#312_Mercedez-Pavlova Pie

Mercedez-Pavlova Pie
This is what happens when Pavlova crosses the path of (Brazo ni) Mecedez...

For those who are not familiar with Pavlova and Brazo de Mercedez,
let me give you a little background of each....

Pavlova: from what I understand, this is a very popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand and is the latter's national dessert. It has a meringue for the base which is crusty on the outside and marshmallow-y inside due to the addition of cornstarch in the egg white mixture. It is baked in a low temp oven for almost 1 hour which makes the top of the meringue dry and crispy. The meringue is then filled with sweetened whipped cream and topped with fresh fruits. (See more on Wikipedia, click here).

Brazo de Mercedez: is an all-time Filipino favorite dessert inspired by the Spanish cuisine. "Brazo" meaning arm, Brazo de Mercedez is literally translated as arm of Mercedez... or in other words, an arm of a lady named Mercedez.

This dessert, like the Pavlova, has a meringue base, but it is rolled like a Swiss Roll. However, unlike the Pavlova, the meringue for the Brazo de Mercedez is soft so it can be rolled up. It has a custard filling usually made of egg yolks and condensed milk.

Hybrid
A cross between Pavlova and Brazo de Mercedez.

This is what I came up with after deconstructing both desserts and put their elements together plus my own version of the pastry cream added some pizzazz to the finished product.

Now we have this dessert that is somewhat Pavlova with custard filling instead of whipped cream. It is a flat version of Brazo de Mercedez with fresh fruits and with Coconut Custard Cream Filling, instead of the traditional egg yolk-condensed milk filling. Anyway, here's how I did it....

Meringue:
6 egg whites (room temp)
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 3/4 cup white sugar

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form..
Gradually beat in sugar.
Continue beating until stiff and glossy.

For a personal size pie...
1) Line a large baking sheet with a parchment paper.
2) Draw two 9" circles on the parchment paper, then flip the paper so the pencil mark is facing down.
3) Spoon meringue into the circles drawn on parchment paper.

Bake meringue in a pre-heated 300 degrees for about 35 minutes. Let cool.
(I like mine baked longer as I don't want an egg-y tasting meringue)


Coconut Custard Cream Filling:
(from recipe #160, click here)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup fresh milk
1 cup coconut
cream 6 egg yolks, slightly beaten

In a sauce pan, combine the sugar and flour and pour in the milk and the coconut cream and stir until the flour is totally dissolved. Turn stove on medium and cook the mixture until it becomes bubbly, stirring constantly, then turn the heat down to medium low and continue to stir. (I didn't have to cook this in a double boiler). Actually this is the only hard part of making this dessert.... constantly stirring the mixture, but in a way, this makes a good work out for the arm!

Take the pan off the heat and, pour in the egg yolks little by little, continuously stirring the mixture. Make sure not to get impatient and pour in the yolks more than a tablespoon at a time, otherwise you'll end up with scrambled eggs.

When all the yolk is added in to the mixture, return the pan to the stove and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens but spreadable like the consistency of mayonnaise.

Spread cream filling on baked meringue.

Top with your favorite fruit combo

Mango Coconut Custard Tart...
http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/07/160incredible-mango-custard-tart.html
another way to top the meringue.

I baked the meringue in a pie pan and filled with the
Coconut Custard Cream Filling mixed with cubed mangoes
then topped with thin slices of mangoes.
Mmmmmm, irresistibly delish!!

ENJOY!!!

#311_Edible Dessert Cups

Cups you can eat
yes, they're absolutely edible!

These tiny dessert cups can be filled with fruits,
then topped with whipped cream
or filled with Cream Cheese Filling (recipe#40, click here)
then topped with fruit preserves or jams or what not.
They are made of melting chocolates
for dipping Cake Balls, see recipe #86, click here.

The bottom measures 1 inch and a little bit more than an inch tall.

Cupped version of Cake Balls

Instead of forming the cake into little balls
and dipping them into melted chocolate like the CakeBalls,
I filled each chocolate cup with cake (or brownies too).

I then frosted them with Cream Cheese Frosting
then garnished with raspberries.

These are filled with Cream Cheese Filling then topped
with apricot jam and fresh raspberries.

Here's the link where I got the idea on how to make the dessert cups..
http://www.wilton.com/technique/Shells-and-Cordial-Cups

I made mine without using a brush, instead,
just turned and twirled the cups
until all the sides are well coated.
Btw, I cut the molds into individual cups to be able to do that.

#310_Palmiers or Elephant Ears

Palmiers: (Pam-Yays)
Sweet and Flaky Pastries

"Also called palm leaves, Palmier are small pastries made from sugar-encrusted puff pastry. The sides of a rectangle of puff pastry are folded into the center, then folded over to make four layers, and cut across the width into thin strips. These are laid on their sides on a baking sheet and they fan out as they bake to resemble the leaves of palm trees. Palmiers are baked until they are crisp and the sugar caramelizes to a rich golden brown. They are served with tea or coffee or as an accompaniment to ice cream and other desserts. France."
(The International Dictionary of Desserts, Pastries and Confections, Carole Bloom [Hearst Books:New York ] 1995 (p. 210)

I don't really see a resemblance between these cookies and the palm trees. Do you? Sometimes things get their names from how we would describe them. So these sweet and flaky cookies are also called Elephant Ears, Butterfly Pastries or Angel Wings, etc.

