Kenny Rogers' Corn Muffin

I recently craved for cornbread however i couldn't find one here in england! Not even kenny rogers! So i decided to bake one. I found one recipe which i thought was salty and taste of baking soda. It had that burning, metallic taste. I decided to re-read the recipe and instead of putting 1/2 tsp baking soda, i used 1 tbsp! Anyway, i found on the internet kenny rogers corn muffin and decided to try it out. It was absolutely scrummy! Exactly what I had when i was child, eating it with roasted meats or fish and veggies! Anyway, here's the recipe of the corn muffin. This makes 12 muffins. However, you can use this in a 22cm or 8 1/2 round pan.

ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (if you are using salted butter, reduce salt)

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (you may use white bread flour if you want a denser and rustic corn bread)

3/4 cup cornmeal or maize meal

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup milk

3/4 cup frozen yellow corn or 200g tinned yellow corn (yellow sweet corn is much better!)

1. Preheat oven to 400degrees

2. Cream butter, sugar, honey, eggs and salt.

3. blend in flour, cornmeal and baking powder

4. mix in milk

5. add corn and mix it.

You can use a 12 cup muffin tray or 22cm (8 1/2in) round pan and bake it for about 20 mins or poke it with a toothpick or skewer and it should come out clean.

this recipe is from www.cdkitchen.com

enjoy!

Banoffee Pie

For the toffee sauce:
1 (405g) of condensed milk

Base:
350grams of digestives or biscuits of your choice
150grams of melted butter

Cream:
1 pint of double cream
3 bananas, sliced
instant powdered coffee (optional)

To make the toffee sauce, remove the label of the condensed milk and immerse it in boiling water. Boil the tin for 2 - 3 hours. The longer you boil it, the darker and thicker the toffee will be. Make sure that the tin is FULLY immerse in water all throughout otherwise, the tin will pressurized and explode.

For the base, crush the digestives and mix it with melted butter. Using a pestle or fork, press the digestives onto the pan. Make sure that there's no hole. Refrigerate.

Whip the double cream until it's stiff.

There are three ways to arrange:

Simple: Mix toffee and banana then pour onto the base. Sprinkle instant coffee then spread cream on top.

Layer - spread cream onto the base, sprinkle a little bit of instant coffee then arrange the sliced banana, spread toffee then repeat.

Layer 2 - spread cream onto the base, arrange the sliced banana then add another layer of cream. sprinkle some coffee powder and drizzle it with toffee.

Haddock with White Wine and Roasted Garlic Sauce

Haddock with White Wine and Roasted Garlic Sauce

2 Fillets of Haddock
salt and pepper
olive oil
2-4 pcs of Shallot or 1 whole white onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 cups of white wine
Dried Rosemary
A twig of fresh rosemary
3 knobs of butter

First, chop the shallots or white onion and saute half of it in olive oil for 1 minute. Add the twig of rosemary and white wine. Reduce it till it's gone down to half. While it's simmering, roast garlic with olive oil.

While the sauce is simmering and garlic is roasting, proceed with grilling or pan frying the haddock. Season haddock with salt and pepper. I always find haddock a bit bland so what i do is i pan fry or grill it in flavoured oil by adding herbs or onions. In a pan, add the rest of the remaining of the chopped onion or shallots and dried rosemary. Saute till you can smell the rosemary which is like 30 seconds. Anyway, pan fry haddock. 2 minutes on each side. Careful when flipping to avoid breaking the fish.

While pan frying the fish, go back to the sauce. Use a garlic crusher to crush garlic into the wine mixture. Stir.

It's time to flip the fish...

then back to the sauce... turn off heat and add 3 knobs of butter onto the sauce and mix it with an electric hand mixer until butter and sauce is completely mixed. Strain the sauce before serving it.

On a warm plate, put mash if you want or buttered asparagus.. I prefer mash. Then place the fish and drizzle the fish with the white wine and roasted garlic sauce.

Seafood Rice

Seafood Rice

Seafood Medley/Collection from Sainsbury (Prawn, Squid and Mussels)
2 knobs of butter
a tsp of lemon juice
worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
Fresh rosemary herb (about 2 sprigs)
2 pcs of carrots, blanched
half a head of cauliflower
1/4 cup petit pois
1 bell pepper, sliced (i use green, red and yellow)
200 grams basmati rice, washed and then cook with 300ml of water
1 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
pepper

In a pan, add a little olive oil and melt 1 knob of butter. Add garlic, onion and rosemary until you can smell the aroma but don't burn it. Add cauliflower, carrots, bell pepper, petit pois and seafood. Cook for at least a minute then add lemon juice. Add rice and mix. Add 1 knob of butter and mix until butter completely melts. Add worcestershire sauce or soy sauce, depending on your taste then add pepper. Don't add anymore salt as worcestershire and soy sauce are already salty.

