103 P o s t s, Time flies...

I would like to thank those people who have enjoyed reading my entires, I did as well. No words candescribe how I feel for having reached this point from the first time it was introduced to me by my cuz Ces of SpiCes. It only started back when I was still in Delaware, after work, when I would run into anygrocery to grab just anything not for anything else but for blogging... and for dinner I should say. Ienjoyed every moment of it. I think this is the most educational and worthful activity than just strollin the mall and spend money.
Until now that I have been back to the Philippines, I still udpate my blog since it is highly related to what I do, I bake and I bake. Yes I am inspiredto create new treats not just for my future plan of owning my own place but it just feels right to do such. I need not say too much about the place-"Buon Giornno" , hello,good morning in Italian, but the place is a must see if you happen to be in Tagaytay. The food was great as recommended by one of my neighbors in our village, thanks by the way to her. Just so ironic that my son loved the Pasta Arabiatta,which is spicy and instead I had the kiddie meal-the ordinary spaghetti and the works. Together with us,are mom and my auntie Aw. We enjoyed it!

R e t r o Cake

Remember the retro days,the 80's in particular? Oh I love those good old days when mom used
to bake such desserts. Mom used to have her own small place when she was still single, BAKEHOUSE Manila of which I didn't know not until I really interviewd her about her passion for cooking. I always tell people that she is a great cook, not because Im her daughter but she really does have the talent. Well, mom this cake is for you -Luscious Yema Cake-This is just an Orange sponge drizzled with a rich custard. Yumm...

F i n o...

I grew up watching my mom set up the table for a special and simple dinner. We love to make any ocassionnot-so perfectly executed but I guarantee that as you step your feet in our home, you would reallyfeel like your in your own. I guess I was used to having a good meal with all the works of setting up a table ,be it just casual or formal.
This is my entry for my cuz' Ces of SpiCes as she hosts "Fine Dining" for all bloggers. This just a simplegenre of how mom and I set up for a luncheon at home with rustic touch since we used an oldcollection of country printed table napkin. The salt and pepper shakers are my favorite. Little teapotsthey look like. The water goblet is always available to really set the mood. I usually serve wine ondinners but maybe even adding a white wine glass to this set up looks even better if you are to servechicken or seafood.

Always,always,dad is in charge of flowers,believe it or not he love doing the arrangement,yes this artificial ,really looks good to me.
Thanks to Ces (ate ces)for such a wonderful idea of hosting this kind of event.

Coconut and Ube B r i o c h e

These two famous tropical flavors are so popular here in the Philippines. It has its own distinct characteristic that I like that is why I never stopped using it as my flavor profile whenever I bake. I try not to forget the local produces because Philippines is where my heart is, my home.
Brioche is an eneriched dough made from scalded milk,flour,lots of eggs,sugar, salt and yeast. It is baked at 400Ffor about 45 minutes after is has been filled with Haleyang Ube or Ube pudding. The coconut flavoredbrioche was filled with fresh coconut meat cooked in heavy syrup.
Such a good treat when served warm... Mom, thanks for sharing with me your all time recipe for

the yam and coconut filling.

Beignet T r i o...

Beignet also known as french doughnuts belongs to the doughnut family. Some are baked and mostlydeep-fried. These trio of beignets is made of flour, leavener, flavoring and sugar. It is usually served as plainly-dredged in sugar or even tossed in confectioner's sugar and I added something into it that made it evenbetter..
Honestly I love to hang out in bookstores especially while I was in the states to kill time or just so I can read while having a good cup of cappuccino. I was in Barnes and Noble bookstore back in Delaware browsingthrough an interesting and newly launched book, I forgot the title but it is all about great desserts fromsome famous pastry chefs in New York. My mom was looking for a good dougnut recipe back home (here in the Philippines) and so I gave her this. She liked the recipe and everything about it. It came out very soft anda little crunchy on the outside. There is a secret component added into this and I think it will remain a secret. It is good and perfect as snack or as breakfast. So when you ran into a good recipe, try to right it down, only time can tell how far that rare-find can go. It can be worth millions.

My No. 1 Fan...

C L O U D Cake

Someone who has achieved so much !

