CRAB RANGOON

I am not a food snob. I am as much a fan of American Chinese cuisine as I am of authentic Chinese cuisine. I bear no shame in liking the numerous sweet and sour like concoctions, love the just sweet and a bit savoury dishes and most of all the various wonton crisps all sorts. Hands down, my favourite is crab Rangoon. I love dumplings but this dumpling is one I'm very fond of. 

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

If you like ham and cheese and fried chicken then chicken cordon bleu is just the thing for you. It is not as fancy schmancy as the name suggests. It is simply ham and cheese filled crumbed chicken. Nevertheless, it is a dish that is universally likeable, simple yet delicious.

PHILLY MAC AND CHEESESTEAK

One dish meals are lifesavers on busy days. Quick and easy is the way to go. There is one rule that I try not to break: Never sacrifice taste.

FETA CHEESE DRESSING

We all need a fresh spark on our usual menu from time to time. Sometimes a little change in the details is all it takes. Before you grab the jar of mayo yet again to slather on something, imagine how much more flavour a simple dressing like this would give to your food.

BLUE VELVET CAKE

Blue food is supposedly revolting. I remember hearing of an experiment where chicken was painted with blue food colouring. People who tried them found their taste off-putting and nothing like chicken at all.

I am a curious sort of person and, although I have never been good in science, I like doing experiments in my kitchen. The most popular post on this blog is the red velvet cake.  I like it so much and I believe that a good thing is worth repeating. Following the process of the red velvet cake recipe, I experimented on making a blue velvet cake: a velvet cake that's blue in both colour and flavour. 

IMPOSSIBLE CAKE (CHOCOFLAN)

I am a doubting Thomas when it comes to trying new recipes. Not that I doubt the recipe. I doubt my skills at following recipes. Sometimes though, there are recipes that I just have to try to make because they look so delicious. 

I love pouring custard rather than cream on chocolate cake so when I saw this recipe I knew this was something I'd like. Not only did it have chocolate cake and custard, it also had caramel. Just by the looks of it, I could tell how delicious it was. 

EASY LIME CHEESECAKE

Whenever there is a special day coming, I feel pressured into doing something big to mark the occasion. I don't mean to be a snarky spoil sport but seeing adverts showing what we should do makes me feel railroaded into doing something I do not want to do. We all know that the noble meaning of the occasion is lost in marketing strategies.

It is Mother's day on Sunday and the second one for me this year (UK Mother's day is in March). The true meaning of the occasion is to appreciate Mums, what they do and the role they hold. It is not about buying something for her at all. Buying her an I ❤ MUM mug (again) is not the way to make her happy.

HAM AND CHEESE TOAST CUPS

Every year I go through a vicious cycle of being relaxed for the first three quarters of the year and go for a mad rush at the last quarter. I have never learned my lesson from the Christmas pasts. It doesn't get any easier no matter how many times I've done it. 

CHEESE CUPCAKE

Cheese cupcake was all the rage in the 80's and everyone was making as well as buying them. It has all the flavours that Filipinos like: cheese, butter and condensed milk. Although it is called cheese cupcake, the only cheese in it is the grated cheddar on the top. 

LEMON CURD AND BLUEBERRY CHEESE CAKE

One thing I would never tire of is cheese cake. I just crave for the stuff. I used to be hooked on a very dense and rich cheesecake that is sold by weight at our neighborhood Jewish bakeshop. It was so delicious and satisfying that all it took was a sliver to satisfy my cravings.

WATERMELON AND MARINATED FETA SALAD

I remember the long hot summers when I was growing up. Sometimes the only thing I want to eat are cold chunks of watermelon. Watermelons used to come in different colors: bright yellow, red and salmon pink. Where are they now?

MELTING RED VELVET HEART CHEESECAKE CUPS

It's Valentine's Day once again and hearts are a-flutter_in the shops. Like Christmas, it is one of the most commercialized red letter days on the calendar.


Valentine's Day is not just for those wooed and cooed at but for everyone with a heart. We have every reason to celebrate the day with our loved ones, just to remember how we are lucky to have them around. 

A simple but enjoyable meal followed by a sweet dessert will warm everyone's heart. This dessert, inspired by the red velvet cake, will melt everyone's heart. Yes, even cold hearts can melt with this one. It is a mini soft set cheesecake in a cup with a melting red velvet heart center. It is a breeze to make so will have you pleased, too.

This recipe makes 12 cheesecake cups. Ramekins or muffin cups can also be used instead of the glass cups. 


Ingredients for the crumb crust:


1 c. digestive biscuit or graham cracker crumbs
5 tsps. light brown sugar
2 tbsp. melted butter


Mix everything together. Put 1 1/2 tablespoons of the mixture in each cup. Press lightly so it doesn't set solid. It has to remain crumbly so it can be scooped up easily with a spoon. 

Ingredients for the red velvet heart:

1/2 c. milk

2 tbsps. condensed milk

50 gms. white chocolate, chopped

1 tsp. cocoa powder

1 tbsp. melted butter

1 1/2 tsp. red food colouring

Warm up the milk in the microwave for 30-40 seconds. Mix with all of the ingredients and blend with a hand blender. Pour into greased moulds. I used a heart shaped ice mould (from Ikea) that takes in 1 tbsp. of mixture in each. You can use any shape you like. Freeze until firm (a few hours).


Unmold the hearts onto lined baking tray and re-freeze until ready to use.


