Mango Custard Tart

24 August 2010 Labels: , , 10 comments

Mango Custard Tart

MANGO CUSTARD TART


Mangoes are my favorite fruit. If you have never tasted Philippine mangoes then you have not tasted the BEST mangoes in the world. There is something special with mangoes grown in the Philippines. It is very sweet, has perfect yellow flesh with no strings whatsoever. I remember when we went to the Philippines in 2003, dh tasted Philippine mangoes for the first time and he was hooked. The mangoes we have here in the US are all grown in Mexico. They have this variety called Champagne which looks similar to the Philippine mango but the similarity ends there. The taste does not even come close to the original.

I made this mango custard from Champagne mangoes. The batch that I got was bad and I was very disappointed. Since I already tried making mango ice cream, I decided to try this mango custard recipe from the cruise ship recipe book I purchased when we went on a Mexican Riviera cruise. So what's the verdict? It is very good. If you are into custards and mangoes, then you will like this dessert. I didn't have a tart pan so I used a regular pie plate. I omitted the brandy since I want this to be kid-friendly.
Mango Custart Tart
MANGO CUSTARD TART

1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp milk
6 tbsp whipping cream
3/4 cup mango puree
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp Napoleon brandy
1 (9-inch) frozen pie shell

1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350F. In a small saucepan, bring sugar, milk and whipping cream to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat, cool slightly.
Add mango puree, eggs, egg yolks and brandy. Whisk until well mixed and eggs are completely mixed in. Strain mixture into pie shell. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until custard is set. Cool completely. Refrigerate until serving.

In a small bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff. Cut pie into slices. Pipe whipped cream rosette on each slice.

*Note: One ripe medium mango should yield about 3/4 cup puree.

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Fresh Lumpia (Vegetable Roll)

08 April 2009 Labels: , , , 9 comments

Fresh Lumpia This fresh Lumpia is one of my favorite vegetable roll, the other one being Lumpia Ubod (Heart of Palm). This lumpia is mostly vegetable with a little bit of pork and/or shrimps. You can put almost any vegetable you prefer in it, you're the cook, why not? I'm sure there are many variations of this dish just like any other Philippine dish. Mine came from my mom, of course. For the wrapper, I use a regular crepe batter and make it with my crepe maker. If you don't have a crepe maker, you can use a non-stick pan to make it. In the Philippines, some people use the regular Lumpia wrapper sold in the wet market.

FRESH LUMPIA

Filling:

1/2 cup pork, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup shrimps, chopped
1 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste (or fish sauce instead of salt)
1/4 cup chicken broth
*all these vegetables are cut into thin and short strips
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 cup string beans or snow pea
1 cup potatoes
1 cup carrots
1 cup singkamas (jicama)
1 cup cabbage


Heat oil and pre-cook the sliced potatoes, set aside. Saute garlic and onions until limp. Add pork and saute until cooked. Add shrimps and season with salt and pepper or fish sauce. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and the rest of the vegetables except the cooked potatoes. Saute until the vegetables are done but not over-cooked. Drain and let cool down.





Fresh_Lumpia_veggies Fresh_Lumpia_wrapper


Wrapper:
3 large eggs
1 cup cornstarch
2 tbsp. cooking oil
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp sugar

Whisk the eggs, sugar and water. Add the cornstarch and whisk until well blended. Heat the non-stick pan and brush with a small amount of oil. Depending on the size of the crepe you want to make, pour the right amount on the heated pan. Tip the pan to spread the batter thinly. When the edges begin to separate from the pan, the crepe is done. Repeat until all the batter is used.


Sauce:
3 cups water
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cornstarch diluted in 1 tbsp water
ground peanuts, chopped (optional)
3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

Mix all ingredients except the diluted cornstarch. Cook until it boils, lower heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and mix. Cook until thickened. Add peanuts and garlic in the sauce or if you prefer, sprinkle these on top of the wrapped lumpia and sauce when ready to serve.

