Buffet Spread for My Daughter's 5th Birthday

Ashrie celebrated her 5th Birthday yesterday and we hosted a simple dinner for close friends over the weekend. Along with her DIY birthday cake and cupcakes (both from The Icing Room), we served Mashed Potatoes, Pavlova, Baked Honey-Glazed Chicken wrapped in bacon, Seafood Salad Wrap, Roast Beef, and Roast Broccoli and Mushroom with Pine Nuts. All very simple and easy-to-make recipes.

So to my sweetie, Happy Birthday Ashrie! Daddy and I loves you very much!

Cheers!
Jane

Ube Halaya

Ube halaya (or haleya, or heleya) is definitely one versatile Pinoy sweet classic. You can use it as a main ingredient for ice cream and for baking that flavorful cake or bread, or make it as a topping for a refreshing halo-halo. You can even eat it with vanilla ice cream or use it as a jam for your favorite plain bread. And of course, eat it as it is as a dessert. The options are endless!

It's an easy recipe and a good exercise to build arm muscles because stirring the liquid mixture to become jam-like is indeed challenging. But looking at the bright side, you will be rewarded with yummy and colorful dessert (with no artificial coloring whatsoever). Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2kg purple sweet potato (8 cups when grated)
4 packs (800ml) coconut milk
2 cans condensed milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup cheese (grated)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup butter
1 tbsp margarine (for topping)

Procedure:
1. In a saucepan, boil the purple sweet potatoes until tender. (You can check if its cooked when you can easily stuck a fork in it.)
2. Grate the sweet potatoes.
3. In a wok over medium heat, combine coconut milk, condensed milk, butter and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When the sugar is melted, stir in the grated sweet potatoes and the vanilla extract. When it thickens, add the grated cheese. Continue stirring the mixture over low heat until it thickens like a jam.
4. Remove from fire and transfer it to individually-greased containers.
5. You can cover the containers once it cools and you can store it in the refrigerator.

It is best matched with macapuno or even kaong. And best served when it's cold!

Cheers!
Jane

Chocolate-Banana Pudding

Two of my daughter’s Jane’s Kitchen favorites are Brownies and Banana Cake. On the day we made this pudding, we neither had enough ripe bananas for a banana cake nor enough baking chocolate for Brownies. So we decided to make this Chocolate-Banana Pudding. It requires less of both ingredients but will definitely satisfy your cravings for both. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone! One tip, do not over-process the almonds so that there would still be something crunchy to the bite. It adds just the right amount of textural variety while eating the pudding.

Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firmly

2 large eggs

3/4  cup all-purpose flour

1/4  cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup evaporated milk

2/3 cup ground almonds

2 large ripe bananas, mashed

4 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven at 175 degrees Celsius.

2. In your electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until creamy.

3. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

4. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, cocoa and baking powder. Sift this dry ingredient mixture onto the butter mixture, add milk and beat until just combined.

5. Fold in the mashed bananas, chocolate and almonds.

6. Transfer the mixture to a greased baking pan and place it in a water bath. (Fill up the baking tray with hot water.) Cover the top of the baking pan with foil.

7. Baked in the oven for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the pudding comes out clean.

8. Remove from oven and let it cool a bit for about 10 minutes.

Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Jane

White Bread

I have always wanted to try baking white bread but only got the chance to try it last night, probably after watching Food Factory the other day. We tested Grandma VanDoren’s White Bread Recipe from www.allrecipes.com. It has hundreds of good reviews so it is worth a try. Very few of the comments suggested using lesser sugar and yeast but I followed the recipe as is.

The wet and dry proportions were just perfect to make a nice dough. The rising times are also faster than what I have on my previous bakes. It is cooked in 35 minutes and the top is still light brown. It also slides smoothly out of the baking pan. The bread was crisp outside but very soft and fluffy inside. The scent of the yeast is “overpowering” for me so I will have to reduce it next time. I only baked one loaf and placed the two other unbaked loaves in the freezer. These need to be thawed at room temperature and let the dough rise before baking in the oven. I also managed to make small Nutella and Peanut Butter Buns and they taste great as well!