Sundried Tomato Paste

Sundried Tomato Paste

In a bowl, i combined Sundried tomato, olive oil, garlic, basil and pine nuts (similar to making pesto) then used food processor till it becomes a paste.
This is perfect for pasta, marinade for fish or spread on bruschetta.

Salmon Pate

Salmon Pate

Ingredients:
Salmon (either boneless, smoked or from tin. I've used smoked and from tin but give it a try with a pan fried boneless fillet)
Light Mayonnaise or Creme Fraiche (Depends on the amount of salmon you have)
1 tsp (or more if you want)
English Mustard
3 cloves Garlic
Chives
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients except for chives and salt and pepper in a food processor or a bowl if you are using a hand-mixer. Mix until chunks disappears. Add chives and season it with salt and pepper.

You can also use Tuna instead of salmon.

Homemade Smoked Salmon

Today, i made smoked salmon today and it was fabulous. I got the recipe from my mum who attended a demonstration on making smoked salmon by a chef at her weekly mother's club get together.

What you need:
Utensils:

A Smoking Pan... i didn't have any so what i did was i used a very thick pan or wok and used a rack to place salmon on. My pan had a lid but when i was smoking it already, the smoke was coming out of the sides so the Chef's suggestion was to use aluminum foil instead. Please note that the pan has to be very thick. A thin one will make your salmon "oversmoked" and may cause a small fire and result in having a bitter smoked salmon.

Ingredients:

4 Salmon Fillets about 1 to 2 inches thick
1/4th cup lemon juice
Salt and Pepper

1 cup Cherrywood or Applewood shavings however if you can't find any of these you can use 1 cup of uncooked rice
bunch of fresh taraggon
bunch of fresh dill
bunch of fresh rosemary

First, coat your salmon with lemon juice and season it with salt and pepper. You may add herbs on the salmon if you want but it's optional.

in the pan, add the uncooked rice and herbs. put rack over the uncooked rice and herbs and place salmon over the rack. Cover. Turn on heat to high but when it starts to smoke, put heat on medium. Smoke the salmon for 15-20 minutes.

In my experience, i had to turn the salmon after 10 mins then finish the smoking time otherwise, the salmon will have one pinkish color and the other kinda yellowish.

After 15-20 minutes, turn off heat. Put on gas mask if you want coz the smoke kind of irritates the eyes and nose. Another tip, if you don't want your whole house to stink of smoke, open the lid outside your house.

The salmon is wonderful with mango salsa or tartar sauce and the leftovers are good to make for brekkie like scrambled egg and smoked salmon.

Battle of Halo Halo

One of my favorite filipino snacks is Halo Halo. Halo Halo is a mix of sweet preserved beans, macapuno (coconut sport), leche flan (custard), purple yam (ube), sweet potato, sweet corn kernels, sweet banana, tapioca and topped with shaved ice and milk. Some even top it with ice cream. Hence the name Halo, which means Mix in filipino. Over the years, i've tried halo halo from different places and my top three choices were Chowking's Halo Halo, Razon's Halo Halo and Jurado's Halo Halo.

Chowking's Halo Halo is as traditional as it can be. The taste is soo filipino and the sweetness is just right. I like the fact that Chowking will give a small container filled with milk for consumers to adjust it according to their taste.

Razon's Halo Halo is very different in a sense that they put more macapuno in it and the ice shavings are very fine which makes it easier to eat.

Jurado's Halo Halo is the most unique of all. I have tasted Jurado's Halo Halo in Pampanga on way home from a hike at Mt. Arayat. According to the locals, Jurado's Halo Halo is more popular and better than Razon's. When I tried it, I was amazed at the texture of the beans. In fact, you won't even see the beans. It was actually all the sweet beans mashed with Leche Flan and it looks like a jam. Then topped it with Macapuno balls and has a surprise of pastillas de leche. The ice was not as fine as i would like it to be tho. But it was sooo good. Among all halo halos i've tried this is the best. I just wish the ice were as fine as that of Razon's but it's good enough. Jurado's Halo Halo is a must try for everyone.

Pickled Balsam Pear (Ampalaya Atchara)

I've always hated Ampalaya or Balsam Pear/Bitter Gourd because of its bitter taste. However, last christmas a neighbor gave us Pickled Ampalaya and to my surprise it wasn't bitter at all. I liked it. So i decided to come up with my own recipe. I've always known how to make atchara using green papaya. I was taught by my grandmother when i was younger. So for the Ampalaya, i've used the same recipe of vinegar mixture to pickle it.

Choosing the right ampalaya is not really hard. All you need to do is choose the greenest ampalaya.

Recipe: (for 2 jars)
1 foot of Ampalaya
2 cup white vinegar
1 cup of sugar
2 bay leaf
2 clove of smashed garlic
2 small slice of ginger

First, Slice off the ends of the ampalaya, discard it. Half the ampalaya lengthwise to remove seeds and white stuff. Use a spoon to remove it. Thinly slice ampalaya and put all in bowl with water. Let it soak for about 3 hours or longer to remove the bitterness. What i do is, i change water at least every hour.

