Kasilyo or Kesong Puti (White Cheese)

Kasilyo is a specialty in Cavite, a white cheese made by curdling fresh milk by heating it gently whilst stirring all the time taking care not to bring the milk to boil.

Here is a quick video How to Make Kasilyo or Kesong puti (white cheese).

Special thanks to great friends Maria Maddox and Mary Ann Olaes who took time to drove all the way to the farm and back and of course lots of fun along the way.  How can i forget that gigantic Mexican Food in one of the stops!  

Homemade Smoked Pork Loin

Smoked Pork Loin served with roasted mushrooms, baby urugula and lettuce salad 

This is one of those unexpected flavors that worked well together. The pan-roasted mushrooms gaved that tacky earthy flavor and well contrasted with the balsamic vinaigrette, that tangy strong bite of urugula which is neutralized with the bland lettuce and that smokey taste of every bite of the homemade smoked tender loin (courtesy by Chef B.)   The flavors are dancing in the tongue of every bite which was really enjoyable that i cant afford to miss a post about it.  Oh well, i wouldn't remember it for sure after sometime, which makes this blog handy.  

I am not going write much about the salad because it is easy to make.  Let me write about how this smoked tender loin was made because it entailed a lot of processes and expertise to do it. Practice makes perfect indeed, and this one is nailed perfectly.

Oh well, Chef B isn't really blogging but I can do it for him! (winks!) I think i can do his recipe it if i had more patience! ssshh.  I had a lengthy interview while enjoying dinner last night. Don't tell him I blogged about it. Anyway, its not for him.  I will keep the recipe for our budding little Chef L.

Here's how he made the Smoked Pork Loin:

1.  Prepare a brine which is a mixture of 200g of salt per liter of water and freshly ground pepper.

Make sure the whole meat is soaked in the brine for a day and half at room temperature

2. Remove from the brine and soak meat in plain water for at least 2 hours. Pat Dry with a kitchen towel.

3. Whilst the meat is still moist, roll it on a bed of freshly ground pepper until all the surface of the meat is fully covered with pepper.

4. In goes the meat to the smoker for 5 hours at a very low temperature in continuous smoking.  He used mixed of Hickory and apple cider wood chips.

5. Chill the meat when done.  Wrap it cling wrap tightly until ready to serve. Slice as thinly as you can to serve.

This smoked loin has a perfect texture with just the right tangy flavor and succulent to the bite.

This goes well with this salad which was made by pan roasting the mushrooms, then toss with the leaves (baby urugula and lettuce).  Vinaigrette was made with fresh ground garlic (1 clove), salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Mix the vinaigrette until emulsified and drizzle over the salad.

For winter soups, we usually chop the loin finely and sprinkle it over our soup.  It eventually will sink and invisible therefore our little chef calls it "treasure" as she has to find the sinkers.  If she doesn't like asparagus soup, we negotiate with the "treasures" and she eventually loved asparagus soup.  Mushroom soup is not a problem, she just loved it since first serving, but she doesn't eat mushrooms! thats when she can see them on her plate. It is the sight of it she doesn't like but when blended, she cant see the mushrooms! By far, the "treasure" trick is still working.  She'll bust me out one day like how she busted me with the toothfairy!

#thekitchenjournal #homemade

Home Made Sausages

Making home made sausage is fun and can be frustrating at the same time.  Luckily we have this sausage maker attachment to our kitchen aide mixer, which does made life a little bit easier.  At first it was tricky but then we figure out some cheats to do it a little bit faster.  It should be fun to make it with the family as doing it alone isn't really that fun with all the mess you have to deal with, but at the end of the day you realize its is really worth it.  You can control the seasonings, amount of fat that goes in that sausage, and best of all,  no preservatives and the relief that you know what is in that sausage you are having on the table.

Here is a quick video of what we've done.

We are often frustrated with store-bought sausage, most of the times, there is so much fat in it. You can see as it you cook further, the amount of fat you that goes to the sides of your pan, which i usually spoon out to the drain. Aside from that amount of fat, sometimes it just have a nasty smell of "not so good" meat then you start to wonder, what is in this sausage?