Here’s the recipe that I will follow next time.

Ingredients:

3 cups warm water

1/2 cup white sugar

2 packets (11g each) active dry yeast

3 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 cups all-purpose flour

flour for kneading

Procedure:

1. Using your stand mixer, combine warm water, yeast, salt, vegetable oil, white sugar, and 4 cups flour. Mix it well. Set aside until it becomes foamy and doubled its size.

2. Add the remaining 4 cups flour, one cup at a time. Knead on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl turning once. Cover with a plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it doubled in size.

3. Punch down the dough and knead it a few times. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 equal parts depending on the size of your bread pan. Shape it into loaves and place it in the prepared baking pans. Cover loosely with plastic wrap until it doubled in size.

4. Butter the top or do an “egg wash” for a crispier or shinier top. It adds flavor too!

5. Bake at 175 degrees C preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Share and Enjoy,

Jane

Super-Soft Ensaymada

I was searching for ways to make a soft bread dough and I came across Kusina ni Manang’s Soft Ensaymada recipe. On her blog she shared the secrets of a soft dough – the addition of mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes to the recipe to retain the dough’s moisture, no kneading, and the use of shortening instead of butter.

So we tried her recipe yesterday and if you are looking for the softest bread, it would really not dissapoint. Taste-wise, you can adjust the amount of butter or margarine that you will spread on the rolls and put as much cheese as you want. The downside however was that the (uncooked) dough was so soft it was difficult to work on. And the time spent just for the dough to rise (excluding all the other preparations) was 4 hours in total! So you must plan your time well if you want to serve this.

We have yet to try the other half of the dough batch, which we made into our favorite, Cinnamon Rolls. It’s still on the fridge, already rolled and cling-wrapped. All we need to do is to thaw it a bit, let it rise for the last time and bake it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes! Yum!

Who wants to come and visit?

Cheers,
Jane

Lemon Delicious Pudding

This is, by far the most delightful lemon dessert that I’ve ever tried. I made it for the first time and it was a smashing success. Not to mention that I wanted to test my newly-bought ramekins, as well.

Also called Steamed Lemon Pudding, this recipe involves baking the dessert while the ramekins are half-submerged in water. This special procedure lends a puffy, crisp top and soft, saucy under layer. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup fresh milk 
6 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Grease six ramekins with butter or shortening. Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan and set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour and sugar.
3. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients, egg yolks and butter. Add in milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
4. Pour in the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk well until combined.
5. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form. With a spatula, fold in the egg white mixture into the cake batter.
6. Pour batter into prepared ramekins and add hot water to the roasting pan until the ramekins are dipped halfway its height.
7. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes until the top is puffy and golden. Remove from oven when done and let the ramekins cool on a wire rack.

Serve with whipped cream or powdered sugar on top, if desired.

Cheers,
Jane

Based on a recipe from Martha Stewart Food.

Banana Bundt Cake

I usually see Philippine bananas here in Singapore groceries. They are really in very good quality, I must say. The problem with imported bananas is that one day they are unripe, the next day they are overripe. So the “best time to eat” time is just a short period of time, usually a day. But thanks to this recipe, now we don’t have to be sorry for overripe bananas. Because that is what this recipe’s main ingredient is.

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Baked Chicken Adobo

It was raining heavily the other day that the clothes I have washed needed to be hung inside at the laundry area, (which is adjacent my kitchen) to dry. I have already planned to cook Adobo but I’m afraid doing this would give me an Adobo-scented clothes. The solution, bake the Chicken Adobo in the oven instead of cooking it on the stove. The result was excellent! Perfectly tender chicken in a rich soy and vinegar sauce. Try it!

