Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Christmas is just around the corner, and I feel like its passing me by. The past weeks have been so frantic that I didnt realize I was behind with my gift-shopping until its already the Little Bee's start of Chistmas break. I suddenly bolted to reality when I still didnt have gifts for her teachers. And since I vowed to give homemade food-gifts this year, I set out to do the task ahead. So last night, I slept so late making these cookies to make it in time for the Bee's morning class. These cookies are chewy, though a bit greasy for me. I will ease up on butter the next time around. I would have wanted the peanut butter to be a bit more pronounced. But overall, I'm happy with the results - its chewy and crunchy at the same time and I can imagine it's best paired with warm milk just before tucking in for the night. There's something about these cookies that just evokes warmth - could it be the Yuletide season?

Peanut-Butter Chocolate-Chunk Cookies

Freely adapted from MarthaStewart.com

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

6 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks, coarsely chopped (I used Callebaut mini dark chips)

Heat the oven to 350F. In an electric mixer, cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and mix on medium speed until well-combined. Sift flour and baking soda together, then add to the butter mixture, beatinf just to combine. Fold in chocolate chunks.

Using a spoon, scoop out 1 1/2 ounces of the cookie dough to an ungreased baking sheet. Press down slightly to flatten. Bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container up to two weeks.

The first batch I made was so lousy coz I placed a big scoopful and didnt leave enough spaces between each cookie. This certain cookie dough can spread too widely in the sheet, so be careful with the spacing. Also, I found that waiting 18-20 minutes resulted in a burned bottom, so I suggest taking it out at 15 minutes instead. The original recipe says it makes 14 cookies, but on double-recipe I easily whipped out some 50 pieces.

I found some tin cans in Christmas colors, which came in handy for the packaging. I sure hope the teachers were happy with it :)

Royce' Chocolates!

Royce Chocolates!!! I can't contain my excitement when this was sent to me by an uber-thoughful couple who are also my clients. It's the first time Im tasting this much-talked about confection, which is considered the Rolls-Royce of chocolates. Japan is actually not only known for their high-tech inventions, but for their chocolates as well - and Royce' is considered to be the best.

It came in small squares wrapped individually, apparently to keep the chocs from sticking together as they are very sensitive to heat and melts easily. I grabbed one, and immediately was captured by a cocoa aroma so strong it feels like the purest of chocolates. The texture factor was the best, it simply just melts in the mouth in the most delightful way. And the taste lingers long after you've finished a piece.

The fact that it's not available in Manila makes this all the more appealing. I know of people hoarding this whenever they go to Singapore or Hongkong, although I didn't and frankly it's only because I didn't know any better back then. On my next trip, I will definitely be one of the hoarders. Now, if only someone will gift me with their chocolate-covered potato chips, my Christmas will be super! *wink wink*

Guyabano (Soursop) Jam

Guyabano is also known as soursop or guanabana. It is a delish fruit that grows only in the tropics. Its green leathery spiky skin belies the white fleshy pulp that lies within, at once sour and sweet. Having seen a Mangosteen Jam available in the market, I thought a guyabano might make a wonderful jam too - knowing that its is fleshier than mangosteen.

I was wandering through the market early Saturday when I spied this and immediately thought of making jam. I had to wait 3 days though before I felt that its ripeness is ready. When I opened, i found it was too sweet with not enough tartness a jam should have. Luckily, I had some lemons which came in handy.

Guyabano Jam

About 3 cups guyabano

2 cups white sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

Remove flesh pulp from the skin and place in a big pot. Add sugar and lemon and mix well. Put to a boil, and then to a rolling simmer for about 30 minutes. I actually did the saucer trick from the Domestic Goddess book of Ms. Nigella Lawson, which is to put a sacuer in the freezer before you start - then check for jam doneness by putting a little in the cold saucer. Ms. Lawson said if it wrinkles, then its done. Didnt work for me though, I was too impatient I think to wait for it to be done. In the end, I had a jam that looked so pale but tasted great nonetheless. With butter and toasted bread, my breakfast this morning was simply delicious!

Plum Crumble

Plum crumble is one of the favorite things I like to bake. The gurgling redness of the baked plums is so irresistibly attractive and yumm. I also trick myself into thinking it is a healthy dessert, being fruit based and baked. Add to that it is so incredibly easy to make, with very little washing to do after. I brought this to a potluck Christmas party with friends I have known all my life. Being friends that long means I can never get away with criticisms with my cooking/baking, no matter how constructive they are. But this particular one, they like it to bits! One comment was that it is not cloyingly sweet, and has some tartness to it that's just so appealing. Another friend has been asking the whole night what went into the crumble.

