#151_Mango Custard Chiffon Cake

This was my first Mango Custard Chiffon Cake to make which was purely experimental,
but luckily it turned out really good except the cake part wasn't thick enough.
My next tries were perfect (I think!)

The procedure is quite lengthy, but don't let it turn you off because
this cake is so delicious and it is worth all your effort.

There are 3 parts to making Custard Cake
and I got each part from 3 different sources:

1) Caramel from Tyler Florence of Food Net Work
2) Custard or Leche Flan by Manang of kusinanimanang
3) Chiffon Cake refer to my Orange Chiffon Cake, recipe which I had adapted from Joyofbaking.com

Without further ado, let's get started. First, with the mangoes....

Select good quality mangoes that are ripe, but firm.
Manila Mangoes are the best kind to use in this recipe.
Slice 2 fresh mangoes into chunks.
(Save the seeds to nibble on pulps).
Set aside.

(1) Caramel
Adapted from Tyler Florence

Make caramel using 1 cup white sugar and 2 Tb water.
In a stainless steel pot or pan,
combine sugar and water and cook over
medium high heat until sugar begins to melt.
Turn down heat and continue to cook without stirring.
The melted sugar will slowly turn into light brown then
to amber color (like burnt orange color)
Coat pans (I used 2 loaf pans) with the caramel,
swirling it around to coat about 1 inch up the sides of pans.

When caramel is set, spread cubed mangoes on top of caramel.
Set aside and prepare the Custard....

(2) Custard or Leche Flan
I have a recipe for the custard but it calls for
10 egg yolks which made me think twice
because of its cholesterol content.
Then I remembered copying down manang's recipe
even before I started blogging. Her recipe uses 4 whole eggs.

Recipe for the Custard or Leche flan:
recipe by kusinanimanang
4 whole eggs
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix everything in a blender pulsing 3-4 times
Pour this mixture equally into the prepared pans and
let them sit on the counter while preparing the Chiffon Cake batter.(3) Chiffon Cake batter

There are 2 parts to the Chiffon Cake batter:
A) the egg yolk mixture
B) the egg whites mixture or meringue

Separate 7 large eggs and set aside.
According to joyofbaking, it is easier to separate the egg yolks from the white
while eggs are still cold.

(A) Egg Yolk Mixture:
2 1/4 sifted cake flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
Sift all ingredients in a bowl.

Make a well in the center and add:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
7 large egg yolks
Stir all ingredients using a hand-held mixer, or a wire whisk
until everything is well blended together.

This is the egg yolk mixture.
Set it aside and make the egg white mixture...

(B) Egg Whites Mixture or Meringue
7 egg whites, @ room temp
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup white sugar

Using a stand mixer with the wire whisk attachment, whip egg whites with
cream of tartar till frothy then gradually add sugar.

Continue to whip until stiff-peak stage is formed.

This is a critical part of making the chiffon cake.
You don't want the egg whites to be neither under beat nor over beat.
See links below on how to whip perfect egg whites.



Fold the (A)egg yolk mixture into the (B)egg white mixture,
doing this in 3 parts, meaning
Fold 1/3 of meringue into the egg yolk mixture,
then take another 1/3 and fold.
When well incorporated, fold in the last third until
you won't see white part anymore.
This is the Chiffon Cake Batter.

Now we are ready to put the custard and the chiffon cake together....
Carefully and gently spoon cake batter on top of the custard mixture.
Bake the custard cake in bain marie or water bath:
Place the pans with the custard/cake in a larger pan,
then slide it in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven.
Pour some boiling water into the larger pan
up to sides of the height of flan.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour.

The cake is done when tooth pick (or bamboo skewer)

inserted in to the cake comes out clean.

After taking them out of the oven,

let them cool completely on a wire rack,
then invert them onto a platter.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before slicing.
ENJOY!!

Related Recipes:Chiffon Cake, click here.
Buko Pandan Chiffon Cake, click here.


Links on how to whip egg whites to stiff peak:

http://www.ehow.com/how_4542568_whip-egg-whites-stiff-peaks.html

http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/dessert/ss/meringue_2.htm

http://www.ehow.com/how_7604373_stiffly-beat-egg-whites.html

http://www.nytimes.com/1998/10/21/dining/food-chain-shrinking-egg-whites.html

#151_Chicken Salad in Bread Cones

Bread Cones

or
Bread Cornucopia

This is a copycat idea from a site,
the Knead for Bread, click here ,
that I stumbled upon the other day

where the author used store-bought molds to shape the bread.
I was so impressed at how elegant his bread cones were,
and before I wondered where I can order those cone molds from,
he mentioned a link to a site where another blogger made hers out of paper.

Paper??!! yes, cardstock papers from flyers. She is a genious!
I'll just give you their links instead of repeating
the instructions in this post.
Click here.

Using paper to make the molds for the cones is so intriguing
and at the same time impressive to me that
I didn't waste any time trying to make the bread cones
following her instructions.
Please go to her site, click here.