You can make your own puff pastry to make this or if you're like me,
I like to make my life easier so I just use the store-bought Puff Pastry.

Here's a link where I adapted my recipe from:
http://frenchfood.about.com/od/cookies/r/cinpalmier.htm

#309_Petit Fours: Sweet & Petite

Petit Fours
Pronounced, peh-tee-foo-rh

Sweet & petite....these are darling for Baby Showers,
Cocktail Parties, Bridal Showers
or any special occasion.

These are actually Mini Cakes

Although these bite-size cakes look like Petit Fours, I didn't make them the way you'd normally make Petit Fours, instead, I made them the way I make Cake Balls, click here. This way I can decorate them with some cute sugar flowers I just learned to make at the Cake Decorating Class.
So these are actually "Mini Cakes".....flat version of Cake Balls or Cake Bites.

Assuming that you've already checked out the steps on how to make the Cake Balls,
(http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/03/cakeballs-and-cakesicle.html)
Here's the rest of the procedure for making this Petit Four-like Mini Cakes:
After mixing the cake with frosting, I pressed the cake on a pan
and used a cookie cutter with 1" diameter to cut/mold the cakes.
You can also cut the cake into little squares.
Freeze the cut cakes (or molded cakes) before dipping them in the melted chocolates.

HAVE FUN MAKING THEM!!

#308_ Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes

Ice Cream Cone CUPCAKES
topped with Cream Cheese Frosting...ideal for kiddie parties.

Ice Cream Cone Cup Cakes
topped with ice cream.
Grown ups as well as kids will enjoy these ones with ice cream on top.
I love this ice cream flavor called bunny tracks...by Blue Bunny.
it's a vanilla flavor with thick fudge, caramels,
choc covered peanut, peanut butter, etc.

To make the Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes, I just used a box of Triple Fudge Chocolate cake mix and followed the directions on the back of box to make the cake.
Filled the ice cream cones 2/3 full with the batter and placed them in cupcake pans.
Baked in a pre heated 350 degrees oven for 20 minutes.
Let cool completely before frosting.

There's a couple of caveats I need to mention:
1) After the cupcakes are baked, the ice cream cones lost their crispiness and became a little chewy.
2) As awesome-looking as they are, its hard to bite down to the cake part without eating the topping first then the cake part....in other words, you have to tackle the frosting first. Unlike a piece of cake with frosting or ice cream on top, you can pick up the cake and topping together with a fork.
3) It is hard to transport them as they will not stay on a container. It was even a struggle taking the pan with the cones from the counter to the oven.

Update: 6-27-11....forget baking the cones!!
I just discovered today that you don't need to bake the batter in the ice cream cones to make these cupcakes. All you need to do is bake a cake in a regular cake pan, then fill the ice cream cones with the baked cake. (You might can even use left over cakes...just an idea that popped in my head as I type this). The top won't be smooth though, but you will cover the top with frosting anyway, so this way the cones will stay nice and crisp. Caveat #1 is solved!

Update pictures: 6-28-11

I thought I'd take a picture of this while I had some cake scraps from trimming some cakes.

Here's the result....ready to top it with frosting or ice cream!!

Enjoy!!

#307_Misua con Talaba (Misua with Oysters)

Misua Soup with Oysters

Misua is Chinese Vermicelli. Misua Soup is one of the cheapest and easiest Filipino food one can make and is one of my fondest childhood food, maybe because mother made it for us all the time specially during those long rainy days in the Philippines and money was tight.

This dish doesn't require much ingredient and doesn't require much effort to cook it and one doesn't really need a recipe to follow either, because you can make up your own way of cooking it as you go, except for the commercially prepared ones served in restaurants where they have certain ways of cooking it. I don't think there's right or wrong way to make this soup and so you can add anything you want in it. If you make this with meatballs, then it becomes Almondigas (in Pilipino), Albondigas (in Spanish).

My mother used to make this with whatever looked good at the market such as clams, shrimps, crabs and crablets (talangka) or oysters. One time she mixed in sardines, which was so disgusting, I almost puked. My mother is always so inventive/creative when it comes to cooking. I love her cooking very much, but when she mixes in sardines or mackerel in a dish, I'd rather skip a meal. (...good thing she doesn't do computer and doesn't visit this blog).

The Misua with Crabs has been my favorite, but when I had my cravings for this soup the other day, crabs weren't available so I settled with oysters. The oysters here in North America are so huge so I had to slice them into bite size pieces.

Here's my version of the Misua using 1 pkg of Misua Noodles and 1 jar of Oysters: (I didn't really measure anything here).

minced garlic
onion, chopped
Canola oil
1 medium jar Oyster, drained
10 cups chicken broth
Patis or salt
ground black pepper
zucchini, sliced (if patola isn't available)
Heat some canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion. Flash saute the oysters then add the broth. Add patis and pepper. Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the misua noodles and zucchini then let it simmer for about 15 minutes. That's it!!