TOFFEE CRUNCH CAKE

Happy birthday Dad. I made two cakes for someone who truly has given me support throughout the years.Dad is already 62 years old and soon to retire. J and I will be there for you all the way when you get tojust wake in the morning with mom talking about how life have just begun..I guess no words can describe how great you are for all things you have done for me, the entire family. I love you dad. Cheers...

Is My Blog Burning...

This was actually an old post and I want to revive it,so I can contribute to ,"Is my blog burning", for this month of June-the candy month. I wanted to perk up my palate with these bold goodies.

The part that I like in food is its versatility. You can play with it and put it together the way you want it. This a plate of someone who is extremely rebellious (in a good way) on tasting life. The Chips in Shape (diamond,rectangle, round, triangle and square) represents how food can be however you want it to be. It is simply made of phyllo dough (dough for making baklava, turnovers,etc) pan fried in Buerre Rouge ( browned butter, by further melting a plain butter until the butter fat has turned dark to medium dark brown, rouge though in French is literally red) and dredged in Muscovado Sugar. . Ofcourse, the colorful round button specs are the famous MnMs that my son munches on when in need of sugar. The Choco-Nut candy(1 o'clock position) is simply a mixture of ground nuts, cocoa powder ans sugar. Don't be in awe because I did not make it, it is practically store-bought(haha!!). Finally the Red Lolliepop, which give the genre height and color. These are just fun to eat even just to remember those good old days!

C H A O T I C Cake
I met a friend 2 weeks ago and she was telling me to invent a "hate cake" and this is it. Tow layers ofmoist chocolate cake with a heavy caramel fudge inside, covered with a dark chocolat ganache. I dosedit with pure caramel with no pattern at all. The cake just melts in your mouth and the texture isgooey and an intense chocolate and caramel is achieved once you bite into it. Chaos, should I call ita hate cake, just a genre of how you can re-creeate cakes,try making one yourself and I bet you won'tbelieve the satisfaction you will get.
moist chocolate cake
1. 5 cups of all purpose flour (can substitute with wholewheat flour)
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
0. 5 teaspoon salt (optional)
5 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cold water ---> even better when you substitute into BOILING WATER

Combine until smooth,bake at 350F for 45 minutes in a heavy greased 8 inch round pan.

heavy fudge

1 stick butter
1/2 c. cocoa
1/3 c. milk
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 cup of caramel

Melt butter, add cocoa and boil 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Use as filling.Fold in caramel and use as filling.

Poured Icing

2 cups chopped dark cholate
2 cups hot cream

Boil cream. Pour over chopped chocolate.Let it steep for 5 minutes and mix it from the middle towardsthe side of the mixture.Let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken the ganache and pour over assemble cake.

Caramel

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup heavu cream

Cook sugar to caramel stage or until Mahogany color is achieved. Off the fire, pour in hevay cream and mix until smooth,carefully whisking it since it sizzles.

Let it cool for just 2 minutes and use a wooden spoon to drizzle it on top of the iced cake

To my friend Nikki,here it is ...

So childish I guess for another "Just for fun post" but hey its my son's idea. Rice crispies,melted butter, marshmallows and a little sugar. It is a no-bake treat so kids can really do this. There were no actual measurements for this. J_ _ _ _ just mixed what all of these in a bowl and blended it with a spoon. It should come together,but while it was hot, mom had to help him form it into balls and immediately put it on a liner. That afternoon we visited one my aunts and brought her this,she like it...

tiny c a k e

Tiny c a k e, mini,small,midget,pewee -such a cute genre. I have been focusing too much on too big things and it is time for a little fun. I had to take out the middle of once of my cakes and this what I got a tiny cake. Just used left over butter icing. Some dessicated coconut to finish the dessert.

350 Degrees Fahrenheit Pizza- a healthy one...

Whenever there's a chance, grab it. I've featured pizza several times. My son wanted pizza, and I did not have to think twice but just enjoyed the day making it together.

