Xmas Cake

Xmas Cake

Our Christmas cake last Christmas 2004.. the story :-) I've been wondering what could I have for a unique christmas piece at home... My husband doesn't feel like having a christmas tree.. so I wandered around the junkies at the backyard what could I get... I saw a circular piece of wood which looks perfect for a cakestand.. actually I saw it before and just kicked it out and watched it rolled to a corner... what I did... I put 4 equal size of wood that would serve as a stand and there goes my cake stand! Painted it white and decorated with wired green leaves, the same material for Christmas Tree, twirled some gold and red ribbons. The colorful base layer are macaroons which I wrapped with colored plastic wrappers and formed it into something cheerful. Baked a layer of chiffon cake for the top layer and decorated it with icing, put Sta. Claus beside a small tree, add some red candies and mallows and stuffed the the base with christmas balls and bells! It isn’t just a christmas piece but with edible decors with two kinds of dessert. The cake and macaroons. Guests just love to munch the macaroons while sitting & chatting after dinner. This was the centerpiece of the center table where we had buffet with the guests and everybody loves it!!! They've been wondering which shop I bought!! --- secret --- :-) Unique.. isnt it?? You don’t really need to have Christmas Tree always on Christmas…. Here is a good alternative!

Chocolate 'n Crepe

Chocolate ‘n Crepe

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
¼ cup flour
2 eggs
Scoops of chocolate ice cream
1 T. oil

Procedure:
Beat eggs until slightly fluffy, add milk and flour alternatively while mixing thoroughly until it forms a thin batter.In a hot pan, spread the oil till the sides of the pan and swirl around. Wipe off excess oil with a kitchen paper. Add 1 ladle of the batter and quickly spread on the pan; leave for 1 minute until bubbles can no longer be seen on the batter, cook the other side by inverting the crepe carefully. Remove from pan and fold into quarters forming like a cone. Put a scoop of chocolate ice cream in between the folds and serve immediately.

Tip:The crepes can be prepared in advance but be sure to separate them. To make separation easy, place a wax paper on top of each crepe, stacking them alternately with paper.

MINT ICECREAM

Mint Ice Cream

This is so refreshing ice cream! The mint flavor adds freshness as it melts in your mouth! I was wondering what alternative flavor of ice ice cream. I usually make chocolate, strawberry or other fruity flavors but with the heat of summer in Luanda, ice cream is just a perfect merienda! I played with other flavors I got, I had a remaining mint flavoring so I tried.. I never thought it would work coz, I haven’t seen such flavor in the market. The good thing about making your own ice cream is that you can control the sweetness by reducing the amount of sugar!Just use the same recipe of the strawberry icecream I had posted and replace the flavor, but here it is anyway.

Ingredients :

2 eggs
250 ml full cream milk
100 g sugar
450 g whipping cream
2 tsp. mint essence
a handful of mint leaves
1/2 tsp. green food coloring

Procedure :

Make the custard:
Warm milk in a small pan whilst whisking the eggs and sugar in a separate bowl. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg and sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan stirring constantly, until it begins to thicken slightly but do not let it boil. Add mint leaves, mint essence and green food coloring. Pass through a sift and discard the mint leaves. Allow it to cool down to room temperature. Chill for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the whipping cream until soft peak. Fold-in the custard mixture into the cream.

Pour the mixture in an icecream maker. Alternatively, if you dont have an icecream maker, freeze the mixture and stir occasionally just before it would turn into solid to avoid crystalized icecream.

FRUIT JELLY

Fruity Jelly

Ingredients:
2 pcs. Kiwi
2 pcs. Banana
2 pcs. Orange
8 pcs. Strawberry
1 pack unflavored sea jelly powder (gulaman)
3 cups water
½ cup sugar

Procedure:
Prepare a mold, preferably rectangular container, line with plastic cling wrap allowing 4 inches allowance outside the mold. Lay the allowance out of the container draping at the edges. Set aside. Slice the fruits thinly and set aside. Mix sea jelly powder with water, stir until completely dissolved, add sugar and bring to boil, continue stirring until it becomes slightly thick. Pour the jelly mixture into the mold. With a fork, quickly arrange the fruits into the mold while the jelly mixture is still hot. Be sure to stop arranging the fruits when the jelly starts to set. Chill for at least 1 hour. Carefully take the jelly out by inverting the mold into a plate. Take out the lined plastic. Cut in slices and serve.

Tip:Make sure you use fresh fruits. One more tip, soak banana with the orange juice or lemon to avoid discoloration. Reduced the water to ensure a solid jelly. In the packet of the jelly, it says 1 pack is good for 6 cups of water. Reducing the amount of water ensures the jelly to hold the fruits together.

Grapefruit and orange

grapefruit and orange

I love how it looks... simply wedges of orange and grapefruit and a teaspon of syryp at the center. Makes healthy citrus dessert!

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups cake flour (sifted)

1 ½ cups cocoa powder (sifted)

100 g. butter 1 cup sugar (sifted)

1 cup water

2 T. coffee

3 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Chocolate icing:

2 bars dark unsweetened chocolate

3 T. butter

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Prepare the baking pan. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda. Dissolve coffee in water and set aside. In a separate mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until well blended, add eggs one by one while continue beating, and add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, add the coffee mixture. Continue beating until smooth. Pour the mixture into the pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool in a cooling rack and prepare the icing.