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken thighs

1 onion, diced

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water

2 bay leaves

3 to 4 hardboiled eggs (optional)

seaweed flakes (optional)

Procedure:

1. In an oven-safe saucepan, marinate all ingredients except for the eggs and seaweed for at least an hour.

2. Bake in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 1 hour, checking once in a while if the sauce is getting too dry. Add water when necessary.

3. After an hour, remove from oven, drop in the eggs and garnish with seaweed flakes.

Serve with steamed white rice.

Cheers,

Jane

Apple-Cinnamon Cake

In places where there are four seasons, especially in the US, this recipe is best served in autumn or for Thanksgiving Day perhaps. And for us which only have two seasons, but still have an abundance of imported apples, every time is a good time to serve apple recipes. To add that apples are not as expensive as other fruits especially berries. Today, I will be sharing Apple-Cinnamon Cake, a moist, cinnamon-scented cake with juicy caramelized apples inside and out.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 green apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes

2 green apples, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges for the topping (optional)

4 large eggs

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (frosting)

Procedure:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

3. In another bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and eggs. To this, gradually pour in the dry mixture.

4. Fold in the apples. To avoid the “browning” of the apples drenched it in fresh lemon juice right after it is peeled and sliced.

5. Pour cake batter onto a baking pan. Arrange the apple wedges on top of the batter. Bake for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely before transferring to a plate.

For the frosting, simply sift confectioners’ sugar over the cake. Serve and enjoy!

Cheers,

Jane

Spanish Bread

Spanish bread is a bakeshop staple in the Philippines. It is best with coffee or your favorite soda and is a common Pinoy breakfast or merienda. Who would not love its creamy margarine and sugar filling and the soft crumby roll. This recipe is very similar to cinnamon rolls except for the filling and the style of rolling it. Also, instead of margarine I used butter. Here it goes…

Dough Ingredients:

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, sifted

1 pack active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm milk

1/4 cup warm water

1 fresh egg, lightly beaten

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

4 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Ingredients for the filling:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup bread crumbs and 2 tbsp brown sugar (for dredging)

 Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

2. In a small bowl or cup of warm water, add the yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Give it a stir. Set aside in a warm place for at least 5 minutes until foamy.

3. In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients- flour, sugar and salt.

4. Add the warm milk, butter, egg, and yeast mixture. Mix until it can be formed into a dough.

5. Place the dough on a on a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 minutes or until it becomes a smooth, elastic ball.

6. Put the dough on a grease bowl. Turn the dough once to cover all sides with grease. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place for at least 1 hour until it doubled in size.

While waiting for the dough to rise, you can start preparing the filling:

On a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy. On another bowl, mix the bread crumbs and brown sugar. Set both bowls aside.

7. After an hour, knead the dough for at least 2 minutes then divide into four 16 equal parts. Flatten the doughs into a rectangular shape about 3 x 5 inches in size.

8. Brush the dough with the prepared filling leaving about a centimeter from the edge. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Roll the dough from corner to corner.

9. Dredge the rolls into a bowl containing the breadcrumbs and sugar mixture. Place them (seam side down) on a greased or non-stick baking tray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Set aside for another 30 minutes.

10. Bake the rolls in the oven for least 20 minutes.

This recipe makes 16 yummy breads.

Cheers!

Jane

German Apple Cake

Apfelkuchen literally translates to apple cake in German. It’s a buttery, moist cake topped with delicious, caramelized apple wedges with a hint of cinnamon. The citrus taste of the green apple blends perfectly with the sweetness of the creamy cake batter. Here’s an easy-to-do recipe for German Apple Cake.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Granny Smith (green) apple, cubed and 3 Granny Smith apples, sliced into thin wedges in 2 separate bowls (both drenched with about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice to avoid the “browning” of apples during preparation time)

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix the butter and 1 cup sugar. Then, add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
4. To this, add in the flour mixture and beat well until fully blended. Fold in the cubed apples.
5. Pour this mixture into a baking pan.
6. In your bowl of sliced apple wedges, add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar and ground cinnamon. Toss the apples making sure that every slice is coated with the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Carefully arrange the apple wedges on top of the batter in overlapping rows, covering the entire pan.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until a successful toothpick test.