Although we didnt have some that night, this is best eaten with vanilla ice cream and still fresh out of the oven. Whipped cream would be great too, though I can imagine the calories would be too noticeable to ignore. I also finally was able to use my baking dishes as shown, which I got for a song at the outlet store.

Plum Crumble

From Marketmanila, adapted from Martha Stewart

1 kilo plums

Half a lemon

1/2 cup white sugar

2 tbs cornstarch

butter, for greasing

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups cold butter, cut into small squares

1/2 cup old fashioned oats (I used rolled oats)

Cut plums into eighths and place in your greased oven-proof bowl, pitted but with skins on. Spritz with lemon and add 1/2 cup of white sugar and the cornstarch. Toss gently.

To make the crumble, mix together flour, 2 sugars, cinnamon and salt. Mash the mixture with the cold butter until it resembles an uneven crumble. Do not overwork the butter or it will melt. Mix in the oats.

Sprinkle the crumble over the plums unevenly. Make sure to put it evenly or a little bit heavier on the sides as it might sink in the middle. Bake at 375F until the juices are gurgling and the crumble is golden brown. Mine took about 40 minutes.

I will try this with another fruit next time, perhaps some peaches as Marketman suggests, or pears. The crumble is a winner by itself, so any fruit you fancy I'm sure will work well with this recipe. Definitely a keeper :-)

Homemade Granola Bars (Crumble)

It may be a granola alright, but definitely not a granola bar/square. With Em buying so much of the expensive Quaker Granola Bar in an attempt to munch on healthy snacks in the office, I decided to make a healthier, less expensive version. Not much success though, as you would have guessed by now based on the pic. While it tasted great, even better than the commercial ones if I may say so myself - I couldn't get it to stick together properly. I slice, and it will just crumble right off the pan. What could I be doing wrong? Perhaps too much butter in the recipe? Or lacking in honey? Perhaps I should have added rice krispies? Yah, that should have done the trick. If anyone has any idea, I'd be glad to hear it. In the meantime, here's the recipe. I aptly now call it the GRANOLA CRUMBLE.

You will need:

1 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconuts
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup nuts, sliced into small pcs (I used an assortment)
1 cup dried fruits (I used dried cranberries, raisins, apricots)

Place oats, coconut, sesame seeds, and the nuts in a baking sheet. Roast in preheated (300C) oven for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, simmer honey, butter and sugar together in a pan until sugar is dissolved and it is brought to a soft boil. Take off heat and add the vanilla.

Remove oat mixture from the oven and transfer to a square baking pan. Add the fruits and stir well. Pour honey mixture over it making sure it is well dispersed. Press firmly in the pan, and bake for another 20 minutes.

Take out of the oven. Wait to cool a bit then slice into squares. Wait until completely cool before removing the squares from the pan. Wrap individually in foil if desired, or store in an airtight container up to two weeks.

Persimmons

Sometimes called 'kaki' or 'caqui' in Spanish, persimmon is a fruit that grows only 3 months in a year. Seems this is the time of the year, and so several fruit vendors are now carrying it in the markets. This is not common in the Philippines, and I first saw this in a roadside while walking in the streets of Hong Kong two years ago. Today, Manila's markets are vibrant with different fruits and veggies reaching our shores like never before.

It was a nice surprice when I saw this in my office desk as a gift yesterday. Soft and supple, and having been told that it it best eaten a bit chilled, I immediately placed it in the ref at home. After two hours, I got the ripest of the lot and ate sans any condiments. It was a delight, somewhat a cross between a plum and orange with the texture of a tomato. I know, i know... doesnt make sense but that's just the best way I can describe it. I imagine it a nice addition to a salad with light vinaegrette. Searching the net, I even found a cookie recipe with persimmons, although I wouldn't really go that far.

The Great Spanish Deli

These are just some photos I took inside a favorite deli. There are rows and rows of different kinds of olives, olive oil, spanish sardines, a whole stand devoted to cheese (parmigiana-reggiano included!), blood sausages, jamon serranos. Wow, it was dizzying - in a good kind of way. In the end, I bought some durrum wheat pasta shaped like alphabets for the Little Bee, and some spanish sardines. Oh, and at the back of the store is a huge cellar full of what else but wine - Im no wine expert but Im sure they have the best Spanish ones.

