Tuesday, November 5, 2013

No-bake Cookies and Cream cheesecake

One day, I suddenly had a craving for a certain flavor. Of course its sweet. I checked the pantry for any cookies and found nothing! So I asked Toni to grab some Domino cookies on his way home. As I waited, a recipe was forming in my mind and this is what I came up with:

 
I have not made anything like it, and only saw recipes online, after I have actually made it. I hope you will find this delicious. As good as I and my ever loyal fan, my daughter Ria.  :)
 
I started off by scraping the white cream from in between the chocolate cookie sandwiches until I got about 150 gms. (keep the creams) Finely crush the cookies and mix it together with about 70 gms of butter, melted.
Press the cookie crumb to large muffin pan lined with muffin paper. ( about 12 pieces)
Refrigerate the pans while you work on the fillings.

Chop the rest of the cookies (I got a box of 350gms-in the picture) together with the cream and scraped off ones. Don't crush, just coarsely chopped. Set aside.

In a small bowl (ramekin will be nice, something that can be boiled), pour in 1/4 cup of cold water and sprinkle 1 ½ tbsp. gelatine powder. Mix this and let it stand, until the granules become fat.

While you wait for the gelatine, mix together using an electric mixer,  1 pack (200gms) of mascarpone cheese and 1/4 cup of icing sugar. You can add some more sugar later if you think its not sweet enough.

Add to this, 1 small pack (150 ml) of whipping cream and 1 tsp. Vanilla.
 
Gently fold in the crushed cookies. And put the bowl inside the fridge while you work on the gelatine.
 
Put the ramekin with the fat gelatine in a small sauce pan and add enough water to reach the height of the gelatine. On medium heat, slowly stir the gelatine until the fat granules has liquefied but not boiling. 

Quickly fold the gelatine liquid to the cream mixture and pour it on top of the crust on your muffin pans. You can fill up the muffin cups as much as you want, since it will not rise to over flow.

Refrigerate the pans for at least 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!!!


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Not so Instant noodles...


 This recipe is for my gal, Pia L. A noodle lover.


*  For 2 pcs. of chicken breast, sliced into bite size pieces, marinate for at least 20 mins. in:

2 tbsp. Soy sauce
1 tbsp. Mirin
1 tbsp. rice wine
1 tbsp. Cornstarch
bit of salt and pepper


Of course you don't need to do this and just saute the chicken as is. But have you ever wondered why the chicken from the Chinese restaurants are so tender? This is why... :)









 
*  While waiting, fry up 2 scrambled eggs with just a bit of salt.
Cut this up in small pieces. 
 * Boil the instant noodles separately then drain.


  *  Saute the chicken in 2 tbsp. oil and chopped up garlic. (If you didn't marinate the chicken earlier, then you need to add soy sauce here)
  *  When chicken is ready, add the veggies. Fresh is always better. But if you have the frozen one, then its handy. You can have as much veggies as you want. Its veggies!
- carrots
- green beans
- broccoli
- cabbage
- Chinese cabbage
- bell pepper
- anything that is not juicy like tomatoes.



* When veggies are almost done, add 1/4 cup of water to dilute the cornstarch and have a bit of sauce. (Even if you didn't marinate the chicken)  Taste this and add more soy sauce and pepper to your liking. You can also add chili at this point if you want it hot.



 * Add in the noodles, turn off the heat and stir.
** Top with the scrambled eggs. Be creative. You can use sliced boiled eggs, chives (or spring onions), squirt of lemon, or coriander leaves.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Maksa Laatikko - Liver Casserole


Liver is not uncommon ingredient in Filipino cuisine. For almost 11 years of living in Finland, I have been quite curious about the Finnish traditional dish called Maksa Laatikko or Liver Casserole. It is readily available in most grocery stores all year round and Christmas spread at Mummis place is not complete without this. Though yes, I have tried small amounts of it, I didn't actually take a liking to it, until I tasted a home made one.

So today, I focused on this unique dish. For people who likes liver, this should be on your top 10 list of your most favourite, at least.

* I start off by cooking 1 cup of porridge rice (in 3 cups water and ½ tsp. salt).
The recipe I found called for 1 cup of long grain rice. You can use that of course. I just think that porridge rice has more texture to it. And if cooked properly, it could be as good as the sushi rice. Please wash the rice at least twice.

* Butter up the sides of 2 pieces 1 Liter baking pans, or 4 pieces of 500 ml.