Wanting to use healthier components, we used tuna flakes(dreained), onions and tomatoes and caremelized them. I seasoned it with salt and pepper,drizzled a little olive oil andlet it wilt over low flame. Dough is simply made of bread flour,salt,yeast, water and shortening. After it has been mixed and kneaded until smooth, set it aside to rest for 30 minutes. Sheeted it out to a round shape , brushed surface docked pizza dough and spread the tomato sauce. Topped it with tuna flakes,caramelized onion halves fresh slice tomatoes. Used grated mild cheddar cheese. It is so amazing that Jiggy's Palate is very much exposed to extensive and a little strong and savory flavors, which I am proud of. We sprinkled a little dried rosemary herb to finish the pizza and baked it for30 minutes at 350F. We both wanted a softer texture that day and made it really just simple to just to enjoy each other's company.

Baking pizza at a lower temperature yields a very soft and a little less of color type of crust. Over all we loved it.

Pooh Cake

Hunny... its Winnie the Pooh Bear this time. It is such a big challenge to make character cakes since this is not my expertise. This is a gift to my cousins for their baby shower and I just could
not be moody to make it. Yes, I love making my own design because I hate patterns. This cakes has three layers made of Mocha Chiffon Cake with Marshmallow Icing. I also put Chocolate Rose Buds around where pooh is. Marshmallow icing is made of boiled syrup,eggwhites and melted gelatin. I used oil based food colors to make it a little more fun.

LP18:OH My Gulay!*Root Vegetable Cake*

Believe it or not, I am taking the biggest risk of posting this Root Vegetabke Cake for Lasang Pinoy's themef or this month. Tare-Gabe_UBe , im not sure if it is in the Bahay Kubo song.The cake is very simple to make and I tried to really make it very Pinoy. Instead ofusing oridnary rice flour and taro flour ,I used half of it and half bisquick from the box, that is why the rice cake is yellowish. Taro is my favorite root vegetable aside from the color it exudes, I think this can be a good treat for everyone especially for kids who does not like vegetables that much. A dilemma I must saybut I think bloggers are contributing so much to those who have no interest in cooking. Thank you to Ms. Wifely Steps for a wonderful idea of hosting this theme.
I had several attempts of joining Lasang Pinoy way back in 2005, as introduced to me by my cuz-Ces. Nowis the perfect time to share a perfect ender after eating all those LP18 savory posts.
I hope you guys like it!
Taro Rice CakeBatter:

1/2c. taro flour (asian store)1/2c. rice flour1c bisquick mix2 tsp. baking powder1-1 1/2 c. white sugar1 egg3/4c. water

Meringue:4 egg whites2 tbsp. sugar for egg whites

How to make the cake:In a bowl, blend all dry ingredients. Add the beaten egg and water and mix with paddle attachement until smooth.Beat egg whites until stiff.Fold the egg whites into the beaten rice batter and pour into an 8 inch pan.Steam for about 20 minutes or until done.

Crumbly Violet Taro Icing
1 lb. confectioners' sugar1/2 c. butter, softened1 tsp. vanilla extract3 tbsp. milk1 c Violet taro,shavings

In large bowl, beat together sugar, butter, vanilla and milk until smooth. If necessary add more milk until frosting is spreading consistency. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring. Mix everything well. Fold in taro shavings.

Finish the cake with a a liitle margarine, not butter to make it real pinoy!Happy Baking...

Please feel free to email or comment should you need updates and questions even suggestions!

Cheese Puff Sticks

I almost forgot making other types of baked goodies or pastries! Relatives and friends visit from time to time and I have to be ready anytime. This holder full of Cheese Puffs are totally away from the sweetness and chocolate flavors. Puff Pastry is basically layers of dough and fat, gastronomically speaking and for me,it is * h e a v e n*. Why? This snack folded in with butter and ricotta and mozarella was served straight from the oven, when you bite into it, that crunchy,chewy and soft texture will just remind you how wondrous breads are. They can be anything you want it to be ,for as long as precision and science is applied when making this puffy dough.

Peaches and Cream

I would like to thank my aunt Lulu for giving me this white distorted bowl,seems like from the
70's but hey classic is classic. You guys had too much dose of chocolate hue from recent posts and I just thought having this simple but delightful. Peaches and Cream is an all time favorite. This is just heavy cream,condensed milk and wedges of peach fruit. So good especially when served chilled.

THE LETTER A- Baked!