Next up on my list of must-buys are the olive oil with truffle shavings and the great truffle oil.


Terry's Delicatessen
Lower Ground Level, The Podium Mall
Ortigas Center

Party for a dear friend

A dear friend is on a rare visit to Manila, and five of us gathered for dinner to see him. Its always great to see old friends, and the nice dinner prepared by A consisted of a plateful of bbq, potato chips and the best tuna macaroni pasta.

Macaroni with Tuna

1 pack medium mayonnaise
1 small jar pickle relish
1 400gram macaroni pasta
3 cans tuna in vegetable oil

Cook the macaroni pasta according to package directions. Let cool a bit before combining all ingredients. So easy, yet so yummy...

Which brings me to the next post, the dessert...

The Best Leche Flan In Town

This is a post to pay homage to my dear friend's leche flan (the Philippines' unofficial dessert) , which is the best I have ever tasted - and I'm not saying this coz she's one of my best friends. Really, it is just the right amount of sweetness, and the right caramelization, the right texture. Im sure if I ask she will give me the recipe, but I rather not. I like it that I have something to look forward to whenever I swing by her place (which is always nowadays), other than the fact that it's always a pleasure to see her. To Aye, consider this a tribute to your now-famous leche flan. Its really yum!

The Little Bee's Bday Cupcakes

Im still recovering from the dizzying amount of cupcakes for the Little Bee's bday party in school. The cupcakes were Strawberry Shortcake - inspired (the Kid's current favorite character). Two sections of 4-year olds feasted on these cute little things. I was a bit paranoid baking my own to feed the little mouths, so I was very strict on hygiene more than ever. I dont ever want to encounter other parents complaining of upset tummies. But its hard to have upset tummies with sweet little things fortunately. They keep well overnight on room temperature just covered with foil, still unfrosted of course.

For the cake, I used the amazing one-bowl Amazon Cake, with some slight modifications. Instead of white sugar, I made it half-half with firmly packed brown sugar. I found it is a lot moistier with the substitution. Next time, Im going to try all brown sugar and see how it goes. And since Im making cupcakes, I reduced the baking time to half. This is the basic recipe, though for 50 cupcakes, I had to increase everything 5-fold.

Amazing Cake

Adapted from Cafe Beaujolais by Margaret Fox and John S. Bear

Serves 6-8

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cups unsweetend cocoa (Double Dutch Dark)

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup sugar ( I used half-white, half-brown)

1/2 tsp salt

5 T corn oil

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 T cider vinegar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vanilla and vinegar with 1 cup cold water. Whisk in the dry ingredients, blending until completely lump-free. Sccop into cupcake pans with liners. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before removing from the pan and frost.

The frosting recipe is from Billy's Vanilla Vanilla Frosting recipe. I ran out of vanilla though, and luckily had Lemon Extract, which worked out beautifully especially for the kids' tastes. I found some gummy red berries, and used this to top the cupcakes.

Im quite happy with the results, and will surely do this again. It was a hit with the kids and were all gone after class!

Regular posts coming

I hope to be able to post regularly from here on, as I got myself access to a camera. Im still learning the ropes though. Meanwhile, Im busying myself prepping for the Bee's bday kinder class party - and I'll be taking pics.

Food From Home

Work+extra work had been keeping me from cooking and baking the past weeks. Seeing however that my cream cheese was expiring, I made a fresh batch of cupcake frostings even if I still don't know when Im finally be able to bake cupcakes again. I've kept it in the freezer, and of course I also want to see how it will turn out thawed instead of freshly made. Experiments of sorts for when I finally have time to finally do this as a homebaker-hobby business venture, wishes!

Ive been back home for the weekend and though it had been an emotional roller coaster for all of us, we still managed to EAT all our favorite food! There's the igot (ee-got), small berries that are already rare and I havent eaten in years! I tremendously missed this and I made sure I brought back some for Em to taste. Shaken in a tupperware with mixture of sugar and salt, it's simply heaven! We also made sure we had our fix of tamalos, pork meat cooked with peanut/peanut butter and I dont know what else, wrapped in banana leaves! Yummm! I ate more than my usual rice with this one, so spicy and yummy.. brought back with me some too. It is super nice to be back home and be with the entire family - it is very rare that we all get to be together, although we wish it were under a different circumstance. Nevertheless it was good family time, but now it's back to work!

