Cookie Oats

Image by Navaboo via Flickr

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup natural cane sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugars on the lowest speed for 25 seconds. The butter needs to be a bit lumpy (not creamy). 

3. Next add eggs as well as the vanilla and mix for another 30 seconds. 

4. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt until it makes a completely mixed dough (mix for about 1 minute). 

5. Lastly, add chocolate chips.

6. Scoop a half a cup of dough onto a greased baking sheet, this should yield 20 cookies. Bake for 18 minutes and enjoy!

Chiffon Cake

Chiffon Cake. Image by puamelia

Ingredients:


5 egg yolk
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup pineapple juice
3 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
5 egg white


Procedure:


1. Preheat oven to 180deg C.


2. In a dry mixing bowl, mix together cream of tartar, 1/2 cup sugar, egg whites and vanilla flavoring. Mix until soft peak form.


3. Sift together all remaining dry ingredients. 


4. Make a well in the middle of the sifted dry ingredients and pour in the egg yolks and oil. Mix until free from clumps.


5. Add both mixtures (egg white mixture + dry ingredient mixture) together using the fan-fold technique to prevent bubble forming.


6. Pour in a greased pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Boat Tart

Image via Wikipedia

A tart is a baked dish consisting of a filling over a pastry base with an open top not covered with pastry. The pastry is usually shortcrust pastry; the filling may be sweet or savoury, though modern tarts are usually fruit-based, sometimes with custard.

The categories of 'tart', 'flan', and 'pie' overlap, with no sharp distinctions, though 'pie' is the more common term in the United States.

Early medieval tarts generally had meat fillings, but later ones were often based on fruit and custard.

Tarte Tatin is an upside-down tart, of apples, other fruit, or onions.

Savoury tarts include quiche, a family of savoury tarts with a mostly custard filling; German zwiebelkuchen 'onion tart', and Swiss cheese tart made from Gruyere

Here is a recipe unearthed from a long list of favorites due to a query made by a friend. Boat tarts are small pies I remember buying when I was in highschool. It is shaped like a boat thus the name.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1 tbl plus 1 teaspoon sugar 

8 tbl (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pea-sized bits 

1 piece egg beaten with 1 cup iced water 

Egg Wash: 

2 tablespoon water 

1 tablespoon flour 

1 egg yolk 

Cashew Filling: 

3/4 cup sugar 

4 eggs 

1 cup dark corn syrup 

2 tablespoon dark rum 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

4 tablespoon melted unsalted butter

2 cups (10 ounces) roasted unsalted cashews 

Procedure:

1. This is basically the same procedure as blind baking for pies.

Shaped pie crust ready for baking blind. Photo by missbossy

• In a large bowl, sift the flour and sugar together. 
• Using a pastry blender, fork or your fingertips, work the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. 
• Sprinkle on 3 to 4 tablespoons of the egg-water mixture, and mix it in with your fingers until the dough comes together into a ball. 
• Working on a lightly floured surface, take egg-sized pieces of the dough and smear them away from you with the heel of your hand into 6-inch streaks. 
• Scrape up all the streaks of dough and pile them on top of one another to form a disc. 
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. 
• Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. 
• Lightly butter your boat tart pans (Muffin cup molds will also do)
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough. Use a bowl bigger than your tart pan as a pattern. Press on the dough and get the cut circle.
• Fit the dough into the prepared tart pans.
• Trim the excess dough to a 1-inch overhang and double the dough over itself to reinforce the sides (save the trimmings for any emergency patchwork). 
• Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
• Line the tart shell with aluminum foil and weight down with dried beans or pie weights. 
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes longer or until lightly browned. 
• Patch any visible holes in the shell with the reserved dough scraps. 
• Brush the shell with Egg Wash and return to the oven for 5 more minutes, until the wash is shiny and no longer runny. 
• Transfer to a rack to cool and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F or 160deg C.

2. Spread the cashews in the partially baked shell and cover with the Cashew Filling, making sure the nuts are covered.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until little bubbles appear around the edges of the tart and the center looks barely set. 

4. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Egg Wash Procedure:

1. In a small bowl and with use of a fork, mix together the water, flour, and egg yolk. Cover and refrigerate.

Cashew Filling Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, lightly beat the sugar and eggs together. Add the corn syrup, rum, and vanilla and beat just to a blend. Mix in the melted butter.

Tips:

You can make your own homemade light corn syrup as substitute for the market brand. For this easy light corn syrup substitute, click here.

To learn the step by step baking blind procedure, click here.

Egg pie is also known as custard pie. Both the pie and filling for egg pie can be used for this boat tart recipe. For egg pie recipe, click here.