* When the rice is on 'al dente' stage, turn off the heat and pour 2½ cups of milk.  Stir and set aside.
I used whole milk just because everything taste so good with the creamiest possible. You can of course use non-fat or regular milk.

* Heat up 1 tbsp. of olive oil and fry about 150 grams of bacon until crisp. Chopped up to crumbles. Set aside.
I used a 6 liter wok for this, coz I work better with woks and since this will yield more than 3 liters, its better to have more working space.

* At this point, turn on your oven to 175 degs C.

* In the same wok with the oil left from the bacon, saute 1 finely chopped medium onion, until its limp.

* Add to this, the rice and milk mixture and stir for about 1 min.

* Pour in 4 tbsp. of dark syrup. (You can find this on the shelves right next to the sugars and honey)

* Add to this 1½ tsp. salt, ½ tsp. white pepper, ½ tsp. marjoram and 1 cup of raisins. Stir for 1 min.

* Add 400 gms. of mushed beef liver. (It is easier to chop the liver into cubes first, then freeze a bit, before mushing it in a food processor. Chopping it with knife may leave you with big pieces)

* Turn off the heat, then stir in bacon bits and 2 lightly beaten eggs.

*  Pour in the mixture equally to the baking pans, and bake for at least 45 mins to an hour on middle rack.

* Serve this with puolukka/cowberry jam. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Cherry Blueberry Strudel

I promised you the Strudel, and here it is. 


From wikipedia:
A strudel (/ˈstrdəl/, German: [ˈʃtʁuːdəl]) is a type of layered pastry with a— most often sweet—filling. It is often served with cream. It became popular in the 18th century through the Habsburg Empire. Strudel is most often associated with Austrian cuisine but is also a traditional pastry in the whole area of the former Austro-Hungarian empire.

1. Fillo pastry is the nearest, easiest and fastest pastry to use for this recipe. You can find them in the freezers of grocery stores. I got a 12 sheet pack.

2. You need about ½ stick (113 gms) of melted unsalted butter. Use first 3 sheets of fillo pastry, brushing it with butter before laying the each sheet with at least 1 inch indentation. Please see pic 1.1
 
Pic. 1.1:
 
 


3. Spread about ½ cup of the blueberry and cherry filling (Recipe here). See pic 1.2
Pic. 1.2:



4. Roll the pastry, sealing the ends. Set aside.
5. Repeat with the next 3 sheets of fillo pastry and add a sprinkle of chopped nuts. Around 40 to 50 gms. I used pecan nuts here.


6. Lay the first pastry roll on the second, and roll it. See pic. 1.3


 Pic. 1.3:



7. Bake the strudels in 200 degs C for 20 to 25 mins. or until golden brown.



8. Let it rest for 30 mins. before serving. Sprinkle icing sugar and serve with either vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy!







Monday, January 28, 2013

Crispy chicken squares


For mom's like me, who gives importance to serving home cooked meals, we have an ongoing battle with burger joints. Though I have proven my home made burgers to my 9 yr. old, the chicken nugget is still something I have not even tried my hands on.
So after long months of promising to make it, I finally did! I hope you enjoy this too.

I mixed:

400 gms ground chicken
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 egg
2 tbsp. fresh milk
1 tbsp. cornstarch

Using 2 spoons, I scooped about 2 cm. thick patties and rolled it in about 100 gms. of Panko (chunky bread crumbs) then fried it hot oil until golden brown.
Makes at least 20 pcs.

That easy! Throw in some vegetable sticks and salad dressing in small dipping bowls. 

Tips: 
* If you want this to be adult-friendly, then add 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper to the mixture. 
* Fry it halfway, let it cool, and freeze them until ready to eat. You can then just put the thawed pieces in the oven until golden brown. 180 degs. C.
* Panko can be found in Asian shops. Used for Japanese cooking.      

Friday, January 25, 2013

Power Scrambled eggs



Another one from my previous blog site. Simply delish!

Ingredients and tools:

1. a small sauce pan
2. a wooden spoon
3. 2 eggs separated
4. garlic infused oil (if not available, just crush 1 clove of garlic and let it heat up inside the pan with the oil for 2 mins. take it out before putting the eggs)
5. a tbsp. of chives or chopped basil or chopped dill.



1. Heat up the pan in medium high, and pour about 1 tbsp. of oil. Swirl it around at least halfway up on the sides of the pan. (to keep the eggs from sticking)

My stove temp is 1 to 9. Medium high for me is 7.