Serve warm with whipped cream.

Stay sweet,
Jane

Cinnamon Rolls

There is a certain joy when we prepare our own bread. Although this recipe is a bit challenging, especially when you’re doing it for the first time, it is really rewarding not to buy ready-made ones. Not to mention the lovely scent of cinnamon from the kitchen. Baking can also be good bonding time with kids. It’ll be as interesting as a science experiment as they watch the dough double in size right before their very eyes!

This is my third time to bake cinnamon rolls and so far, this recipe has delivered the tastiest and softest bread.

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Pineapple Upside Down Cake

With origins dating back from the 1920s, Pineapple Upside Down Cake has been an all-time favorite. It is usually served during Thanksgiving or Christmas because of its lovely, lantern-like top. The combination of the light buttery cake and the sweet, citrusy caramelized pineapple topping is perfect not only for the holidays but anytime of the year. And what festivity it brought to our home when I prepared it this July!

The most common arrangement for the topping is placing down the pineapple slices and then putting a cherry on the center of each, but for this recipe, I lay down the fruit slices from the pan’s edge going to the center creating a rosette arrangement and then closing with one ring on the center accentuated with bright red cherries.

Ingredients for the Topping:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 can pineapple slices (cut into quarters)

Maraschino cherries (cut into halves)

Procedure for the Topping:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir the sugar and butter until the mixture is dissolved. Let it simmer for a while without stirring. Remove from heat when you begin to see bubbles forming around the edges. Then, while the mixture is still hot, pour into the baking pan making sure the bottom is fully coated. Let it cool.

2. Arrange the pineapple slices over the butter and sugar mixture in whatever design you want.

This is how my baking pan looks after the fruit slices have been placed.



Ready for the cake batter! 

Ingredients for the Cake Batter:

1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup white caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

1/2 cup full cream fresh milk

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Procedure for the Cake Batter:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl.

3. Using your electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar. Add vanilla extract. In portions, add the egg yolks, flour mixture, and milk, beating well after every addition. Set aside.

4. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in another mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Then fold this egg white mixture into the flour mixture.

5. Pour the batter carefully into the baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted.

6. Once cooked, remove the pan from oven let it cool.

7. Invert the pan on a serving plate or cake stand and serve hot with whipped cream.

Serve warm with a cup of tea! Makes 8 servings.

Until then,

Jane

This is based from joyofbaking.com’s original recipe.

Baked Minced Meat Omelette

For my first recipe, I am sharing a classy take on the famous Filipino dish Tortang Giniling. Usually pan-fried and sometimes fried between banana leaves for easy flipping. However, my version does not include the dreaded flipping because it is baked like a pie.

Here are the ingredients:

500 grams minced meat

1 large carrot, diced

1 large potato, diced

1 medium-sized onion, minced

Quarter of medium-sized cabbage

3 cloves garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable oil for sautéing

4 eggs, beaten

Cheese for topping (optional)

Parsley flakes for garnish (optional)

  

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. In a skillet, sauté garlic and onion.

3. Add in the carrots and potatoes.

4. When the potatoes are already half-cooked, add the meat. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Add the cabbage.

6. Set this aside and let it cool.

7. In a mixing bowl of beaten eggs, pour in this cooled mixture. Stir until all the ingredients are incorporated.

8. Transfer the mixture into a pie baking dish. Top with cheese and bake it for about 30 minutes or after a successful toothpick test.

9. Garnish with parsley flakes.

Serve hot with rice with your favorite condiment. Alternatively, you can eat it as a cheesy meat and vegetable pie.

This can serve 6 to 8 persons.

Cheers!

Jane