Low Calorie Dinner and Cute Ducklings

My cooking today had nothing to do with a mother duck and cute ducklings.. just that I woke up today with these cute chicklets all over the garage. Reminds me of Daisy Duck and those ducklings looking identical to Donald Duck!

I was wondering, are the ducklings feeling cold? Saw them hiding under their mother's butt. Waaaa! cute! They do this all the time, so funny noh?

Leaving the ducklings aside, my mission for today is to prepare a yummy dinner in celebration of my brother's return in the Church..prior to this day, my brother was disowned by our Church.. it took 10 years before he decided to come back and change for real. T'was an answered prayer and effective today he is Iglesia Ni Cristo.

Mango and Spiced Roasted Chicken

I love Jerked Chicken, the lightly charred flavor of grilled Chicken marinated in Jamaican spices, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg and garlic. But I wanted to do something different so I decided to make a different version.The weather is so humid and hot today so I thought of roasting the chicken instead of grilling.

I held my chef's knife and butchered like a boss, I mean I don't do that usually hehe. But I'm happy I was able to butcher 3 whole chickens after a long time of not trying, feels good. I decided to take the back bone and split the chicken into half to cut the roasting time...

Pat dry the chicken and season generously with salt and pepper, then prepare the marinade...mix olive oil, spices and the mango juice, let the chicken sit and marinate for atleast 30 mins. and roast for 50-60 mins at 350F

Mango and Spiced Roasted Chicken

1 pc whole Chicken, butterflied

240 ml Olive Oil

240ml fresh Guimaras Mango shake

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Five Spice

as needed Salt

as needed Pepper

Toasting the spices before rubbing into the chicken makes a better aroma, especially if the the spices are bought ground already, toasting it brings back the aroma and flavor as if a zombie is resurrected. Also let the spices rub well into the chicken before adding the mango puree since oil and water doesn't mix together

Then I decided to saute vegies in a little olive oil and finish with skimmed milk. I'm telling you I love buttered corn & carrots but I had to cut fat out.

Sugarfree Buko Pandan Salad

Then I made a sugarfree version of Buko Pandan to cap the occasion. Buko Pandan Salad is made usually with All Purpose Cream, Condensed Milk and Sugar.. then I made modififcations

Sugarfree Buko Pandan Salad

500ml skimmed milk
60ml Isomalt sugar substitute
3pcs Coconut meat, shredded
3 pcs Coconut juice
3oz Green gulaman
3 stalks Pandan leaves
1 jar Nata de Coco

Happy Trick or Treat! Puss in Boots here, in spirit of being a Muningning..kids who say ''TWIT O TWIT!!''  are ♥!

Books Worth to Invest On

I looooove books, I'm not a bookworm but I'm a good researcher. One of the skills I learned from joining competitions is how to research on flavors, components, textures etc. Great books contributed to the ''stuffs''(personal techniques, knowledge and experiences) I share to my friends and contributed a lot to my winnings. Internet is so wide, but books have this ''ka-pow'' that makes you sit awhile and say ''U-HUH''. Though I don't have a copy of all of these because these are expensive hard bounds..Kuya Ferds, the school library assistant proclaimed me as the Library Princess, Chef Annali is the Library Queen. Claiming he never met anyone else stayed between the shelves for straight 8 hours.

These are all my favorites, they are so worth the money, the time, and tells a lot of new, creative, some modern, some classic ideas. Perfect!

If Mims is for RN's and MD's,The Flavor Bible is the bible for chefs and chefs-to-be. This winner book shows arrays of different ingredients, their flavors, seasonality, tips and flavor affiliations. Really perfect for researching.

Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen and Advance Baking & Pastry by Michel Suas are great reference for beginners, includes classic recipes and methods, high definition photos and classic techniques.

Alinea by Chef Grant Achatz, shows distinctly modern recipes and molecular gastronomy. The photos and platings are so beautiful that it leaves every reader with the question, ''How did that happen?''

I love Chef Johnny Iuzzini, from his hair, fierce eyes and killer smile up to this book. I bought his book Dessert Fourplay over a year ago, this is a rare find so I bought it instantly. What else can I say, this book created lots of gold medalist, I was once. Thanks Johnny!

The Grand Finale has three editions, more of modernist-architectural desserts, not really elaborate but classic in methods. These books are my ABAKADA.

Frozen Desserts from the Culinary Institute of America and Desserts from Le Cordon Bleu are great reference for cold desserts from Ice creams, Sorbets, Granite, Mousses, Bavarois, Parfait and Bombes, name it!

Chocolates & Confections by Chef Peter Greweling, those pretty bon bons and confections are so inspiring that upon scanning this book, I fell in love with it and borrowed so many ideas from this hard bound. It's so fascinating that I also want to become a Chocolatier before I turn 30.

I love Pierre Herme as much as I love Johnny, he is my dessert patron. I just want to work with him, meet him and learn from him. I also borrowed so many ideas from him, somehow he is the Paul Bocuse of my inner Julia Child.

Couture Wedding Cakes is a compilation of aesthetically wonderful cakes, the designs are intricate and the photos shows how clean and neat the pieces are, a finesse a.k.a skill needed for every Cake makers.

The Knives At Dawn, is a must read for every competition chefs, frustrated chefs, aspiring chefs, and chefs who want to learn more. Tells the journey of Team USA to that elusive Bocuse d'Or  2009 championship. The sayings are so overwhelming, reading the pages as if you are a witness to that competition. Being a competition person myself, I recommend this book for all my fellow cheflings.


