Kaliskis

Empanada kaliskis (fish scales) has been in my 'to make list' for as long as I can remember but even after getting a recipe with the procedure on how to make the layered dough (thanks again to Maricel) I was still hesitant because of the work involved and the dreaded deep-frying. A reader renewed my interest when he suggested making the Italian sweet pastry sfogliatelle into a savory one just like empanada. After reading both recipes and the one from Malta, pastizzi, which are all remarkably similar, I tested a small batch. Although I wasn't 100% successful in rolling the dough paper-thin and the empanadas don't have the thin layers of these ones, I still think it is worthwhile because they came out flaky, tender, and delicious.

How to Make Empanada Kaliskis Dough
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cold lard or butter, diced
1 tablespoon rock sea salt
1 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar, more or less to taste
3 egg yolks
filling of choice

The following is Maricel's complete procedure for mixing and shaping the empanadas. The thickness of the slices is not specified; 1-inch thick is okay. I didn't soak the slices in oil, I brushed the dough with melted lard, sfogliatelle style, before rolling into a log. I baked the empanads in a 400°F oven for 40 minutes, brushing them with melted lard every 10 minutes to open up the layers.

Cut in lard to flour until cornmeal in texture. Dissolve salt, sugar and egg yolks in water. Add to flour. Knead until smooth, adding up to ½ cup of flour if dough is sticky. Let rest 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin or pasta maker, roll until dough is paper thin. Roll jellyroll fashion around a piece of fresh coconut tingting until desired diameter is reached (bigger diameter for bigger empanadas). Be sure to roll tightly. Pull out tingting. Cut into crosswise slices. Soak in oil for 30 minutes. Roll out each slice on a piece of banana leaf using a center-out, center-out motion until circle widens. Invert onto another piece of banana leaf. Roll dough trimmings thinly. Put trimmings on top of inverted rolled, oiled dough. Add filling. Fold in half. Seal edges by twisting and turning. Deep fry in hot oil. Flush with oil to make scales open.

filled with flaked chicken pork adobo

Italian Sunday Gravy

I don't watch much TV these days but when I do, it's some cooking show or contest. I always catch just the last part of Cook's Country episode on Italian Sunday gravy. I got curious as to why it's called gravy and not tomato sauce. After a lot of web searching I found one recipe that has pigs feet and immediately forgot why I was searching for it. Of course, with the pigs feet how can I resist so I made a very small quantity combining the Cook's Country version and the recipe from one of Serious Eats readers. This is one delicious tomato sauce and I love the soft gelatinous skin and meat of the pigs feet. One serving with some, okay lots of meat, over a cup of whole grain penne for lunch was so filling I had to skip dinner.

Read more »

Pain Meunier

Oh boy, I bought yet another baking book and I promise this would be the last, really...for the rest of the year. The book is called ADVANCED BREAD AND PASTRY A Professional Approach by Michel Suas. It's a big and heavy book with lots of beautiful photos and recipes for yeasted and quick breads, cakes, pastries, candies, fondants, and all sorts of confectionery. The book is definitely not for beginners but I recommend it to someone who is thinking of starting a baking business. Although I have been baking breads, cakes, and pastries for years now, it will take me many more to make them as professional looking as the ones in the book. Maybe I'll just read, learn a little, and admire the photos...or bake some of the yeasted breads that look and sound good. Like Pain Muenier or Miller's bread. This delicious and nutritious bread has all the components of the wheat kernel: bread flour, whole wheat flour, cracked wheat, and wheat germ. It's easy to make too, nothing too complicated or time consuming.

Pain Meunier history and a recipe that's almost identical to the book's is here.

shaping fendu: make a thin 1½-inch indentation down the center of the batard, then fold one side into the center

Five-Spice Crispy-Skin Chicken

crispy-skin baked chicken seasoned with 5-spice powder and honey

The original plan was to deep-fry a whole chicken but I decided on baked chicken halves instead because I'm not too keen on deep-frying. The recipe is from my ancient Wei Chuan's Chinese Cuisine cookbook by Huang Su-Huei which is my favorite of all my Chinese cookbooks. The recipes in this book are simple, authentic, and delicious.