I was kind of nervous that I might start a fire,
so I kept a good eye on the oven
the whole time the bread cones were baking.
Very amazing!! and very clever!!

My cones didn't turn out as good-looking

as theirs because I didn't brush them with egg wash,
nevertheless, they definitely taste awesome!

For the dough, I used my Pan de Sal recipe #20, click here
because it has already been tested by me
and I already know the measurements by heart.

For the filling , I used some left over chicken salad, recipe here,
but chopped the bacon and diced the tomatoes
and mixed them all up.

Very presentable!
I give this a two-thumbs up!!

The next item I'd like to try is their Asian Doughnuts.
Looks like Pinoy pilipit.

#150_Banoffee Pie

Banoffee Pie is a British dessert
made of bananas, cream and toffee or dulce de leche.

This recipe is from Curtis Stone, a chef from Australia,
who made this dessert

at the Kathie Lee and Hoda Show, click here.
When I made it for Father's Day, click here,
the whipped cream tasted like it needed some sugar,
so I added 1/2 a cup in this recipe.

Ingredients:
Crust

9 ounces graham crackers

1 stick butter, melted

Toffee sauce

1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons water

1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Filling

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar

5 small bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds total)

To make the crust:

1) Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.

2) Blend the graham crackers in a food processor until they are finely ground.

3) Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and process to blend well. The crumbs should stick together when pressed.

4) Press the crumb mixture over the bottom and 1½ inches up the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate.

To make the toffee sauce:

1) Place a medium-heavy saucepan over medium heat.

2) Combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in the saucepan.

3) Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the color is deep amber, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing down the sides with a pastry brush dipped into water, about 5 minutes.

4) Stir in the condensed milk and butter. Continue stirring for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

5) Remove the toffee sauce from the heat and spread 1 cup of the sauce over the prepared crust and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the caramel is semi-firm.

6) Keep the remaining caramel sauce at room temperature.

Pie Filling:

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a large bowl until frothy; add sugar gradually and continue to whip until thick and very soft billowy peaks form.

Very thinly slice 3 of the bananas into discs. Fold the sliced bananas into the softly whipped cream and spoon into the prepared pie crust.

Slice the remaining bananas and arrange them decoratively over the pie.

Rewarm the remaining toffee sauce gently over low heat.

Drizzle some of the sauce decoratively over the pie. If the sauce has thickened too much to drizzle, stir a few tablespoons of milk into the sauce to create a thinner consistency.

Cut the pie into wedges and transfer to plates.

Drizzle each pie wedge with more sauce and serve.

#149_Super Easy Slushy Punch

Slushy Punch.

This drink is not only refreshing, but
also elegant to serve in any occasion.
The recipe has been in our family since my friend,
Aida taught me how to make it many years ago.
Since then I had served it in several wedding receptions
and in many family gatherings.
Kids and adults alike enjoy it every time I serve it.

All you need is ready-to-drink punch and Sprite

It is super easy to make except you need to prepare it ahead of time
to freeze the ready-to-drink punch.

You can use any kind and any flavor of punch you like.
Fill ice cube trays with your favorite punch
and freeze them until they become solid.
You can also use little plastic containers to freeze the punch in.

About 2 hours before you need it,
put the frozen punch in a punch bowl...

Pour bottles of Sprite in to the bowl.
Let it sit to thaw out the frozen cubes of punch
until they become soft and
slushy.


To garnish:

Add some sliced strawberries or sliced limes
in to the orange slush and allow them to float.
For the strawberry flavored slush, add sliced oranges.

For the Proportion:
To a gallon of frozen punch, add 2 two-liter bottles of Sprite.

ENJOY
AND HAVE A REFRESHING SUMMER!!

#148_Father's Day Dinner

We usually have B-B-Q in the backyard
for Father's Day dinners,
but this year's weather here in Utah
was not so favorable for B-B-Q day.
So I decided to make some sandwiches instead.

some bagel chicken sandwiches.....

Chicken Salad Sandwiches in regular rolls...

This is somebody's plate..it has a bagel sandwich, potato salad and pasta salad.

Benjamin ladling up some slush that his mom, Angela brought.
Angela also brought some mint brownies and some other kind of cookies.

Our 10 year old grandson, Mason made some delicious chocolate chips cookies as well.
They were so good, they were gone as fast as lightning..

Tri-color Rotini Pasta fort the vegetarians.
(recipe coming up)

Banoffee Pie

Curtis Stone, a chef from Australia visited
Kathie Lee and Hoda Show and made this pie for them, which is made of
dulce de leche, whipped cream and bananas.
Both Hoda and Kathie Lee raved so much about it.

Not the Johnsons!
The Banana Cream Pie (recipe #31, click here), beats this pie as evidenced
in the picture second from the bottom....
there was plenty of it left untouched. I was disappointed!
but I'm not going into details why it was a disappointment as
I don't want to sound like I'm a food critic.
Nevertheless, I will still give it another shot
as there might be something I did wrong when I made it.
If you want the recipe, click here.

