It’s that time of the year when I plan the baked goodies that I plan to give as gifts to my friends. Food for the Gods is such a delightful recipe to bake during the holidays when one doesn’t have the time to bake Fruit Cake. It entails less preparation and baking time. It’s the perfect dessert to prepare beforehand. Baked with a delightful blend of dates and walnuts, molasses, tinge of brandy and cinnamon, the taste is reminiscent of fruit cake sans the fruit glaze. You should try it. It’s simple to bake. Your kitchen will also emit holiday aroma that gives you more reason to keep baking and baking.

Here is my recipe to start you off baking a dessert fit even for gods.

Read more »

Posted: December 2nd, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts, desserts.
Comments: 12

The original leche flan recipe was from my Mom but my sister Lorna reconfigured it to fit her tastes.

The perfect flan is such that when you slice through it, it barely quivers like jello. There is very little syneresis, that is, no weeping (or lots of holes in it!). I am sharing this precious recipe so you may prepare it for your family.

5 eggyolks
2 eggs
1 can condensed milk
1 can water (use the condensed milk’s can for measuring)
1 tbsp. vanilla to add to the mixture
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup sugar for caramelization

Get a pyrex loaf dish (or equivalent oval, square, or round dish).

Caramelize 1/3 cup sugar in it. Use your oven. When the sugar is starting to melt, make sure that you watch carefully. You don’t want the caramel to be too dark or it will taste burnt. Manipulate the dish until you are sure that the caramel is evenly placed on the bottom of the pan. Let the pan rest on the stove top.

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

These are the cooking times:

For the first 45 minutes: 325 degrees Fahrenheit
For the next 20 to 25 minutes, until the toothpick test shows that the flan is done: 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Read more »

Posted: November 1st, 2009 under Baking Recipes, Cakes, Pastries & Desserts, Filipino Delicacies, Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 23

I had some left-over saba bananas from the Pochero so I turned it into turon saba a caramelized sweet Pinoy Merienda fare. The crisp dessert is such a delight.

Here is a recipe for Turon na Saba

Read more »

Posted: October 18th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 5

This recipe is so Filipino! It reminds me of the parties we hosted — and memories of my mother testing recipes we loved. This one is a particular favorite but I cannot remember which cookbook this came from. This recipe is very similar to my Buko Fruit salad sans the spaghetti noodles.

SPAGHETTI-BUKO SALAD

1 package pre-cut spaghetti (8 ozs.)

1-1/2 cups young coconut (buko), shredded

1 cup pineapple tidbits

1 (#2-1/2) can fruit cocktail

1/4 cup pickle relish

1/2 cup condensed milk

1 (6 oz.) heavy cream, chilled

1/3 cup cashew nuts, chopped

1. Cook spaghetti noodles as directed. Drain and arrange in a salad bowl. Chill.

2. Meanwhile, drain shredded coconut, pineapple tidbits, fruit cocktail, and pickle relish. Combine with cooked spaghetti and nuts.

3. Mix the condensed milk and chilled heavy cream thoroughly and pour over spaghetti mixture. Toss lightly until well blended.

4. Serve cold on a bed of lettuce.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Posted: September 29th, 2009 under Noodles, Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 4

There are many versions on how to bake Leche Flan. I have shared my mom’s recipe on Leche Flan. Like I said before, the perfect flan is such that when you slice through it, it barely quivers like jello. There is very little syneresis, that is, no weeping (or lots of holes in it!). Surprisingly, I know a lot of people who likes holes in their Leche Flan. Of course, I prefer mine to be smooth I’d like to share with you another Leche Flan Recipe which is richer than my mom’s recipe because the egg whites are removed.

Ingredients
2 cans of Evaporated Milk
1 teaspoon lemond Rind
1 cup white sugar
8 egg yolks

For Caramel syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water

Read more »

Posted: September 15th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 10

I remember mom often baked Bread pudding for our unsold or returned stale bread. So, after making sure that the bread chosen had no molds, I would trim the sides of the bread (I didn’t want to use them) and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.