Cup-a-cake & Frosting Recipes

As promised, here is the recipe I used for the Melt-In-Your-Mouth Chocolate cake. I got it from somewhere in the net, in one of the blogs but cant remember where. So if you feel that this is your recipe, fire away and don't hesitate to acknowledge.

200 grams butter (2 sticks less 1tsp)
200 grams dark chocolate (7oz)
200 grams sugar (1cup)
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour

Melt together the butter with the chocolate in a double boiler. I dont have a double boiler, so what I do in this case is to put a metal (or glass) container on top of a pot with boiling water. When fully melted, transfer the mixture into a mixing bowl. Add in sugar and stir with a wooden spoon and let cool a little. Add in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition. Finally, add in the flour and mix well.

This is actually a cake recipe enough for an 8-inch round pan. In my case, it was good enough for about 16 regular sized cupcakes. Pour the mixture about 3/4 full of cupcake papers. Bake in 350F pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, but let the cakes stay in the oven for another 10 minutes. Take out from oven and let cool completely before frosting. You may also make this a day ahead, just cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and take out an hour before serving.

Now for the frosting, very simple indeed:

2 sticks softened butter
4oz soft cream cheese
3 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Just cream the butter and cheese with your mixer, then gradually add sugar, salt and vanilla. This frosting batch is a LOT! It could have generously frosted maybe 2 dozen or more of cupcakes, so you may want to tweak it a bit accordingly to just the serving you need. I had some blue gel coloring, so some cupcakes I decorated white - which was immaculate-looking and which the girls liked, and the others blue - which the kids really liked - sprinkles and all.

Addicting Granola

Ive always wanted to make granola, seeing that the recipes seem easy-peasy. This is a great breakfast fare, and a great munch-on while slaving away in front of the TV. It's just so addicting! It isn't everyday that I come across something so good yet so healthy. Im encouraging the little Bee to snack on it, instead of her usual Oreos and Ritzs. This recipe is from marketmanila.com with a few tweaks.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts)

2/3 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup good honey or more

1 cup mixed dried fruits (figs, apricots, raisins, berries)

Mix together oats, dessicated coconut and nuts in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, mix oil and honey until well blended. Mix the oil/honey mixture to the oats/coco/nuts. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spread the mixture evenly on the baking sheet. Bake in 350 pre-heated oven, then mix well after ten minutes. Put back in oven for another 10-15 minutes or until evenly slightly browned. Watch well as it burns easily and can taste bitter.

Cool a bit and mix in chopped dried fruits.

Store in an airtight container. This will keep for weeks (if it lasts that long!) and there's no need to refrigerate.

Hooked On Cupcakes

Inspired by cupcake pics from chokylit, I embarked on my own cupcake journey with mixed results. Since my Sunbeam mixer (which was a hand-me-down from my Mom) conked out on me several times, I splurged on a new one last weekend hoping that it would as well be on sale just like the rest of the stores in the mall. Turned out it isnt, but I splurged nonetheless. I got a 3D with stand and bowl and was so dying to try it out that I bought cupcake ingredients as well. I was choosing from 4 chocolate cupcake recipes, but chose the one where it says Melt-in-the-mouth cakes. It turned out yummy, though still concentrated and thick inside coz my oven was conking as well! Duh! Anyway, Bee and I decorated it with edible silver balls, pink and blue sugar crystals and muticolored sprinkles. Bee had a very nice time, I say making cupcakes is a great mom-daughter bonding activity! The frostings came out yummy too, what's not to like about it, it's made of butter and cream cheese. I will post the recipes, I promise.. So anyway, we brought it to my nephew's 2nd bday party - decorations and all. Everyone was in awe at how lovely they look! My friend even wants me to do some costing so we can sell them! Wow, Im seriously contemplating it, but first - I have to do something with the oven!

Sopa de Lentejas

I was introduced to lentis some six years ago but didnt know how to cook it. I remember Em bringing a pack to the house and asking me to cook it, as it was one of his favorites, and still is. My first foray with lentils was a disaster, turned out it is cooked like mongo beans (I didnt know how to cook mongo at that time either). Yes, Im a late bloomer in the kitchen. Now I consider myself an expert, especially where lentils are concerned. Though most Spanish restaurants serve it soupy, Em and I like it with thicker consistency. I also learned from him to drizzle it with olive oil, just before eating and while still hot. It is quite simple to make, and you just need the following:

1 pack lentils
2 cups water (or more, depending on the consistency you want), salted
chorizo bilbao (spanish sausage)
1 big pack tomato sauce
garlic and onions

First, boil the lentils in salted water along with garlic and onions and chorizo bilbao - stirring occasionally. Add more water if it gets too thick. In a separate pan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil, add in the tomato sauce adn season with salt and pepper. Set aside. When lentils are soft, stir in the tomato sauce and simmer. Take out chorizo bilbao, chop into round disks, and put back to lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil just before serving. Serve with french bread. Yummm!