Perhaps I deviated too much from the recipe, the result may not be representative of the book's recipe. The skin came out crispy enough but probably not as crispy as deep-fried. But the flavor and aroma of the chicken are fantastic and the meat so moist. The 5-spice powder, honey, rice wine, and vinegar all go well together. I like it a lot. It's finger lickin' good.

Crispy-Skin Chicken
adapted from Wei Chuan's Chinese Cuisine by Huang Su-Huei

1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
about 10 cups oil for deep-frying

• Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
  
• In a small skillet heat salt over low heat until very hot. Remove from heat and stir in the five-spice powder. Let cool then rub half of the mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Reserve the other half to serve with the cooked chicken.
  
• In a small skillet heat the rest of the ingredients except oil until honey is dissolved. Baste the chicken with half of the mixture until completely coated. Reserve the remaining honey mixture and keep in the refrigerator.
  
• Place the chicken on a rack set on a baking sheet pan and refrigerate uncovered for 2 days, basting with the remaining honey mixture, until the skin appears dry (the book says to hang outside to dry for 8 hours or use an electric fan indoors).
  
• Heat oil in a deep pot or fryer and fry chicken over low heat for 30 minutes. Turn the heat to high and fry for 2 minutes more or until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Cut into serving portions. Serve with lemon wedges and the remaining 5-spice salt.

My chicken obviously does not have cavity. I rubbed the 5-spice salt on the meat under the skin and all over the exposed meat. It has just the right amount of salt and the skin has a hint of sweetness from the honey. To bake: Preheat oven to 325° F. Bake on a metal rack set on a roasting pan until golden brown and juices run clear. Chicken halves: 1 hour; whole chicken: 1½ to 1¾ hours.

Thou Shalt Not Steal (Blog Posts and Photos)

A concerned reader alerted me that one of my entries, Maja Blanca, appears word for word complete with one of my photos without attribution to me or to KULINARYA guidebook, on a facebook page of a pretend chef. He purposely didn't link his page to mine and omitted KULINARYA to make it look like he "created" the recipe and cooked it himself, the title of his post is maja blanca, my way. I was told that at least 5 more of his food posts on his facebook pages were directly lifted from other people's blogs and had the audacity of putting a watermark on a photo that he swiped from those blogs. What a loser and a fraud!

Read more »

Marshmallows

homemade marshmallows with raspberry puree

sour and sweet lemon marshmallows

I made marshmallows yesterday and today using a recipe that doesn't have egg whites. I have a carton of raspberries, pureed them and used it instead of water to soften the gelatin powder. The fruit is naturally tart and cuts the sweetness of these melt-in-your-mouth marshmallows. These homemade candies are superior to the one from the stores. They're so light and fluffy and I was so pleased with the result I made a second batch using fresh lemon juice because I love Super Lemon, the pucker-inducing deliciously sour and sweet hard candies from Japan. The marshmallows are sour enough but I'd like to coat it with the super sour powder similar to the hard candy's if I can figure out where to buy it.

Marshmallows
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3 ounces water, fruit juice, or fruit puree
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups sugar
3 ounces water
5 ounces light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
gel food dye if using juice or puree
potato or corn starch
powdered sugar