I myself find the idea of putting foil and baking beans on each boat tart pan so  tasking. What I do is I stack them all over each other. This works best also for silicon muffin molds. The top most dough is the only one in need of baking beans. Economical and practical.


Here is a video of how to make blueberry lemon tartlets (also known as mini tarts).

Bibingka (Galapong)

Bibingka is a delicacy in Philippines that is tangent with Christmas. It is normally sold on the street during Simba De Gallo together with puto bumbong and tsaa. Simba de Gallo is the sixteen days of early morning mass before Christmas eve. Back in my town, Imus Cavite, we're blessed with a special shop that offers this delicious delicacy everyday for 365 days a year. I remember stopping by the store ordering this after every Sunday mass with my family.

Bibingkang Galapong for Easter. Photo by SDeluz

There's a number of bibingka recipes out there that is easy to make. This is one of those with the exception that it is made of galapong. milled glutinous rice is known as galapong. Milling - that is, washing and soaking the rice first, and then proceeding to milling proper - is generally preferred as this removes the unpleasant powdery texture found in glutinous rice which has been dried first and then converted to flour.

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup coconut milk 

3/4 cup sugar 

1/8 cup melted margarine 

1 cup rice flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

banana leaf for lining

For topping:

1/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup sugar for topping

butter

1 salted egg, sliced crosswise

Procedure: 

1. Add sugar to melted margarine. Mix until creamy. 

2. Add beaten eggs to the mixture.

3. Combine salt and flour, baking powder in a separate bowl; add to egg mixture alternately with the coconut milk.

4. Add melted margarine, coconut milk, and baking powder. 

5. Pour into banana leaf-lined mold. 

6. Bake in 375 degrees Fahrenheit (200 deg C) for 10 minutes.

7. In the meantime, mix coconut cream and sugar in a bowl.

8. After 10 minutes, take it out from the oven and brush top with butter. Layer with salted eggs. Spread the coconut milk and sugar mixture next. Return in the oven and bake for another 10 minutes.

9. Again, take it out from the oven and distribute dessicated coconut on top. Return in the oven and bake until golden crust is formed or toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Tip: In using banana leaf for the mold, make sure to cut out the middle hard part of the leaf. You can use hair dryer in molding the leaf in the pan.

For the recipe of salted egg or itlog na maalat, click here.

Baking Tips 101

Image by djwtwo via Flickr

Want to know more on how to bake and cook easily? Here's a list of simple know-how that will make a big difference in the kitchen!

1. If you've had baking powder or soda for some time, check to see if it still has leavening power by adding a small amount to a bit of very hot water — if it bubbles and fizzes, then it's still good.

2. When adding nuts to batter, do so at the very last moment and the nuts will have a crispier texture.

3. When recipes call for citrus peel, use only the colored portions of the citrus skins, since the white pith is bitter.

4. If you're chopping nuts in a food processor, add a portion of the sugar or flour specified in the recipe. It will keep the nuts from sticking together from their oils.

5. All nuts taste better if they are roasted in an oven set at 350º F for 5 to 7 minutes to crisp and release their fragrant oils.

6. If you're out of baking powder, mix 1/2 baking soda and 1/2 cream of tartar.

7. Mixing chopped nuts, dried fruit, or other additions with a little of the flour called for in the recipe will keep them from sinking to the bottom as they bake.

8. Raisins and other dried fruits are better if plumped before they are added to a dough or batter. Pour boiling water over the dried fruit and soak for 30 minutes. Then drain and blot well on paper towels.

9. If using glass baking pans instead of metal ones, reduce the oven temperature by 25º F. Shiny metal pans reflect heat, so foods are tender with a light brown crust. Dark metal or enamel pans absorb heat so foods brown more quickly and develop a crust.

10. Nonstick cookie sheets should be light colored, or cookies may brown too much on the bottom.

11. Allow at least 1 inch between pans so that they don't touch in the oven. Also, allow at least 1 inch between the pans and the wall of the oven. This allows air to circulate.

12. Dip your measuring spoon in Crisco Oil before measuring honey or other sticky ingredients.

13. To make cupcakes less messy for lunchboxes and picnics, insert some frosting into the center using a bulb baster instead of frosting the top.

14. Whenever you find yourself with over-ripe bananas, stash them in a re-sealable bag in the freezer. The skins will turn dark brown, but the banana inside will be perfect to use.

15. Keep ingredients at room temperature for best results. I even store my butter in the cupboard.

16. Scoop shortening from can to the measuring cup with a rubber scraper or spatula. Press it into the cup and level it off with the same spatula.

17. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and spices to avoid lumps.

18. When measuring flour, heap desired amount into measuring cup and scrape off the excess—do not pound or settle it.

19. Before mixing batter, preheat the oven, prepare cake pans, and move oven rack to center position.

20. To seal in crumbs, spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake, and then refrigerate it. When the base coat of frosting is hard, spread on a final, heavier layer.

21. For a smooth-frosted surface, use a straight-edged metal spatula to spread icing.

There! Simple know-how that makes a big difference for us cooking an dbaking enthusiasts.

Baked Tilapia

Baked Tilapia for Friday Lent Dinner. Photos by SDeluz

Tilapia go by many names. The moniker "St. Peter's fish" comes from the story in the Christian Bible about the apostle Peter catching a fish that carried a coin in its mouth, though the passage does not name the fish. While the name also applies to Zeus faber, a marine fish not found in the area, a few tilapia species (Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus and others) are found in the Sea of Galilee, where the author of the Gospel of Matthew accounts the event took place. These species have been the target of small-scale artisanal fisheries in the area for thousands of years. In some Asian countries including the Philippines, large tilapia go by pla-pla while the smaller types are just tilapia.

I just love tilapia because there's not much fish bones as compared to other fish product. This is a simple recipe I made in lieu of grilling when its not possible to do it outside due to cold weather.

Ingredients:

1 large tilapia

1 big tomato (chopped small)

1 big onion (chopped small)

pepper

salt

soya sauce

1/4 cup chili sauce

lemon

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 250deg C.

2. Clean tilapia and pat dry with paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

3. In a bowl, mix together the chopped tomato, onions and a little bit of salt and pepper. Put inside the belly of tilapia.

4. Place tilapia in a pyrex pan. Pour soya sauce on all crevices. Squeeze the lemon on tilapia and take out the seeds.

5. Pour the chili sauce on top. 

6. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Then lower temp to 225 deg C for 15 minutes.

7. Serve with rice. 

Note: No need to make a soy dip coz tilapia will come out saucy.

Blueberry Oat Muffins

Blueberry Oat Muffin for the weekend. Photos by SDeluz

A muffin is an American English name for a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like small cakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist. They generally fit in the palm of an adult hand, and are intended to be consumed by an individual in a single sitting.

Outside the United States of America, muffin can also refer to a disk-shaped muffin, usually called an English Muffinoutside of England. As American-style muffins are also sold in Commonwealth countries, the term muffin can refer to either product, with the context usually making clear which is meant.

There are many varieties and flavors of muffins made with a specific ingredient such as blueberries, chocolate chips,cucumbers, raspberry, cinnamon, pumpkin, date, nut, lemon, banana, orange, peach, strawberry, boysenberry,almond, and carrot, baked into the muffin. Muffins are often eaten for breakfast; alternatively, they may be served for teaor at other meals.

A friend of mine is travelling for the holidays and gave me most of the stuff in her fridge. One of these is a jar of blueberry. Good thing it's a weekend and I have all the time to bake. Made my first batch of blueberry muffins and I love it! I know there are other revisions of this recipe without oats that might be good to try and share as well. We don't close our doors for new recipes. The more, the better! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats 

1/2 cup orange juice 

1 egg 

1/2 cup vegetable oil 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries* 

TOPPING: 

4 tablespoons sugar 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
                       10 gms butter

Procedure:

1. In a large bowl, combine oats and orange juice; let stand for 5 minutes. 

2. Beat the egg, oil and sugar until blended. Add the oats mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Mix into oat mixture.

4. Fold in blueberries. 

5. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full or 2 tbsp each. 

6. Bake at 400 degrees F (or 200deg C) for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 


7. While baking, prepare topping mixture. Add all topping mixture in a bowl and microwave for 50 secs 800 watts. Mix and brush on top of each muffin right after taking out from the oven. 


8. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

* If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw before mixing with batter.

This yielded 15 muffins for me. Don't be scared to substitute orange juice to any available juice in your fridge. This is a soft and moist treat for the weekend get-away. Healthier as well with the addition of oats! 

Bread Pudding

Image via Wikipedia

Bread pudding is a bread-based dessert popular in many countries' cuisine, including that of England, France,Belgium, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Argentina, Louisiana Creole, and the southern United States. In other languages, its name is a translation of "bread pudding" or even just "pudding"; in Spanish, another name is "migas" (crumbs), and they also have a similar dish, capirotada.

It is made using stale (usually left-over) bread, suet, egg, sugar or golden syrup, spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg,mace or vanilla, and dried fruit.