4 cups bread, cut into small cubes
4 cups evaporated milk (I used a 1:1 ratio — that is, 2 cups evaporated milk and 2 cups water; but you can use “pure” evaporated milk so that you can have a leche flan “feel” to the pudding)
1/3 cup sugar for caramelization (for the baking pan)
1-1/3 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten with a fork (at room temperature)
2-1/2 tbsps. margarine, melted (melt in your microwave beforehand; set aside to cool down)
1/4 tsp. vanilla (or more)
3/4 cups raisins
Optional: you can add chopped candied fruit and some nuts also. When you do this, add a little more milk to the mixture (to prevent drying due to the added ingredients).

Read more »

Posted: August 19th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 2

Ever since Buko Pandan dessert came out a few years ago, it has been a standard dessert fare. I thought I’d try another version without the buko and see if it tastes just as great as its predecessor. Let’s try the Pandan Jelly.

Ingredients

10 leaves of Pandan (Wash thoroughly and twist leaves)
10 cups of water
3 small cans of Cream
1 medium can of Condensed Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 bars of Green Gulaman
1 3/4 Cups Sugar (adjust for sweetness)
1/2 cup Kaong or nata de coco (optional)

Cherries for topping

Read more »

Posted: July 28th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 2

Ube (Purple Yam) Halaya is one of my favorite desserts that I remember with fondness. Mom often prepared Ube Halaya in a pyrex dish. I liked the natural purple color instead of the bright purple color that I often see in commercial ube halaya. The best ube comes from Bohol because of its aromatic fragrance and sweetness. Perhaps, this legend explains the gift granted to the Bohol Ube Kinampay. Kinampay is a kind of ubi, the most expensive kind yet there are many varieties that are named Kinampay. The Bohol Ube Kinampay can be found in Dauis, Panglao, Tagbilaran, Corella and other southwestern towns of Bohol.

Granting you have the Bohol Ube, here is a simple recipe of Ube Halaya prepration. There are many variations that use coconut milk and evaporated milk but I use condensed milk.

Read more »

Posted: June 27th, 2009 under Cakes, Pastries & Desserts, Filipino Food, Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 3

Here’s another favorite mango dessert that’s easy to cook. You can add ice to make a chilly dessert perfect for this warm weather.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup small sago pearls
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar
2 cups water
2/3 cups evaporated milk
6 tablespoons coconut cream (optional)
1 cup mango puree
2 mangoes (cubed)

Read more »

Posted: March 30th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 3

This minatamis na saba with sago is perfect for the hot summer months. Like halo-halo, this is such a respite from the heat. One can even feel chilled after taking a cup of this yummy dessert in a hot humid weather.

What do you need?

6 pieces firm saba (not soggy)

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 palm sugar or (panocha)
1 tablespoon honey

1 cup sago
Evaporated milk
Crushed ice.

Read more »

Posted: March 15th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 8

The all time favorite bar cookies are brownies and not just any brownie recipe. There are three types of brownies which is determined on the baking time.

1. Fudgy Brownies- Bake only until a wooden toothpick inserted about one inch from side of pan comes out with a moist crumb. The center of the brownie will often seem unbaked but it will be firm upon cooling.

2. Extra Fudgy – Cool the brownie for only 15 minutes then cover it with aluminum foil and refrigerate.

3. Chewy brownie- Bake until wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Read more »

Posted: February 17th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 4

I think you will agree with me that our Carabao Mango is one of the tastiest fruits we have. Mangoes happen to be my favorite fruit that I often experiment recipes that contain mangoes. An example of which is the Mango Banana Shortcake.

I first came across this mango pie recipe when my neighbor gave it to me as a gift. The taste is just divine. What makes it even more divine is that my neighbor’s name is Divine. One doesn’t need a mixer for this recipe. A good old food blender will do.

Read more »

Posted: February 7th, 2009 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 11