Black Forest Torte
(Recipe coming up)

Party Over!

All gone!!

Recipe coming later.

#147_ Fruity Smoothie Drink

My friend, Bobbi and I went to a Farmer's Market yesterday
where fruits and veggies were so fresh and cheap.
I was actually surprised to see these fruits so early in the year,
but I was also delighted because me and my husband
have fruit smoothies almost everyday,
either for our breakfast or after dinner.


Usually what I do for some fruits, I wash and slice them up
and put them in ziplock bags and freeze them.
I do these with the apricots, strawberries, pineapple, peaches or nectarines.
For blueberries and raspberries, I just wash and freeze them.

Then when I'm ready to make the smoothies,
I just throw in the blender whatever fruit combo I like,
usually up to 6 to 8 kinds, with 2 cups of orange juice
at the bottom of the blender and crushed iced on top.
No need to add any sugar as the fruits already have
their own natural sugar.
This is a healthy drink but also taste fantastic!

Berry nutritious and berry refreshing!!!

Note: None of the fruits in the blender in the picture above
haven't made their way to the freezer yet.
MaMely haven't got around doing it.

#146_Filipino Get-Together Dinner

We had a little Filipino get-together last Saturday
and as usual there was plenty of food and
everything was so good!!!
But I had to discreetly took some pictures
while my friends, Aida and Erlinda,
were trying to organize the buffet table,
so the people there wouldn't think I was nuts for
taking pictures of food instead of people.

Here's some of the food I was able to take pictures of....

You can always tell if it's a Filipino party when there's lumpia.

Batchoy

My friend Aida made this soup which was a hit. Ubos na ubos!
The soup was ladled into serving bowls
and sprinkled with crushed chicharon.
I like the kind of noodles she used, it is very delish.
The chicharon brings out the true Pinoy food in the soup....
no wonder some people call this a comfort food.
I asked her for the recipe which I will be posting here later.

Another of Aida's dish that was so good is the hamonado.
I need to get a lesson from her on how to make this dish as
I've tried making it once before,
but it didn't turn out the way she makes it.

Pancit Sotanghon.

Another pancit

Mango Custard Cake
Before I took this to the party, I took a slice off it for a picture.

#145_Chicken Salad Sandwich

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is an easy and simple to make sandwiches
as you can make the fillings ahead of time.
Specially if you're having a big party,
the chicken part of the salad can be made a day before
and then an hour or so before serving it
you can mix in the other ingredients.
It is truly a time saver.

And if there's any leftovers,
they will keep in the fridge for as long as 3 days.

Ingredients for the chicken salad:
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
(I use rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup mayo,
1 tbsp mustard,
salt and pepper
1-tbsp white sugar
2-3 stalks celery, sliced
few sprigs green onions (sliced)
1 cup grapes, either green or red, halved
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Procedure:
Slice chicken breast into cubes or just shred them
Combine mayo, sugar,mustard, salt and pepper
Toss chicken in with this mixture to coat well
Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least for 5 hours.

Serve as a salad
At this point this can be served as a salad, but before serving,
combine pecans, green onions, celery and grapes
with the chicken mixture.
Place on a platter lined with lettuce leaves
or serve as a side dish.

To make the sandwiches:

Cook the bacon until nicely browned and crispy
either in the oven or in a fry pan.
Drain them on paper towels.

Croissant Rolls
from a bakery

You can use any of your favorite rolls
or bread for the sandwiches.
For big group, I like to buy the croissants
at the bakery or if time permits,
I make the Potato Dinner Rolls, click here for the recipe, or
I use any of the recipes for the following bread to make rolls:
Pan de Sal recipe, click here,
Basic Sweet Dough recipe, click here.
These dough recipes make good rolls for the sandwiches.

Or:
Using this sandwich fillings, you can make open-face sandwiches
using Ritz Crackers for Horderves,
click here for the post.

Split the buns and fill bottom half with
the chicken salad mixture.

Place some cooked bacon pieces on top of the
chicken salad

Top it with sliced tomatoes.
Put the other half of rolls on top of tomatoes
and secure them with toothpicks if desired.

ENJOY!!


Update: 6-11-11

The picture below is Chicken Salad in Bread Cone Sandwich which I recently served at a party. Instead of using regular rolls or bread to make sandwiches, try making it with bread cones for a more elegant-looking sandwiches. Here's the link on how to make the cone bread or Cornucopia Bread>>>>http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/06/150chicken-salad-in.html

If you want a Chicken Sandwich with a touch of Pinoy, here's the link:

http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/02/218pinoy-style-chicken-sandwich.html

Notes from MaMely:
1) To toast the pecans, place them on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake in a 350 degrees oven for 5-8 minutes.
2) To cook bacon in the oven, line a baking sheet with aluminum paper, then arrange the bacon on single layer. Pop it in the 350 degrees pre-heated oven and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or til bacon are nicely browned and crispy.
2) It is best to use celery, grapes and green onions that have been chilled in the food chiller.
3) Can use walnuts or cashews in place of pecans.