Ingredients for the cheesecake:


1 c. cream cheese
300 mls. whipping cream
1/2 c. white sugar


Whisk the cream and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese and whisk again until combined. Spoon into a piping bag. Pipe into the crumb base lined cups. Level the tops with a spatula. Press a frozen heart in the center, making sure that it is fully set in so that it doesn't flow out of the heart shaped indentation when melted. The heart melts in a few minutes. It is then ready to serve.

All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011 

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Chocolate Mousse Cake

Easy Lime Cheesecake

The Best Red Velvet Cake

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MOZZARELLA AND CHEDDAR STICKS

My teenage daughter went out to our local TGI Friday with two friends and came back with a big doggie bag. The three skinny girls apparently ordered a platter of appetizers which, of course, they couldn't finish. They probably got tired of eating halfway through. She was pleased to tell us that she's brought us some food and we can have all of them except for the mozzarella stick (just one left). No problem, we'd more than gladly save that for her. Cold mozzarella sticks are not that appealing.

CHEESE ICE CREAM

"Sorbetes! Sorbetes!" The ice cream man heralds his arrival with a shout and the ringing of a hand bell. Sorbetes is the Tagalog word for ice cream. Children playing in the streets, all hot and bothered, would run and swarm around him upon hearing this magic word. Such is a daily afternoon scene in every street in the Philippines. 

EASY BANOFFEE CHEESECAKE

A simple meal is made complete and special by the sweet ending. I have no qualms about buying dessert when I have no time to make one. This dessert, though, takes no time nor effort to make. It is as easy as 1-2-3 and requires no baking.

LECHE FLAN CHEESE CAKE

Leche flan (creme caramel) always evoke memories of town fiestas. Although the ingredients are just eggs, milk and sugar, it is always part of the array of special fiesta fare. I don't really know if you can make just one leche flan as the recipe always makes at least two. 

Thinking about it brings a flashback of kitchen memories: stacks of flaneras (flan molds) being lined with caramel syrup in readiness for the egg custard, steamers billowing steam clouds ready to be loaded with the uncooked flans, and the best pressed glass platters being prepared to serve the flans. As a child, I always wanted to be in the hub of the preparations. I loved watching people cook. I loved being handed little morsels to taste. What I loved most was to sneak out a prepared flanera, crack the caramel at the bottom and eat the shards. What joy!

I have never lost my taste for leche flan but never get to eat a lot of it. It is because I want to reserve it for special occasions. The Kulinarya Cooking Club's theme for April is a memorable and decadent Filipino food. The theme in itself is one mouthful. So I decided to bring to the table a concoction that embodies everything I like.

I injected a touch of decadence to the classic leche flan by adding cream cheese to the flan mixture and using a sponge cake as a base. It is cross between a cheesecake and a custard cake. It has all the goodness and creaminess of an all egg yolk leche flan, mixed with cream cheese instead of just pure milk and flavoured with lime zest and vanilla. The base is soft and light vanilla sponge cake instead of biscuit crumb. The two together has an uninterrupted creamy and voluptuous texture. Caramel syrup contrasts with the cheese cake and crowns the dessert. It gives a toasty accent  to this creamy concoction. 

Note: I have made this cake several times with success and this is the recipe I've used. However, I do apologize, that because of a typographical error, the recipe fails. This has now been corrected, additional instructions supplied and the amount of caramel reduced ( to temper the sweetness).

The sponge is not as moist as regular sponge. I have tried other cake bases but this is the lightest one so far and is the only one that floats on the cheesecake base. I have seen similar cakes (called flancocho) that uses yellow cake mix as one of the ingredient for the base but I didn't use that because it comes with a warning that the cake mixture may sink into the cheesecake mixture.

This is the recipe for the above cheesecake shown in the picture and I hope you give it a try.



Ingredients for the cream cheese leche flan:


3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsps. water
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. cream cheese (about a cup)
6 egg yolks 
1 tsp. vanilla
grated zest of 1 lime


Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 325°F /170° C. Prepare a 9" diameter cake pan. 

Put the sugar and water in a saucepan. On low heat, melt the sugar while stirring. When the sugar melts, stop stirring, and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook on medium heat until the syrup is a deep golden brown. Do not overcook.

Brush the sides of the pan downwards with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. 

When ready, pour into a greased 9" diameter cake tin and swirl to coat the bottom. Set aside. 

Whisk the rest of the ingredients together until smooth. Set aside. 

Prepare the cake batter.


Ingredients for the sponge cake:


3 whole eggs, room temperature
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. flour


Whisk the eggs and sugar until thick and light coloured. The mixture should leave a trail when drizzled on its surface. Sift the flour over it and fold with a metal spoon.


TO ASSEMBLE:


Pour the cream cheese flan mixture into the caramel syrup coated pan. This step is important so that the cake batter doesn't sink: pour the cake batter on the back of a big spoon into the flan mixture. The batter will float on top of the flan mixture. Do not stir. 

Bake au baine marie: Fill a baking tray that's big enough to accommodate the cake pan and fill with water to reach up to a quarter of its side. Make sure that your cake pan is tight. Wrap the bottom and sides with foil to be sure. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. Test with a cocktail stick. The cocktail stick should feel sticky when the flan at the bottom is cooked.

Leave to cool in the pan. Refrigerate. Run a sharp knife around the sides of the cake pan before inverting into a serving dish to serve. If you find it difficult to unmold. Sit the bottom of the cake pan in pan of hot water.

All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011. 

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This post is  for the KULINARYA COOKING CLUB theme for April 2011:    Decadent Filipino Food. 

See the posts of the other members by visiting their blogs.

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Condensed Milk Leche Flan

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