• Line an 8 x 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Brush with a very thin layer of vegetable oil and sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.
• In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, combine water and vanilla extract. Sprinkle the gelatin and leave to soften.
• In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, salt, corn syrup and water. Heat to boiling while stirring until sugar has dissolved. Clip a candy thermometer and continue to cook on medium heat without stirring until it reaches 240° F.
• With the mixer at low speed, carefully pour the hot syrup slowly down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. When the mixture has slightly thickened, increase the speed to high and whip until mixture is fluffy and stiff, about 10 minutes, adding food dye if using.
• Pour marshmallow into the parchment lined pan and smooth with a lightly oiled rubber scraper if necessary. Leave uncovered at room temperature for 10-12 hours or in the refrigerator for 3 hours until set.
• Mix equal parts cornstarch and powdered sugar and sprinkle over the marshmallows. Turn the marshmallow onto a cutting board generously sprinkled with powdered sugar and starch mixture, peel off paper and dust with more of the powder mixture. Cut into desired size and dredge all sides again in the powder mixture. Shake off excess powder.

This is a very messy project. Strings of marshmallows got stuck everywhere including my hair. And I went outside to blow off some of the excess powder on the plate of marshmallows and the powder went all over my red shirt, shoes, hair.... but it's worth all the mess in the kitchen and myself. I'll make them again when I feel like fruity marshmallows; hmm, blueberries sound good. I'll wear a light colored shirt next time I make them.:p

messy

Parmesan Biscuits

These Parmesan biscuits are the easiest I have ever baked. It took me just a little over 30 minutes from start to finish including preheating the oven. The recipe is from the cookbook Biscuit Bliss by James Villas. The book is thin and small but has loads, 101 in all, of delicious sweet and savory biscuits and some scones to choose from and delivers on its promise of having fresh fluffy biscuits in just minutes.

This recipe doesn't have butter but has lots of heavy whipping cream. The round [and some rectangular] biscuits came out light, airy, flaky, and cheesy. Soooo good.

light airy flaky cheesy biscuits

Parmesan Biscuits
adapted from Biscuit Bliss by James Villas

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1¼ cups heavy whipping cream

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
  
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cheese and stir till well blended. Add the cream and stir until the mixture becomes a loose dough.
  
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead 8 times. Pat out the dough ½ inch thick and cut out rounds with a 2½-inch biscuit cutter or into 2 x 1 inch rectangles. Pat the scraps together and cut out more rounds. Arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet ½ inch apart and bake in the upper third rack for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Next on my biscuit baking list from the book is Thomas Jefferson's Sweet Potato Biscuits that has lard, heavy cream, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and pecans. Doesn't it sound yummy? I can't wait to make them.

Food Friday: Asparagus Tofu Stir Fry

This easy to prepare and yummy healthy dish has two of my favorite ingredients: silken tofu and asparagus. I crave for tofu when I've had too much meat and because I love it. It's a Filipino thing; we ♥ our tofu!;D

Asparagus Tofu Stir Fry
1 block extra firm silken tofu, cubed
2 tablespoons light olive oil, divided
½ pound fresh asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 scallions, cut into half-inch pieces
1½ tablespoons soy sauce, more or less to taste
2 tablespoons dry sherry or rice wine
a pinch of red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon cracked sichuan peppercorns

• In a wok or large non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil and pan fry the tofu until golden brown. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil and add scallions. Stir fry for 1 minute then add the asparagus. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sherry, and red pepper flakes. Stir cook for 2 minutes or until half of the liquid has evaporated and asparagus is cooked but still crunchy.
  
• Turn the heat off and sprinkle the sichuan peppercorns. Serve immediately over hot steamed rice.
  

Twisty Baguettes

David Lebovitz's blog never fails to inspire me. The latest is the USA-made hazelnut spread on holey twisted baguettes. The hazelnut spread looks really really yummy but the steep price is preventing me from getting a jar. I am more than happy and willing to make the twisted bread instead which is the more interesting of the two.

I have never heard of twisted baguettes which are supposed to be Swiss in origin. After reading about it here, I decided to use Peter Reinhart's pain à l'ancienne rustic bread recipe because I love its natural sweet flavor and ease of preparation. I altered the recipe a bit by substituting whole wheat flour for 5 ounces of the bread flour and increased the resting time between folds from 10 minutes to 30. The holey sweetish thin mini baguettes are superb and I love it with Nutella, of course, and with creamy spreadable just-made buttermilk cheese. I also made tiny ones, 6 inches in length, with a piece of bittersweet chocolate baton inside. It's very good but some of the chocolate oozed out and made a little bit of a mess.