To prepare chocolate icing:
In a deep saucepan, boil 2-3 cups water. Cut the bars into smaller cubes. In heatproof mixing bowl or saucepan put the butter and chopped chocolate and place the saucepan over the boiling water. The chocolate must melt gently with the heat of the steam coming from the boiling water underneath. This is to avoid direct heat to the chocolate coz it easily burns. When the butter and chocolate has melted, mix thoroughly until well combined.When the cake has completely cooled, invert the cake and divide into two layers. Cover the first layer with the icing and place the other layer. Spread the remaining icing on the top layer.

Chocolate Crumble with whipped cream

Chocolate Crumble with whipped cream

Ingredients:

Stale chocolate cake

2 tsp. gin

Icing sugar

Whipped cream

Preparation:

Slice stale chocolate cake finely until it assembles fine crumbs. In a circular cookie cutter, assemble the base by pressing the fine crumbs into it; making sure its quite compact. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of gin each base to add a sharper flavor. Add icing sugar to whipped cream and add on top. Remove the mold. Sprinkle some chocolate cake decors.

STEWED PEAR

Stewed Pear

The original recipe from a Dutch cookbook which requires blackcurrant liqueur which, honestly I don’t know, I like gin, so I put gin instead. Whisky would have been better I think coz its quite sharper taste than gin but I don’t have. I used corn flour instead of potato flour as suggested in the recipe. I love the vibrant color of this dessert!! Its my first time doing this, but its good… hmmm, I ‘m gonna keep this one! Or maybe even try with other fruit like apple, which absorbs flavor a lot.

Ingredients :
4 pears
4 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
5 Tablespoons sugar
200 ml red wine
50 ml gin
1 tablespoon corn flour
Lemon zest

How to:
Peel the pears and leave them whole. In a medium size saucepan, mix red wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks and lemon zest. Add the pears into the mixture then add enough water just to cover the pears. Bring to boil and leave to simmer, covered for 2 ½ hours until tender.
To serve, lift the pears carefully out of the pan. Pass the remaining liquid through a fine sift to get rid of sediments. Mix 1 tablespoon of corn flour with the pear juice and bring to boil stirring all the while with a wisk until the wine sauce thickens. Pour this over the stewed pears and serve individually hot or chilled.

CHOCO BANANA CREPE

Choco Banana Crepe

Crepe
1 cup milk
¼ cup flour
2 eggs

Banana

Unsweetened Chocolate bars

Procedure:

Beat eggs until slightly fluffy, add milk and flour alternatively and mix thoroughly until it forms a thinbatter. In a hot pan, spread the oil, tilt the sides of the pan. Wipe off excess oil with a kitchen paper. Add 1 ladle of the batter and quickly spread on the pan leave for 1 minute until bubbles can no longer be seen on the batter, cook the other side by inverting the crepe carefully. Remove from pan and fold into quarters forming a cone shape.

Melt chocolate in a bowl over a simmering water. Add sliced banana and toss with the melted chocolate. Place in between and on top of the crepe and serve.

Gidunggo (Flavored oil)

Gidunggo (Flavored oil)

This is exotic flavored oil smells devine with just the right amount of hotness of various chilli.Just soft enough for everybody's taste.

Ingredients :

2 Cup Olive oil

3 grated Carrots

1 Piece red bell pepper

2 whole pieces star anise

6 cloves garlic

2 pcs. bay leaves

6 pcs. small red chilli

1 tablespoon whole black pepper

1 teaspoon whole white pepper

Procedure:

Heat olive oil in a pan and add carrots. Fry carrots until crisp and drain. Discard the crispy carrots and keep the oil. Put all of the other ingredients in a bottle and add the hot carrot oil. You may add various kinds of chilli according to your liking. Store in room temperature. This oil is smells so great! You can use it to flavor the oil you are using for sautee or you may serve it directly to the table as an optional flavor. This really adds an appetizing taste to your dish, may it be sallad or meat. Anybody can just add the right amount of oil on their food while eating! which my husband loves to do... Actually I've learned this from my husband and modified a bit from his original gidunggo.. This is famous in Angolan cuisine. Enjoy!

Crispy Kangkong

Crispy Kangkong

I’ve been wondering what could I have for the kangkong we have in our small garden. The helper usually takes it home coz I don’t know what to do with it. I remember once we went to a restaurant in Dumaguete and one of the appetizers they have is “crispy kangkong” I Used the same batter with my previous post for onion rings. The secret is.. serve immediately while still crispy!

Onion Rings

Onion Rings

I have tried making onion rings before but ended with soft and very oily. Once I had tried very thick coating. But here is the perfect batter for that! I got this from my sister Dels before.

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced onions

Oil for frying

Batter:

½ Cup flour

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 beaten egg

¼ Cup water

extra cornstarch

Mix all the batter ingredients until smooth. Place extra cornstarch for coating in a separate plat. Dip each sliced onion into the batter and coat with extra cornstarch. Deep fry few at a time. Garnish with sauce and serve immediately while still crispy.

Chips

CHIPSChips anyone?
Chips are the easiest appetizer to prepare huh.. just open up the pack and serve! tsk.. tsk... Yes! it is ready-made chips. I just love the way it was arranged and the vibrant colors. The sauce in the middle is mixture of mayonaise and ketchup. Posting this for the sake of "presentation" Whatelse could make the eyes eat before the mouths? It is absolutely the presentation!