2. Pour in the egg whites first. Keep stirring the egg whites to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. When the whites are about to coagulate    (runny) pour in the egg yolks.








3. Keep on stirring.








4. To gain a more fluffy texture, add about ½ tbsp. of butter. Keep stirring.






5. When the egg whites and yolks have been mixed, wait till the texture is crumbly but not stiff, then its ready. It has to be airy.




6. Topped with your favorite herbs, serve it with some tomatoes, and your favorite salad veggies, toast, or here, a freshly baked scone! Yum!!!

Syllabub


Found this from my old blog site, and thought you might wanna try.

Inspired by Nigellas Syllabub, I tried making the same with the liqueur I could find in my alc. cabinet. I found a cranberry and cherry liqueurs. And it was a huge success! So here it goes. I hope you enjoy this too.


1. Juice 1 lemon and strain the pulps and seeds, place the juice in the mixing bowl and add
3/4 cups of sugar.

2. Whisk in a 250 ml tub of Mascarpone cheese.

3. Add 1/4 cup (well... go nuts!) of cranberry or cherry liqueur and a 250 ml whipping cream. Continue to whisk until thick. Set aside.
 
5. Arrange 6 pcs. of dessert glasses. Crumble about 1 pc. of a vanilla biscuit to the bottom of each glass. Digestive will also do.




 

6. Layer it with the cream mixture about 1/2 inch thick.

7. Add a layer of raspberry sauce.

I used a small bag of frozen raspberry (if using fresh, you need about 1 ½ cups) run it in a food processor with about 1/4 cup sugar. Strain to get rid of the seeds. 
 
8. Add a thin layer of crumbled biscuit and almond flakes. (for texture)

9. Add another layer of cream.

10. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. Preparing this a day before,
works well.
 
11. Top with some cherries and some more almond flakes. Enjoy!!
 
 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Mallas Limppu


Malt Loaf
(Mallas Limppu)

This is one of the easiest loaf bread. I would actually bake this on a whim. This recipe is in deciliter, as this is what they normally use here in Finland. If you don't have a dl measuring cup, just use your ml.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

To make 1 big loaf:

500 ml warm milk or piima (buttermilk)
25 gms. fresh yeast (or half of the usual cube)
50 ml  dark syrup 
50 gms. melted butter
100 ml malt flour (1 dl)
150 ml rye flour (1.5 dl)
700 ml to 1000 ml of wheat flour (7 to 10 dl)
1 tsp. salt

* In the mixer bowl with hook attachments, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk/piima.
* In medium speed, slowly add syrup, melted butter, malt and rye flours.
* Continue to mix adding wheat flour 1 dl at a time, plus the salt. 
* No need to finish all the wheat flour (after the 7th), if the dough is already elastic, or when finger is pressed, it bounces back. 
* Mold the dough into one or two loaves depending on your tray.

I don't use the loaf tin for this. I like the way it looks as a free shaped loaf. It is quite compact, so
it holds its shape quite well. Be warned though, it swells twice its size. :)

Bake in a pre heated oven at 210 degs C. for 30 to 40 mins. lowest rack.

When done, brush the outer covering with butter then cover with aluminum foil for about 10 mins. before serving. 
 
Tips: 
~ serve with butter
~ with garlic infused olive oil and Spanish ham
~ salsa of tomato, onion, garlic and coriander
~ whatever your heart desires!   

 



Saturday, January 19, 2013

Baked eggs with Chorizo

Breakfast haven!



Been craving for this the past 3 mornings already. So today, I gathered up the ingredients and started cooking!

I have those medium sized flat ramekins I got from Ikea which are perfect for single servings. I brushed it all over with garlic infused 1.) olive oil. Then I placed a few thin slices of 2.) Spanish Chorizo before I cracked 3.) 2 eggs on top of it. I then added a few more slices of
4.) Spanish Chorizo on top of the eggs. Sprinkled some 5.) salt and pepper. Then off to broil (highest possible - and the top most rack) settings of the preheated oven for about 10 mins.





Once the eggs are set to your liking, take it our of the oven, top it with 6.) 1 tsp. of Creme fraiche (sour cream). Sprinkle a few finely chopped 7.) fresh rosemary (you can use parsley or dill, for as long as it is fresh). And some 8.) arugula leaves (for that nutty flavor).




Serve this with toast.