The bread is soaked (often overnight), squeezed dry, and mixed with the other ingredients. The mixture is transferred into a dish and baked.It may be served with a sweet sauce of some sort, such as whiskey sauce, rum sauce, or caramel sauce, but is typically sprinkled with sugar and eaten cold in squares or slices. In Malaysia, bread pudding is eaten with custardsauce. In Hong Kong, bread pudding is usually served with vanilla cream dressing.

I remember my mom making this when we were kids. We seem to always have leftover bread and being a crafty practical mom, makes this even for our birthdays. I miss this!


Ingredients:

6 slices day-old bread

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.


4. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.

5. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.


Tip: Decorate your own pudding with any toppings. Whipped cream with fruits or ice cream and even a drizzle of your chocolate syrup. You can also add walnuts in the recipe.

9 Tips for Making Muffins

Image via Wikipedia

A muffin is an American English name for a type of bread that is baked in small portions. Many forms are somewhat like smallcakes or cupcakes in shape, although they usually are not as sweet as cupcakes and generally lack frosting. Savory varieties, such as cornbread muffins, also exist. They generally fit in the palm of an adult hand, and are intended to be consumed by an individual in a single sitting.

Outside the United States of America, muffin can also refer to a disk-shaped muffin, usually called an English Muffin outside of England. As American-style muffins are also sold in Commonwealth countries, the term muffin can refer to either product, with the context usually making clear which is meant.

There are many varieties and flavors of muffins made with a specific ingredient such as blueberries, chocolate chips,cucumbers, raspberry, cinnamon, pumpkin, date, nut, lemon, banana, orange, peach, strawberry, boysenberry, almond, andcarrot, baked into the muffin. Muffins are often eaten for breakfast; alternatively, they may be served for tea or at other meals.

Many muffin batters can be made ahead of time. If you have room in the fridge, you can even scoop the batter into muffin tins so the muffins are ready to go in the oven first thing in the morning.

Here are 9 Easy to Follow Tip on How to Make a Perfect Muffin:

1. The number one rule of muffin-making is don't over mix the batter unless you want hockey pucks instead of muffins.

2. If you're wondering which recipe to choose, note that less butter and sugar in a recipe results in a bread-like muffin, while more butter and sugar produces something closer to cake.

3. Have all ingredients at room temperature. Mix the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ingredients, then use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently stir the two together until everything is slightly moistened. Yes, there will be lumps. Small lumps are fine.

4. Add fruit, nuts, etc. after lightly combining the wet and dry ingredients. Then give the batter one more light-handed stir and you're done. Is the batter still thick and lumpy? That's exactly what you want.

5. That thick, lumpy batter is best portioned out with a ladle or a small ice cream scoop.

6. Some say muffin tops are the best part. To get yours, bake the batter in shallow muffin tins or overfill regular muffin tins. Even if you use paper liners, a quick spritz of vegetable cooking spray on the top of the muffin tin will make muffin removal much easier.

7. Position your oven rack in the middle of the oven for even heat distribution.

8. Let muffins cool for a few minutes before turning them out of the pan.

9. Muffins are best when freshly made, but for muffins anytime you want them, wrap cooled muffins in plastic and freeze for up to two months. Thaw, still wrapped, at room temperature.

Easy right? If you love what you're doing, then everything else will follow. Have a muffin filled aroma weekend!

Chocolate Icing

Image via Wikipedia

Icing, also called frosting in the United States, is a sweet often creamy glaze made of sugar with a liquid such as water or milk, that is often enriched with ingredients such as butter, egg whites, cream cheese, or flavorings and is used to cover or decorate baked goods, such ascakes or cookies. Elizabeth Raffald documented the first recipe for icing in 1769 in the Experienced English Housekeeper, according to the Food Timeline. However, it was not until the 1915 that Mrs. Fred W. Gurney created the first buttercream recipe, and Fannie Farmer followed suit with several more recipes in 1918 and 1923.

Icing can be formed into shapes such as flowers and leaves using a pastry bag. Such decorations commonly grace birthday and wedding cakes. Chef's color dye (food coloring) is commonly added to icing mixtures to achieve the desired color. Sprinkles, coloring mist, edible images or other decorations are often used on top of icing.

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa powder, milk, butter and vanilla.


2. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat.


3. Continue stirring until mixture cools and thickens to spreading consistency.


4. Spread onto completely cooled cake.


Tip: Not good for layered cake. Pour it on top of the cake coz consistency is not that spreadable. A not so sweet fudgey frosting and shiny as a glaze.