What I love about the twisted shape is there is no need to score the loaves and they come out looking nice. I'll definitely make these again and will follow Jeffrey Hamelman's French Bread with Poolish recipe just to compare the flavors.

Twisty Baguettes
adapted from Peter Reinhart's ARTISAN BREADS EVERY DAY
Pain à l'Ancienne Rustic Bread recipe

15 ounces bread flour
5 ounces whole wheat flour
2½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1¼ teaspoons instant yeast
2 cups chilled water

• Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon for 1 minute until well combined. The dough should be coarse and sticky. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes to fully hydrate the flour. Mix for 1 minute in machine or by hand using a wet spoon or wet hands. The dough should become smoother but will still be very soft, sticky, and wet. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container, cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface. With wet hands, stretch and fold the dough: reach under the front end, stretch it out, and fold it back onto the top; stretch and fold the 3 remaining sides. Flip the dough and tuck into a ball and return to the container. Cover and repeat the stretch and fold 3 more times at 30 minute intervals. After the final stretch and fold, immediately cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 4 days.
  
• On baking day, remove the dough 1 hour before baking. Place a sheet pan on the bottom shelf of the oven and put the rack and stone in the lower middle shelf or wherever you want to position them. Preheat oven to 475°F for at least 45 minutes before baking.
  
• Place the dough on a generously floured work surface and shape into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. With a metal pastry scraper, cut off a slice 1½ inches wide and roll on the flour. Stretch to elongate and make it thinner, if desired. Twist the dough from end to end (or from middle to both ends) and carefully transfer on a sheet pan lined with parchment; if baking directly on a stone place the shaped baguette on a piece of parchment laid on top of a peel or inverted sheet pan.
• Slide the baguettes on the stone or place the sheet pan in the oven. Pour ½ cup hot water on the bottom pan and bake for 12 to 18 minutes or until the crust is a rich brown. Cool baguettes on a wire rack for 15 minutes before slicing.
  

I just replaced my 13-year old gas oven. It was not working 100% for probably 6 months already. I noticed that the right side of the oven does not glow and it takes an hour or more to preheat to 350 degrees and can't maintain the heat while baking which is not good for baking cakes and breads. The cost to have it looked at by a professional is $200.00 plus more for parts and other services. I was tempted to open the oven floor and repair it myself but because this is a natural gas oven I was scared I might end up blowing up my house. The new oven, a Maytag, has more advanced features and preheats super fast. To test it for temperature accuracy, baking time, best rack position, etc I went nuts and baked today a loaf of white bread, chocolate Milo layer cake and cupcakes, and the mini baguettes. I'm quite happy with the oven. Which means more baked goods to write about.:p

Food Friday: The Hamburger Sandwich

Fat juicy burger topped with red wine-pickled tiny cucumbers, spiced ketchup, watercress, and sharp cheddar. The beef patty is a combination of ground boneless short ribs, skirt steak, brisket, and a little suet and bone marrow. The entire recipe is from bon appétit.

Ube Flan

If you are an ube (purple yam) fanatic like myself, you'll love it in flan. It makes a deliciously smooth and delightful dessert specially with a few pieces of slightly tart fruits like blueberries or strawberries. The recipe is a basic ube flan but you can adjust the amount of eggs without major alteration to the consistency of the flan.

Ube Flan
½ cup sugar for caramel
1 ½ cups ube jam
1 cup water
5 eggs, well beaten
1 can sweetened condensed milk

• Caramelize the sugar and pour into 4 or 5 ramekins or a llanera mold.
  