Collagen Casing

For our homemade sausage, we used pork loin and shoulders (less fat).  For the casing we used the collagen casing  which is ready made and it is available in barbecue aisle of most shops, we bought ours from Academy Sports + Outdoors.

sausage making kit attachment

Kitchenaide mixer with attachment

finished product: homemade sausages

So, there won't be any recipe for this post as everything weren't measured, but bare in mind that when you make sausages, you better make a lot as it is a lot of work.  Freezing them makes it convenient. I hope to update this post with specific measurements, but for the time being we didn't bother to measure. All ingredients were estimated as per proportion of the meat.  We certainly used lean meat, cut it in cubes, seasoned it with salt and pepper, a little bit of paprika, cayenne pepper,  garlic powder, and onion powder.  Then comes mine and daughter's favorite part being the critic plays the crucial part. Tasting!  Hubby did a mini burger and cooked it over a heated pan subject to our criticisms.  Hubby then adjusts what is needed and if agreed with satisfaction, the fun begins with stuffing the casing.  I haven't took the video during stuffing as we were all got busy hands.

We usually serve sausage with salads and vegetables, or with egg for breakfast.  L loves it with a hotdog bun for school.  Sometimes pasta, or it is also good just as it is.

Thanks to hubby, who did most all of the job.  We were just helpers on the side waiting for his command. We really enjoyed making it for the 2nd time now, and i guess it won't be the last.  Rest assured, we won't be buying sausage from stores anymore.

PAVLOVA No. 2 with summer berries (strawberries,raspberries,blueberries and blackberries)

Pavlova

I have made pavlova before and is posted here: Pavlova recipe with a little bit of a famous history of the dessert.  Please read on a bit there if you like the to get the recipe.  

For this version, I didn't use whipped cream because, I just don't have it in the fridge, the thought of making it just came up quickly to compliment Hubby's lunch.  He had been working hard prepping for weekend lunch so, to equate the effort I came up with pavlova dessert as i happen to have the summer berries for the season on sale in the grocery store.

So i didn't have whipped cream to top it with, hence i just made custard and made it a little bit thicker than usual.  

I just think its easier to make meringue the night before you need the pavlova and leave it in the oven.  Put the oven at 250 degrees C, put off before putting the meringue in and leave it there till morning.  Pls avoid opening the door to check as the temperature would be affected.

I took some pictures for a guide.
Make the meringue:
Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 pinch cream of tartar, (alternatively salt can be used)
2 tsp. vinegar
1 ½ cup sugar
2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. Vanilla essence


Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. (Gas 4)
2. Cut baking paper into 5 inch squares (make 6 squares)
3. Draw a circle at bottom side of the baking paper. Use this as a guide when you put meringue in each portion. Set aside.
4. In a dry clean bowl, place the egg whites and cream of tartar.
5. Beat the egg white using electric beater until soft peak
6. gradually add sugar whilst continue beating until 
7. Add vinegar and cornstarch
8. Add vanilla essence
9. continue beating until stiff. The meringue must look smooth, silky and holds a stiff peak when you lift the beater.
10. In the prepared baking paper, spoon in the meringue making a circular pattern as per the guide, working from the center, create a small well and spread the meringue to the edge of the pattern. 
11. Pipe around the meringue to create a little well, where you will put the whipped cream later on.
12. Bake for 1 hour and half. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue to cool completely inside the oven. It is best to do this at night and leave the meringue in the oven overnight. The meringue should be firm and crisp.
13. Store the meringue in an airtight container until you will use them.

Spoon the meringue on a lined baking sheet and make a well in the middle but not
going through the bottom.  Leave room for a base.

It will look like this.  A base with a little room for the the topping.  

I made some spiky just for fun.

Making the custard is taking forever.  I just wish I had whipped cream and it
will be finished in a flash, but i unfortunately dont have.  But this is worth a trial for
flavor combination.  It was good. its just that it takes forever, but its worth the wait.

The final Look.

Review:  I would say, it was a good experiment on the flavor.  The making of the custard took forever to thicken, but the taste is phenomenal compared to whipped cream.