Spinach - Iron Booster

I was browsing through the vegetable aisle of the grocery and chanced upon bunches of spinach (Baguio variety) . Now this is really rare and I figured maybe because its summer that the produce section is vibrant these days. Imported varieties I heard are so expensive that it reaches P650 per kilo. This one I only got for P37 for maybe 1/4 kilo. I have some leftover lasagna noddles at home, so I felt compelled to try making spinach lasagna. It turned out really good and tasty, though a bit runny coz I think I put in a lot of tomato sauce (no complaints there though). Also maybe because I used pureed tomatoes, instead of the basic sachet tomato sauce. I did not want to spend for mozzarella ( which I love, but really expensive) so I just used Quickmelt cheddar cheese. Here's what I did:

You will need:
Bunch of spinach, blanched in salted water
Lasagna noodles, cooked al dente
900 grams canned tomato puree
1bar Quickmelt cheddar cheese, grated and mixed with 1 or 2 eggs
Onions and garlic
Salt and pepper

Sautee tomato puree in olive oil, onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
Grease a baking dish lightly with olive oil, add a little of the sauce. Arrange lasagna noodles, then top with tomato puree, then spinach, then cheese mixture. Repeat process til you run out of ingredients and ending with cheese. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 10-15minutes or until bubbly.

This is a simple yummy dish, that is healthy at the same time. Bee finally took some greens without complaints, a mean feat for this 3year old.

Double Caesar Lunch

I had a most satisfying lunch today, thanks to a newly opened food outlet in my office building. It's basically just Caesar Salad but with a combo of Chicken Caesar Sandwich - Caesar Salad with Chicken strips sandwiched between three wheat breads (how innovative!). It's actually filling, but it remains to be seen whether my tummy wont be grumbling with six hours still to go before dinner.

Last night's dinner was roasted chicken accompanied by - what do you say, potatoes again! It was very tasty, and so extemely easy to make. First, boil some three or four potatoes in salted water until just tender but still firm. Remove from heat, and cool. Peel and slice into round 1/8 inch disks. Sprinkle salt and pepper. In a pan, heat up some olive oil. Stir fry potato disks, until well coated with olive oil. Add salt and pepper according to your preference. Lastly, sprinkle with chopped parsley. remove from heat and serve immediately.

Blue Cheese Dilemma

We had some leftover blue cheese that frankly was fast rotting in the ref, and so I felt compelled to finish it off to make sure it will not see another light of day (that sounds not a bit appetizing:) Other than eating it with crackers, and once topping it in mini pizza - I didn't really know what else to do with it. So anyway, last night I rushed home from work and attacked the stinky thing. I was browsing through the net and found a recipe which would work fine considering I didnt have to pass by the grocery to get more ingredients (hurray to pantry stocks!). I forget how this recipe was called, but for my own benefit I'll call it POTATOES WITH OLIVE OIL AND BLUE CHEESE (So unimaginative, I know). It turned out great! Dinner was fabulous with this addition. I wish I can post some pics, but as it turned out - this blogger doesnt have a camera yet (it's coming, I promise). So anyway, here's what you'll need:

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POTATOES WITH OLIVE OIL AND BLUE CHEESE

About 6 potatoes, boiled in salted water til tender cooled, then cubed with skin on

Olive Oil, I used some half-cup

Bacon, fried and crumbled

Spring Onions, chopped ( I used several stalks)

White vinegar, 3 tbsp.

Salt, to taste

Dash of pepper (or more!)

Blue cheese, crumbled (measurement escapes me now, but more or less say, half a cup?)

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In a bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, spring onion, salt and pepper. Mix in the spring onions. Toss the mixture in cubed potatoes, add bacon bits, and lastly the blue cheese. Toss some more, and voila! A potato dish that's pleasing to the eyes, and the palate of course!

Subject: Food

It's been a while since I've contemplated starting this, but for one reason or another have put it off til now. I hope to bring here my kitchen adventures, or food musings in restaurants. Oops, now i remember why I put it off too long - I need a good digicam!