Fresh_Lumpia1


To serve:
Use one crepe and place a piece of lettuce on one side. Add the right amount of filling on top of the lettuce. Fold the bottom part over and then fold the sides of the crepe. Secure with a toothpick.

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Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies

29 March 2009 Labels: , , , 5 comments

Chewy_Chocolate_Chip_CookiesCHEWY JUMBO CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

I had been searching for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe for a long time now. I've had a lot of flops and mediocre cookies, the recipes of which I got from the internet. There was a time when the cookie was as flat as a lace cookie. The dough just melted when it was baking. What a disaster! All I wanted was a chocolate chip cookie that is not dry and one that doesn't crumble into pieces when you bite into it. I wanted a cookie that is chewy and moist. I wasn't planning on using this recipe, I had another recipe I wanted to try. I actually found this recipe by accident. It was printed inside the box of Land O Lakes butter. This recipe yields about 26 jumbo cookies. That's right, it is huge. Of course, you can make it into whatever size you prefer, just adjust the baking time. After tasting this chocolate chip cookie, I knew that my search is over for the perfect recipe.


4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups butter, softened (3 sticks)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (12-oz bag)

- Heat oven to 375F. Combine flour, baking power and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
- Combine softened butter, sugar and brown sugar in a bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture until well mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Drop dough by 1/4 cupfuls, 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until light golden brown. Do not overbake. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets.

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Crispy Sweet and Sour Pork

24 March 2009 Labels: , , , , , 3 comments

Sweet and Sour Pork

SWEET AND SOUR PORK
I tried a lot of recipes for the batter to use for the dish Sweet and Sour and let me tell you, there are a lot of recipes that doesn't hold up to the sauce. What you'll usually end up with is a soggy mess with the batter falling off the viand. The good news is, I found a batter recipe that stays put. It is a lot of work so if you don't like a recipe with a lot of steps, my advice is to order out from the Chinese restaurant down the road. The batter is deep fried twice for extra crispiness. (I know, some of you will cringe but hey, you're only supposed to have this dish once in a while, not every week.) In lieu of pork, you can substitute chicken, shrimps or fish. If you are diabetic, you can substitute splenda (just add it at the end of the cooking steps for the sauce.)



Sweet and Sour Shrimps SWEET AND SOUR SHRIMPS


SWEET AND SOUR
Serves 4-6
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1 small bell pepper, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 cup all prupose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp beaten egg mixed with enough water to make 1/2 cup
1 tsp cooking oil
1/2 lb pork, cut into 1-inch or smaller cubes
1 tsp dry sherry or cooking wine
1/4 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste
Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup catsup
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 1/2 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup water
cooking oil for deep frying

- Parboil carrots in boiling water for 1 minute. Add the bell peppers. When it comes back to boil, drain and rinse in cold water to stop cooking.

- Add the pineapple to the veggies and set aside.
- Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, egg mixture and oil in a bowl. Mix until well-blended. The batter will be like a thick paste. Set aside.

- Mix the pork, sherry, salt and pepper. Set aside.

- In a deep pan, heat oil to a temperature of 375F to 400F. This is very important so the batter will not soak up too much oil.

- Dip the marinated pork into the batter and coat completely.
- Carefully drop the battered pork into the oil, a piece at a time.

- Fry until golden brown.
- Remove the browned pork and dry on paper towels and let cool.

- Mix the sugar, catsup, soysauce, salt and water in a saucepan.

- Bring to a boil and add the vinegar. Do not stir. Let boil for 10 minutes.

- Stir in the cornstarch/water solution. Cook until the sauce thickens.

- Add the vegetables and pineapples to the sauce. Add 1 tsp. of hot oil from the deep-fry pan to give the sauce a shine.


- While preparing the sauce, reheat the oil to 400F for the second frying.

- Add the cooked pork and fry until the pieces are heated and crisped.

- Drain on paper towels.
- Serve with the sweet and sour sauce poured on top.


TIPS:
- You can make the pork in advance. After the first frying, you can keep in the refrigerator or in the freezer for a few days. Thaw first before frying for the second time.

- The oil can be re-used if kept in the refrigerator.



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