The list is endless, as years go by for sure I will add more on my list. But let me remind you that ''Copying is different from borrowing ideas,Copying is done by a person without integrity, the latter is by a learner'' -Chef David Pardo de Ayala

Cake Pops 101

For my second cake pops stint, I was asked by my NSTP teacher Ms. Liza Morales to make cake pops for about 150 kids for our mass feeding program. Since the class is on a budget, Eldrin and I decided to make the cake pops as a donation. Who wouldn't like a cake pop? and who wouldn't like to make one for a cause?

My journey in making this project is a little harder than the first time, because I accidentally bought two packs of dyed popsicle sticks, we had to buy about 75 pieces of balloon sticks and have them saw into three pieces each stick through the meat slicer  by Sir Mel, the school's purchaser. Thank God we are a little creative!

My pride to present to you my  Devil's Food cake recipe <3  I love baking using measuring cups and measuring spoons, it feels so homely and calm. Just don't lose your self while counting the cups!

2 cups Butter

4 1/2 cups Sugar

8 pcs Eggs

3 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups Unsweetened Cocoa

4 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp coffee diluted in 3 cups warm water

The method is the classic Creaming Method where you have to cream the butter and sugar using the paddle attachment until the butter gets light and fluffy and the sugar crystals finer. Then add the eggs at a time,after all the eggs are added, fold in the sifted dry ingredients in batches, in your every addition mix the batter lightly but not until it is fully combined.

As you notice, in this recipe there is a lot of dry ingredients. Having the Cocoa, a primary absorbent ingredient, your mixture will be dry as you add your dry ingredients in batches. When you finished about half add the coffee with the remaining dry ingredients in alternate sequence.Let it whip until just combined but spongy.

Bake in a rectangular brownie pan lined with parchment at 350 F for 50 to 60 mins. -- Since this cake is not low fat type like chiffon, it can sit but I recommend to let it sit inside the chiller so as it bakes in the oven it springs better as if a souffle when chilled before baking.

Then there's my Hot Chocolate again from my previous entry,Tsokolate-Eh. The taste is up to you, me I want it a little sweet with defined characteristic of Tsokolate-Eh; rich and creamy. You will need;Milk or Cream with water, Sugar and Cocoa

Divide the cake into four parts and break them into crumbs. Add the Tsokolate-Eh until the crumbs is moist enough to come together. 

Scoop about 30g each and round them into balls. And yes! They look like those cute munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts. Freeze or chill them until just firm.Don't freeze them into hard pops!

ooohh-la-la!

Simmer a pot of water and melt a batch of Milk Chocolate over bain marie. Dip about 1/4 inch of the sticks and slide them into the pops. my first cake pop stint here

When the chocolate dries, dip it on a batch of melted Chocolate.Let the chocolate go around the pops and never swirl the pops around or it will slide off the stick.  Let the excess chocolate go off by tapping the stick with your finger. Sprinkle the pops with candy sprinkles before it dries.

remember, skewer each pops only halfway or it will break. Each pops will also break if not moist enough, and if your chocolate is not yet set.

voila! nom nom

It was a group effort! Thanks to my group mates Eldrin, Mimi and Chan. Our committee head James, and Paulo and Jv for helping out <3

SALLY ALL THE WAY!

fingers crossed for Chef Sally Camacho on Top Chef Just Desserts Season 2!

I instantly became a fan! I'm really proud of her as a Filipina to make it in TCJD, an epitome of Filipina conquering the International food scene, making Filipino flavors and cuisine known world wide. You go girl!

1. a fellow ACF member

2. she is a competition person too

3. she is pure Filipina

YEY!

She is still in! You are such an inspiration to every women in the kitchen, just so to me Chef Sally. I hope to meet you someday. Goodluck to you! You can make it. 

chefsallycamacho.blogspot.com

Ella and Ezra's First Cupcakes =P

Ezra, 10 years old and Ella, 6 years old are my nieces... always ecstatic about the stuffs I bake, I decided to let them give a hand on my today's agenda. -- Girl scouts should know their basic baking to get their baking badge =P

Ella's work; A batch of Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ezra's work; A batch of Moist Tsokolate-Eh

My recipe is not actually weird, it's just that people are not used to using and eating vinegar with their desserts. Yes, vinegar. Cane vinegar to be exact, what I love about cane vinegar is the tanginess and right balance it gives. Acid is an ingredient in Pastries in order to get that balance of sweetness and a little kick. Other acids used in baking are cream of tar tar, lemon juice, lime juice, sour cream, buttermilk, yoghurt, etc.

I was pleased with the end result as I get good comments about this recipe I made in one try. I was able to sell each cupcakes for 35 Pesos. hehehe

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh milk
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring --omit for the Tsokolate-Eh cupcakes
• 1 teaspoon cane vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tsokolate-Eh is a famous Filipino hot chocolate concoction described as rich and thick chocolate drink, it was even featured in Dr. Jose P. Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. The key to a good Tsokolate-eh is fresh milk and tablea or cocoa. nom nom nom

The secret to a moist cake is Imbibing. For a batch of cupcakes about 1 cup of warm Tsokolate-Eh will do.The glaze is made with the same mixture but made thicker, as it cools down it will thicken more enough to glaze the cupcakes.

Taddaahhhh!!!! 

 Moist Tsokolate-Eh cupcake 

Cream  cheese frostings tend to be loose and hard to pipe, if you add to much sugar you will then lose the flavor of Cream cheese. A Cream cheese frosting should taste like it is with Cream cheese, Sugar is not a flavor.

450g Powdered sugar
1/2 c butter
1cup Creamcheese
to taste Cane Vinegar

nom..nom..nom..

 Red Velvet cupcake with Cream cheese and Cane Vinegar frosting and Cherry pop rocks 

waaaa.. a cupcake monster