A is for A P P L E Pie ** This pie is what I always want to make once in a while. That homey feeling of munching a heaping spoon of warm apple pie reminds me of those dayswhen I worked as an apprentice at my college's cafe-The Apple Pie Cafe & Bakery! We use to make a lots of these for the day's consumption. The "EG" label served as a gift for a good friend of my dad,his initials. So I thought of just making the excess pie dough for the labels which also edible. I could have made my own initials-"KC".
You can serve this a la mode -or topped with vanilla ice cream. Yummy! I know that granny smith is the typical variety to make this treat and I only have Fuji in my fruit basket. I did make it ,only reducing the liquid component of the filling recipe. Well, this is still good for you!

THE LETTER A- Fresh!

A is for A P P L E ! This versatile fruit is available year round especially in the Philippines. I remember having my Product Identification Class at CIA,gave me quite a challenge in knowing the varieties of apples:granny smith-the cooking apple,Fuji,comice,red delicious and the like. Each kind has it's owncharacteristics. It is highy important for you to know these facts especailly when you are into baking.
"An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away". Remember that saying?! I still believe that consuming atleast 3-5 kinds of fruits everyday aides in having a healthy body. You feel lighter and beautiful if you eat more fruits and vegetables than that of meat. Well, eating desserts after every meal personally perks me up and I must say it is really included in my own food pyramid.
This is a photo of fresh Fuji apples all line up on a almond-shaped wooden bowl. Yes they really look delicious and can be served as simple as it isHave some apple!

D E S E R T Cake

I just arrived from Hong Kong and dad helped me gain back my work momentum. He wanted a box of simple cake. I have so much chocolate bars stuck in the fridge. Pre-heat the oven at 350F. Grease your square pan with softened butter and flour the surface.This cake which is made of Genoise Sponge which is eggs, sugar whisked in bain marie or in adouble boiler until it feels body temperature,straight to the kitchenaide mixer,beat the egg-and-sugar mixture until ribbon stage or just until it leaves a trail when the attachment is lifted up. Gradually add the sieved cake flour and fold it in. Double checking if there are lumps in the bottom of the bowl. Bake for 20-30 minutes. After baking, invert the sponge on tray with white sugar to avoid it from sticking and let it cool.
The buttercream is made of eggs and sugar also cooked in a double boiler until body temperature. Then whip the mixture until the bowl feels cool and looks pale on high speed. Whip in the softened butter at very low speed.You will notice thatthe buttercream looks broken but increasing the speed to medium then to high will reconstitute the volume of the icing. Set it asidecovered.
The filling is just melted dark chocolate bar with a little unsweetened chocolate. For the garnish ,I always have a bowl of chocolate ganache which is a mixture of chocolate and heavy cream which I store in the fridge. I rolled this into balls and dredged it in chopped cashew nuts.Then the name of the cake was born then, I call this the D E S E R T Cake. I just dusted the top with toasted graham flour as the sand, the truffles depicts the rocks. The cake's edge was to plain so instead of putting the usual thin acetate , I used this printed glossy piece of wrapper which complemented the cake well.

Pineapple Lighthouse

This treat is perfectly right to end the summer. It is still humid and all I needed was a refreshing sorbet. This is simply pineapple juice and simple syrup. It can also be served as Granita but it looks good straight out from the plastic cup. If you are to use sweetened pineapple juice, simple syrup can then be omitted. Quenching!

This is my next attempt to use my new camera given by my sister Korina! Ate, I really appreciate it!! The recent post wasalso to discover the features of blog tool. It is not that expensive but I think I will be able to use this for my photo shooting formy upcoming business-school and cafe!
This bowl of cookies was especially made for the family's trip to Hong Kong. I wanted to prepare atleast three kinds that everybody loves.Ofcourse chococlate chip-raisin, easy macaroons and oatjacks. I also thought of creating a lunch box with these treats to highlight thespecial textures cookies and bars have. I used half cake flour and half all purpose flour for the choco chip wich give a very soft and chewy texture.The mini-star-shaped macaroons is a mixture of condensed milk, dessicated coconut and cake flour which is semi-chewy and crunchy. Oatjacks is aa good blend of natural honey,toasted oats,butter and brown sugar. Yummy!
I call the choco-chip-raisin cookie shot, the Tower and Domino. Just applying what I have learned from my food styling class.