• In a large bowl, slowly add water into the jam and mix until mixture is smooth and has no visible lumps of ube jam. Add the beaten eggs and milk and mix well. Strain into the prepared ramekins or mold.
  
• Steam in rapidly boiling water or bake in a bain marie at 325°F oven for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight before unmolding.

Food Friday: Jackfruit

Fresh jackfruit grown in Florida, in portions or the whole fruit, is now available in Asian grocery stores in my area. They are as good as the ones from Asia but the color is not as deep yellow maybe because the fruits are picked a little early.

Jackfruit is a favorite of mine. I cook them in sugar syrup then add the sweet langka in halo-halo, ice cream, candies, sapin-sapin, guinatan, and of course in saba banana turon which I'll make this weekend. I also boil the seeds with a little sea salt until they are very soft. They're so good for snacking.

guinatan halo-halo

Food Friday: Spaghetti with Meatballs

This is my favorite spaghetti, with garlicky marinara sauce topped with meatballs and freshly grated Romano or Parmesan. Very yummy and comforting.

Italian Meatballs
1½ pounds ground beef
½ pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1½ teaspoons sea salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup water

• In a large glass bowl, mix everything together, it should be moist. Fry a teaspoon and adjust seasoning. Form into balls, from teeny to ginormous ones and bake in a 375°F oven until lightly browned. Continue cooking in a simmering pan of marinara sauce for 20 to 30 minutes.

Flapjacks and Hobnobs

flapjacks

McVitie's cookies and digestives are my long time favorites British stuff. I usually get them from World Market whenever they are available. A few weeks ago I bought a package with 3 different types of biscuits and one of them is the highly addictive crunchy Hobnobs which according to the package are made with rolled oats, whole wheat flour, margarine, brown sugar, golden syrup, and baking soda. I looked for a recipe online and most have exactly the same ingredients as the package, with a few different variations in the preparation. Having made the digestives and Jaffa cakes once before I thought why not bake some.

The Hobnobs ingredients, except for whole wheat flour, remind me of the British oatmeal bars called Flapjacks which I read about in the bon appétit magazine several months ago. I had to search for it which means reading the table of contents of a few issues and found it in March. The recipe which the author says is similar to Rice Krispies Treats is unbelievably simple to make yet delivers a satisfyingly delicious caramelly oatmeal bars that are chewy in the middle and crispy at the edges. They are addicting just like the Hobnobs.

It's a good thing Lyle golden syrup from the UK is widely available [in almost all grocery stores] where I live. This essential ingredient for both flapjacks and hobnobs is a very very thick syrup and although the ingredient indicated on the label says it's cane sugar syrup, I can taste a hint of salt which I really like btw, and I end up licking my fingers and the spoon I used. But I might be mistaken about the salt. Anyway, look for them at your grocery store's baking section near the sugars and syrups.

Flapjacks
by Molly Wizenberg (bon appétit magazine)
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup packed golden brown sugar
¼ cup golden syrup
2 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or old-fashioned)
pinch of salt

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 x 8 x 2 inch metal baking pan.
  
• Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add oats and salt, stir until coated. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread out in even layer.
  
• Bake until top is golden (edges will be darker), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut into 4 squares, cut each into 4 triangles (mixture will be soft). Cool completely in pan before serving.
  

Hobnobs

2 cups quick-cooking oats
1¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons golden syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
  
• Pulse the oats in a food processor a few times to break them up into a coarse consistency but do not process too much. In a large bowl, whisk the oats, flours, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
  
• In a medium saucepan, place butter and syrup and heat gently while stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and stir in baking soda; then add to the dry ingredient mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
  
• Using a small scoop, measure out round pieces and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet 3 inches apart. Shape the pieces into balls and with a fork or a small glass, flatten into ¼-inch thick rounds, they will spread while baking. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Optional: Melt some milk chocolate and spread on top. Let the chocolate set completely before serving. I myself prefer these cookies plain.