Capuchinos

While browsing one of my Filipino cookbooks, RECIPES OF THE PHILIPPINES, compiled by Enriqueta David-Perez, I found these unfamiliar small cakes called Capuchinos. I have never heard of these tiny airy cakes made with lots of eggs. The cakes which are Spanish in origin are dipped for half a second in thin syrup before serving. I thought at first that they are coffee flavored because of the name. Researching online for its origin was frustrating. Entries for the cakes are scarce but I was able to find one or two articles and a recipe from a Miami (Cuban) restaurant. Both the cakes and capuccino coffee come from the Capuchin monk's habit; capuchino cakes from the pointed cowls and the coffee, its dark brown color and also the pointed cowl.  

light airy eggy capuchino and a cup of capuccino 

The recipe from the Filipino cookbook has flour, butter, sugar, and brandy and they are baked in small muffin cups which in my opinion is similar to chiffon cake or mamonalthough it has baking powder; the one from Miami has very little sugar and cornstarch added to the batter. I chose to make the one from Miami because I love airy light cakes. I made cones out of parchment paper and baked them on ice cream cone servers but these can be baked in lined muffin cups.

Capuchinos 1
cake
5 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
peel and juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla

• Cakes: Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Beat egg yolks and sugar for 15 minutes until thick. Sift cornstarch over egg mixture and gently fold  until mixed. Transfer into a pastry bag, snip the tip of the bag and fill paper cones or paper liners 2/3 full. Bake for about 12 minutes or until tops are rounded and golden.When done, peel off the paper cones and pour syrup over them. 
• Syrup: Put sugar, water, lemon peel, and¼ teaspoon lemon juice to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Add brandy and vanilla. Cool completely before using.

Here is the recipe in its entirety from RECIPES OF THE PHILIPPINES. 

Capuchinos 2 

5 well-beaten eggs

1 cup sugar

½ cup melted fat

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons brandy

• Beat the eggs and sugar well. Add the melted fat then add the dry ingredients. Add brandy. Place in greased muffin pans and bake in hot oven. Before serving, dip in thin syrup for half a second. Set in a cool place to dry.

The Daring Cooks Make Appam

appam with crispy edges and slightly soft center

I added pigeon peas to the carrots recipe

Mary, who writes the delicious blog, Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks’ host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the warm flat bread.

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Thanks Mary for challenging us to cook South Indian food. I rarely cook Indian food and never liked it in the past but in recent years, I have come to appreciate it and even bought a cookbook. I have cooked Kerala Chicken once and loved it but this is the first time I have heard of appam, a flat bread made with fermented rice paste and coconut milk and cooked in a small wok or skillet. The recipe for appam and dishes are here.

Initially, I didn't like its fermented flavor but the second batch I made which had less yeast and shorter fermentation period made delicious appams. I prepared a simple but yummy vegan dish to go with them, the recipe I adapted from here.

Fava Beans, Asparagus, and Potatoes with Grated Coconut 

½ cup grated fresh coconut

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 piece dried red hot chile

1 tablespoon dried red lentil

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon tamarind paste

1 cup peeled fava beans, half-cooked

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup tiny potatoes, halved or quartered, half-cooked

1 cup water

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds

1 dried mild red chili, crumbled 

1 clove garlic, finely minced

6 fresh curry leaves, julienned

2 teaspoons powdered jaggery or raw sugar

• In a small skillet, toast separately coconut, lentils, and chile. Put them in a blender together with the toasted sesame seeds and blend to a paste, adding a little water if needed. Place the blended mixture in a large skillet or small wok and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetables, tamarind paste, salt, and water; let boil, lower heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until potatoes and beans are tender and asparagus still crisp but tender. 
• In another skillet, heat the oil and saute mustard seeds, dried chile, and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Stir into the vegetables; turn heat off and let rest for 10 minutes before serving with warm appams.

I also cooked the Sri Lankan Beef Curry provided by Mary but replaced the green chiles with hot reds. Do try this delicious dish.

delicious beef curry and appam 

And for breakfast the other day, I added 4 tablespoons sugar to 1 cup of batter, and cooked them thicker than regular appams.. I added grated sharp cheddar on top for a sweet, salty, and coconut-y rice pancakes. I love it!

sweet appam for breakfast

Baked Mini Donuts

These 1½-inch baked yeast mini donuts and holes are delicious glazed, rolled in regular and icing sugars, or topped with chocolate frosting. They are a tad crispy and chewy, not as fluffy and soft like Krispy Kreme. All the recipes for the mini donut pan are baking powder cake donuts but I prefer using yeast for donuts. I just followed a recipe for regular donuts, cut the dough with donut hole cutter, then pressed them on the mini donut pan cavities. These are so cute, fun to eat, and satisfy my donut craving with just a few pieces.

Baked Donuts
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces milk, scalded and cooled to 100°F
2 tablespoons soft butter
1 egg, room temperature

• Whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, nutmeg, and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the rest of ingredients and mix with paddle attachment until combined. Knead on medium high with dough hook attachment until smooth and elastic. Transfer into a lightly greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and let ferment until doubled. Knead lightly; roll into ½ inch thick rectangle. Cut with donut hole cutter or 1-inch round cookie cutter. Press into the cavities of a mini donut pan until the dough goes through the middle creating a hole. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 to 40 minutes. Bake in a preheated 400° F oven for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan and glaze or roll in powdered sugar if desired.

For The Love of Chili

I went to a chili cook-off sponsored by our local Ashburn Pub last Saturday. 17 chili recipes entered the competition and the winner by popular votes from us tasters will have their chili recipe included in the pub's menu for a whole year. I tried only 7 chilis, 6 without beans and 1 with beans and sweet corn. The first one I tried  was terribly sweet, I tasted only a tiny portion and threw the rest away. Who puts sugar in their chili and who would eat and love it??? Well, as it turned out people here in Ashburn like their chili sweet and honeyed because it WON the competition. A friend of ours, Enrique who is originally from Venezuela, voted for it as the best, so what do I know. Anyway, the only chili I make and eat is Authentic Texas Border Chili and nothing else. 

it was crowded, hot, and noisy inside and outside the pub

Enrique with his drink Mongo Juice which he gave to me because it was too sweet for him. It's a non-alcoholic drink that tastes of nothing but chemicals, sugar, and probably a few drops of bitters. I drank it because it was cold and I liked the large slice of watermelon.

the creator of Mongo Juice

the staff calls him Mongo after the character in the movie Blazing Saddles 

although he is not really as huge as Mongo

my first choice had chunks of sausage and tasted almost like my favorite chili

my second choice, more like a stew but the only chili that actually had hot chiles

my third choice regardless of beans and corn

very tasty and it's served with delicious oyster crackers 

Our friend Enrique suggested I join next year and he will "pimp" for my chili but now that I know what the tasters prefer, my chili might come out at the very bottom because it's never sweet and has loads of spices.