Note: After this soup has been refrigerated, it usually becomes thick. You can put it back in a pot, add some water and bring to a simmer. Adjust salt.

HOPE YOU"ll ENJOY IT!!!

#306_Father's Day2011: Hubby's Favorite Desserts

For Father's Day I made hubby his top 3 favorite desserts.....
gotta spoil the big guy a little ya know because he is special.

1. No-Bake cheese cake. (For recipe, click here)
2. Strawberry Pie (for recipe, click here)
3. Hummingbird Cake. (For recipe, click here).


Beignet Strawberry Shortcake for the cook.
(For the Strawberry Shortcake recipe click here.)

Chicken Salad Sandwich Fillings in Bread Cones

To make the Bread Cones, click here
For Chicken Salad sandwich filling, click here.

Grandson loved all of the above!!
Yum-O!!!

#305_Easy as 1-2-3 Strawberry Pie

 With Mamon as Cake Base


This dessert only takes 5 ingredients including the water
to make the strawberry glaze!!
It's the easiest pie I've ever made!!

  


 Strawberry Pie topped with Whipped Cream







Here's the recipe:1 box of strawberry flavor Danish Dessert
cooked in 1-1/2 cup water.
Follow directions on the box for making glaze, then let cool.

1-Graham Cracker pie crust
1-1/2 lbs. fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced
Cool Whip, or whipped cream.

Mix the sliced strawberries with the cooled glaze
then pour onto the pie crust.
Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving.
Top with cool whip.
Quick and easy, but also delicious!!

Enjoy!!

Note from MaMely:
For better result, brush pie crust with egg wash then bake in a 350 degrees pre-heated oven for just 4 minutes. Let cool completely before filling.

#304_Buko-Pandan Cake

Buko-Pandan Chiffon Cake

For those who aren't familiar with Buko and Pandan, let me take a minute and explain what these words are...

Buko, pronounced "boo-koh", is a Filipino term for young coconuts. We used them in fruits salads, for buko pies, ice buko, etc. Personally, I enjoy the buko by just simply scooping the coconut meat out of the shells and eat them.

Pandan, screwpine in English (what a name, huh?) is a plant with long, narrow, green leaves.
It is known as the vanilla of the East as most Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines use pandan in various ways in cooking including flavoring cakes with their extracts,(click here). One popular cake is the Buko-Pandan Chiffon Cake.

Here's my version of the cake:

For the cake, I basically used my recipe for the
Orange Chiffon Cake, recipe #210, click here,
with a few modification.
For the topping I used Buko Pie Filling.

Here's the recipe:

Part 1: Egg Yolk Mixture
2-1/4 cups cake flour (sift before measuring)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
Sift all ingredients in a bowl or as Martha Stewart does,
stir with a wire whip.
Make a well in the center and add:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup Pandan water+2 Tbps plain water
7 large egg yolks
Mix everything until blended together.
Set aside then make the Meringue.


Part 2: Egg Whites Mixture
or Meringue
7 egg whites, room temp
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup white sugar

Using a stand mixer with the wire whip attachment,
whip egg whites until foamy.
Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form
then gradually beat in the sugar.

continue to whip until it resembles shaving cream.

To make the Chiffon Cake....

With a rubber spatula gently fold ( do this in 3 batches) the egg white mixture or meringue (part 2) into the egg yolk mixture (part 1) just until it is well blended together. Do not beat or stir the mixture.
Pour batter into two 9" pans and bake in a pre-heated 350 degrees oven for about 30 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Cool the cakes completely before topping with Buko Pie Filling. Chill Cakes for at least 4 hours before serving.

Note:
(normally when baking chiffon and sponge cakes, you don't want to grease the pans, but I grease the bottom of pans, (not the sides) then line with parchment papers, then grease the papers.

For the topping:
2 cans of Young Coconut, drained
1 can condensed milk
3 Tbps. cornstarch dissolved in 5 Tbps cold Pandan water.

In a saucepan mix together condensed milk and the pandan water with cornstarch.
Cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, until mixture thickens. Stir in the the young coconut. Let cool then pour on top of cake.

The cake in the natural color of Pandan,

I added some artificial Pandan extract in the
topping mixture to enhance the green color of Pandan.
This turned out to be a pretty jade color but looks so fakey.

The recipe makes two 9" cakes.

Canned Buko available at some Asian or Filipino stores,
use them only if you don't have access to fresh buko
as nothing is better than fresh ones.

Frozen Pandan leaves

Because fresh Pandan leaves are not available in my area, I used these frozen ones, also available at some Asian and Filipino stores. If frozen Pandan leaves aren't available or if you don't want to go all the trouble of extracting the leaves, you can use the artificial Buko-Pandan Essence in concentrated form.

To make Pandan water or juice, process about 5 leaves in a blender
or food processor with 1 cup water, then strain.
I just used a piece of paper towel to strain the juice out,
then discarded it along with the solids.

Artificial Pandan Flavoring.