PS.  I love the meringue.  I took the extra bit to go with my morning coffee.  It reminds me of those meringue kisses when i was a kid.  Not so sweet, crispy outside and it turns chewy and mallowy in the tongue.

Pan-roasted baby potatoes with herbs

Cut baby potatoes in half, season with salt and pepper and steam for 10 minutes.  Do not over cook.  Make sure they are half cooked only.

In a heavy bottomed frying pan, add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add a few sprigs of rosemary, add the potatoes.  Occasionally shake the pan to move the potatoes whilst roasting so it won't stick to the pan.  Add dried basil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Perfect for serving on the side of any main dish.

Mini bruschetta

The base is a ready made toasted savory snacks.

Topping Ingredients:

5 large tomatoes

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 clove of garlic (grated)

salt and pepper

To make the topping, finely chop tomatoes; drain to get rid of the excess tomato juice and set aside. Chop fresh basil finely and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix olive oil, grated garlic, salt and pepper.  Add basil and drained tomatoes.  Mix well.  Place a teaspoon in each of the savory biscotti.  

Enjoy these bite size treats with your favorite cocktail.

Canapes

Base :  Ready made whole grain toasted savory biscotti ( I used Melba Snacks)

For the toppings, I mixed yogurt, cucumber and cream cheese and added some herbs.  One mixture I added dill and another mixture I added basil.

variants:  

smoked salmon (flaked)

finely diced peppers (green, yellow, orange and red)

In some servings i skipped the cream mixture as for some who doesn't like cream based topping. For a healthier option, I just added directly on the savory biscotti a mixture of tomato,basil,grated garlic and olive oil to make mini bruschetta. Some I just added only the peppers.

These bite portions are perfect for gatherings.  There's always something to much while Hubby is busy grilling.  Kids loved the mini bruschetta.  

Ranch dip with dill (Hacking the treats)

Hacking the treats! Jazz up that store-bought dip by adding fresh herbs.. It really brings out great flavor.  I bought that ranch dip and added fresh dill into it, serve the chips with style :)

Crispy Chicken Strips

Crispy Chicken strips

Crispy Chicken Strips

This is so simple and easy to make.  I like the versatility you can do with this.  Can be served with any of your favorite sauce or dip, or salad, potatoes, or rice. The cornmeal is the essential ingredient for its crispiness that you don't have to worry if it sits for awhile, without getting soggy.  I guess i don't have to elaborate more on the quantity as it is self-explanatory.  The more chicken, the more flavoring and coating you need.  Rough estimates won't do harm.

Ingredients:

Chicken Breast (sliced into thin strips)

dried oregano

pepper (freshly ground)  ( i used pepper grinder all the time)

salt

oil for frying

Season the meat with salt and pepper, add a generous amount of oregano,  Give it a little rub so it will stick to the meat.

In a bowl, place the corn meal,  Add the meat and set aside. Shake each strip to get rid of extra cornmeal before frying.

Heat the pan and add oil for frying.

shake to get rid of extra cornmeal before frying.  Shallow fry for about a minute each side until golden brown.

watch the video:

Berries Breakfast smoothie

Breakfast smoothie

Ingredients:

Berries: strawberries, raspberry and blue berries.(a handfull of each)

 1 scoop of whey protein

 1 glass of fresh milk

Blitz in blender for a minute. Ready for the morning! Rise and shine!

Have a nice day

Roasted Australian Beef Topside

Topside of beef, also know as silverside and top round, is a second-class cut of beef from the top of the hind leg. Topside is a lean, boneless piece of meat best suited for casseroles, stews and roasting. It can be a difficult cut to cook correctly because of its low fat content, and when prepared incorrectly, it tends to be very tough and chewy. Roasting the meat, however, showcases the flavor and creates a tender and juicy piece of beef. By Marie Price, eHow Contributor

I’m always intimidated to cook beef especially the best cuts that are most likely expensive cuts because, I tend to overcook it.  Someone is not happy with a well done beef.

When I saw a nice piece of beef on the rack in Carrefour, I didn’t hesitate to grab one not knowing what to do with it.  Thanks to loads of ideas on the internet, I couldn’t get the perfect ingredients that are mentioned but as usual I have to settle what is in the pantry.  This time, I am proud to say “I did it” in medium rare.  Ohh, the secret? Its in the massage ;-)

Happy that I pleased someone. 

