Suman sa Lihiya

Suman sa Lihiya or we can call it Sweet Steamed Rice Cake is a very Pinoy merienda. It brought childhood nostalgia to guests when we served it during our YearEnder party for 2015 at home.

It looks difficult to do but was actually simple once you got the secret ingredient at hand which is the lihiya or Lye Water. Here in Singapore, we were able to purchase it from Sheng Siong Supermarket.

Here's the recipe divided into three parts. The Suman (rice cake), The Sweet Sauce and the Latik.

Ingredients for the Latik:
1 cup Coconut Milk (first pressing)

Procedure for the Latik:
In a skillet on medium heat, bring the coconut milk a boil and until all the liquid has evaporated. When it is starting to solidify and brown, stir for it to cook evenly. The latik should be golden brown or darker before draining all the coconut oil. This will make it crispy which is a good texture in contrast with the sweet sauce and the chewy rice cake.

Ingredients for the Suman:
2 1/2 cups glutinous rice
2 teaspoons Lye Water
3 cups Water
Pinch of Salt
Banana Leaf (for wrapping)

Procedure for the Suman:
1. Soak the glutinous rice in water for 1 hour. Rinse thoroughly and drain well.
2. Add the lye water and a pinch of salt.
3. In a saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil, then add the glutinous rice mixture. Mix continually until the rice mixture is thick and chewy and the mixture is sticking to the pan.
4. Spoon about 2 tbsp of rice mixture onto a banana leaf. Wrap and secure with a string. You may use the coconut oil from the latik to prevent the suman from sticking to the leaf. I will add flavor too.
5. Steam for an hour.

Ingredients for the Sweet Sauce:
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Muscovado Sugar
1 cup Coconut Cream

Procedure for the Sweet Sauce:
In a saucepan on medium heat, mix all the ingredients. Bring to a boil until sauce is thick, creamy and all are incorporated evenly and without lumps.

Served unwrapped, drizzled with sweet sauce and smothered with latik. Makes 6-10 servings depending on the size of the suman.

Enjoy!
Jane

Homemade Avocado Ice Cream

Now this is one of the easiest, simplest ice cream recipe you can follow. It only has only three basic ingredients but it's really creamy and delicious. And above all, it's homemade and healthy! You gotta try this!

Ingredients:

6 ripe avocados

1 small can Nestlé Cream or any all-purpose cream

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 can Evaporated Milk (optional) 

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, cut the avocados in half, remove the seeds and spoon out the meat.

2. Pour out the all-purpose cream and the condensed milk.

3. Mix them all together using an electric hand mixer until your preferred consistency (because some like it chunky).

4. Add evaporated milk (or water) if the mixture is too thick.

5. Transfer the mixture in a plastic container with lid and put in the fridge until frozen.

After a few hours, you can now enjoy your yummy dessert!

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

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.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

When I shared some of my dishes in Facebook, I received a request from a friend, she asked for Brownies!

Actually, it is not at all difficult to imagine what your brownies will taste like after baking because all will be dependent on the taste of your main ingredient, chocolate. So it is of utmost importance to buy baking chocolates of premium quality to achieved that desired brownie taste. Nuts and chocolate chips are also good but optional.

And lastly, it is beautifully presented in a box because we are officially launching Jane’s Kitchen Shop! Now you can order your cakes and breads from us. It’s all the home-baked goodness of your favorites. Give it as a special present or share it with the family. You can send me an email for more inquiries.

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Baked Leche Flan

Leche Flan (Spanish) which literally translates to milk pudding is a classic, well-loved dessert from the Philippines. It is usually steamed but this recipe is oven-baked. Still, the result is that soft, creamy, melts-in-your mouth texture. The success lies in the perfect timing of removing it from the oven and allowing the remaining heat to cook the flan. It is the perfect thing to cook after the Pavlova because of the unused egg yolks of the meringue-based dessert.

Ingredients for the custard:

10 egg yolks

1 can condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh milk

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

3/4 cups brown sugar

For the toppings: (Optional)

Kiwi

Cherry

Or any citrus fruit

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, dissolve the sugar until it is caramelized into a golden brown syrup. Carefully transfer into your baking pan covering its entire bottom.

3. In a mixing bowl, cream together the egg yolks and both the condensed and fresh milk. Add the lemon zest.

4. Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking pan with the caramelized sugar and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for at least 45 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and let it cool.

6. Transfer to a serving platter by flipping the baking pan upside down. Top with you fruit of choice.

Regards,

Jane

Pavlova

The first time I made a Pavlova, Eds blogged about it his blog, Me&MyGirls. Below is an excerpt from his post:

Dating back from the 1920's, and named after the great Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova, this dessert has been loved by millions with its lightness, subtle sweetness, and the simplicity of the recipe. It's a meringue-based dessert with cream and fruit topping. A successful pavlova has a meringue that is crisp on the outside and a soft, chewy, marshmallowy center. Both Australia and New Zealand claim ownership of the first dish creation but latest research shows it might probably be from the latter. But who cares, this dessert, beyond any shadow of a doubt, tastes just as heavenly as it sounds.

Many chefs fail in making the meringue beautiful, avoiding cracks. But as this dish has a cream frosting and fruit topping, it hides the flaws while making it look like a cake. So it's okay if the meringue cracks, as long as you make sure it tastes good.

After that, we had many pavlovas on different occasions. And this would probably my fourth. It’s easy-to-do, it’s fruity, and most of all, Ashrie love it when I make pavlova because she can eat the crunchy meringue flakes on top.

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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

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.