Ingredients:

650 g. Australian Topside beef

marinade:

5 Tablespoons   Jack Daniel Barbeque Sauce

1 glass   Merlot wine 

4 cloves garlic

1 onion

pepper

In a zip lock bag, place the piece of topside, add all the marinade ingredients and do a gentle massage onto the meat by squishing gently the bag of goodness.  (Using this method you keep your hands free from the marinade mixture). Chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, giving it a gentle massage every now and then.

Drain the marinade and put it aside, dry the meat by patting it with a kitchen paper.  Add some more freshly ground pepper. Pat it again so the pepper would stick to the meat. Drop some few drops of olive oil and gently massage it into the meat. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees C. at the same time, preheat a pan (with heavy bottom) over the stove until it becomes very hot.  Remembering not to oil the pan, but oil the meat. Once heated, gently place the beef in wait for at least 3 minutes on each side to brown the outside of the beef before turning it to another side, until all the sides have browned.  At this stage, you can feel that the meat is still juicy on the inside, but browned outside.

Place it on a roasting rack. Here, i put on cooling rack and place it over a pan of potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic.  Roast for 2 hours at 250 degrees C.  After 2 hours, let the meat rest for 5minutes before cutting for serving.  Serve immediately while still warm.  The roasting time should give enough time to prep the table, so just put the cutting board on the table so it will be on the plate right away, ready for the hungry carnivores. ;-) 

To prepare the gravy, on the same pan used with the beef, add the marinade and let it simmer .  Ad a cube of beef broth until it becomes a little bit sticky like a gravy consistency. Drain with a sift and discard the residue. Serve gravy warm with the beef. 

 This how it should look to achieve tenderness..  pink and juicy inside. Serve it with the potatoes.

Flat Bread

This flat bread is a 5 star for my daughter..  I wish I could acknowledge that Chinese Chef I saw on tv way back before my daughter was even conceived.  I remember his face but couldn't remember his name.  He used this flat bread  recipe  for a peking duck recipe he once showed in one of his shows. You bet I owe a thank you to that chef, so I might come back to put his name here for acknowledgment  if I catch him again.

Well, this is very simple easy to do flat bread.  Now, i can do it in less than 30 minutes. Fresh flat bread would be served on the table.

Normally I do it with eyes half closed, I meant i don't measure anymore, just estimate the amount but for the purpose of posting it here, I did measure this time. :-) and took a step by step photos for a guide.

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 warm water

In a mixing bowl add flour and salt, make a well at the center and add olive oil and sesame oil.  Gradually add the warm water while mixing the mixture (use the tip of a wooden spoon, or tip of the fork to mix) until it forms small lumps, continue adding water whilst mixing until the flour gathers together and form bigger lumps.  Gather all the lumps to form a dough.  On a flat working surface, knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.  Form into a log and cut into pieces.  Form each peace into a ball.  Flatten it with the palm of your hands and then flatten it further using a rolling pin until it becomes thin.  Make it as thin as possible.  Sprinkle some flour if needed so it wont stick to the surface or to the rolling pin.  Preheat a flat pan,  and place the flattened dough. Cook in high heat until the surface starts to rise like bubbles. Flip it over to cook the other side.  Use a flat turner to do this, and if you are tempted to flatten the bubbly surface, go ahead.   Once there are black spots visible, the bread is done!

Make a well in center and add olive oil and sesame oil

gradually add warm water while mixing, it will start to form small lumps 

flour starts to form larger lumps

After adding the water, gather the lumps around the and knead like a dough

Place the dough on a smooth and lightly floured surface

Form into a log

cut into pieces

form into small balls

flour the surface and the rolling pin

flatten it using the palm of the hands

Flatten the dough using a rolling pin

Cook it on a flat pan

It will rise like bubbles

Flip it over 

ready to eat..

The bread is good as it is, use it as wrap or stuff it with goodness inside.

Some of the variations below:

stuffing it with thin cheese

add ham 

wrap it like an envelope

in the pan it goes

waiting time won't be that long :-)