In a saucepan, boil water. Regarding amount of water, it's up to you. I usually use about 2 and a half cup of water. In a strainer, place the cheesecloth or any thin cloth you have, drain amapalaya. When water is boiling, pour it over the ampalaya to at least "cook" it. In other words, blanch it.

Now for a foot of ampalaya, i usually use two glass jars. Do not use plastic jar as it will melt when you pour the hot vinegar mixture in. So, add the smashed garlic, ginger and bay leaf in each jar. Go back to your ampalaya and using the cheesecloth, squeeze out all the water from the ampalaya. It will be hot so i usually rub my hands on ice and squeeze it. When all juice/water is out, divide ampalaya equally and put it in the jars.

In a saucepan, mix vinegar and sugar on low heat. Mix until the sugar is completely dissolved. When vinegar mixture starts to boil, turn off heat and pour over the jars.
Let it cool, don't close it yet. When it's cool already, you may close it and put it in the fridge. It is ready for consumption after 3 days

Ultimate Brownies

I was looking for the ultimate brownies and have tried many recipes and tried brownies bought from shop. None really satisfied me. I wanted a brownie that is chewy, not crumbly. After trying many different recipes and techniques, i finally came up with one. Try it!

1 cup melted butter
2 or 3 cups of sugar (this will depend on your taste. and i prefer to use brown sugar)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (if you have unsweetned dutch processed cocoa powder like vahlrona, then better! otherwise, stick to hersheys)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chip (this is optional)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder



baking pan 9x11

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour pan. Next, beat butter, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time. Sift flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda and add it to the mixture. Beat it slowly until flour mixture and butter mixture are incorporated, add chips then mix again. Pour it into the greased pan and bake it for 20 minutes or until you poke it with a toothpick and toothpick comes out slightly clean. Don't mistake melted chocolate chip from the batter. The toothpick has to have a bit of chocolate stuck to it. But if it's a lot of chocolate stuck, then it's not ready yet.

Let it cool. The brownie will be crumbly if you eat it right away. Let it cool and it will be chewy and not crumbly. Patience is a virtue.


If you are diabetic, there are sugar-free chocolates available at the market and you may use Isomalt as substitute for sugar but be aware of the amount you eat as Isomalt is a laxative. Google for more info on Isomalt.

Krispy Kreme, Manila Review

When I was younger, my mother would always go out of the country for business trips and she would never forget to bring krispy kreme home. I was so happy that krispy kreme has finally opened in manila. I have tried each and every krispy kreme donut. There are some i like and some I find too sweet.

Original Glazed Krispy Kreme: I thought that it's sweeter than the original donut i've tried out of the country. It's still good and the quality of the donut itself is good.

Chocolate Iced Kreme Filled: I love this one but i wish that krispy kreme would be more consistent on the amount of kreme inside the donut. The first one i bought was just perfect. The 2nd time i bought the donut, the kreme was only on one side of the donut and not as much as the first one i had.

Glazed Sour Cream Cake: Oh this is one of my favorites. Not too sweet, just right.

Chocolate Iced with sprinkles, this one taste like the original krispy kreme donut and it's too sweet.

Glazed Cruller: It's sweet and chewy and very light.

Glazed Raspberry Filled: I love this one. It's not too sweet and again, the amount of the raspberry filled should be consistent and really filled up. Sometimes, i'd eat halfway already and the filling starts to disapear so all i have left is just the donut.

New York Cheesecake: I didn't enjoy this one very much as it was really sweet.

Chocolate Iced Custard Filling: I like this in fact, they should have a variety of this without the chocolate. The custard is perfect enough.

Powdered Strawberry Filled: One of my favorites. This is a must try. The Strawberry filling is not too sweet and it's not as sour as i thought.

Chocolate Iced Glazed: The orignal glaze is already very sweet and with the added chocolate icing, it becomes even more sweet. so, not for me.

Glazed Lemon Filled: I'm not a fan of of sour food but this one, is really good. Not too sour at all. It's slightly sweet and the blend of sourness of the lemon filling and the sweetness of doughnut balances it.

Caramel Kreme Crunch: I love caramel and this one is just perfect for me. Another favorite of mine. This is a must try.

Maple Iced Glazed: I think the sweetness of this is just right. Not as sweet as the original glaze.

Glazed Chocolate Cake: It's actually similar to the glazed sour creme cake but this one is slightly sweeter and duh, chocolate-y

Traditional Cake: It looks very dry but it's very good. It actually melts in your mouth. This is perfect with afternoon tea.

I know i've used the word too sweet however, I think it was made to be sweet because these donuts are supposed to be eaten with coffee. It makes sense as they are also marketing their own brand of coffee.

The pricing for me is reasonable. Dunkin Donuts, gonuts donuts, and other donut shops are cheaper than krispy kreme and usually, i see few customers. However, Krispy Kreme on the other hand is more expensive than the others but the shops are always full. It's amazing to see that people are actually after the quality of the donut and not the price. Also, most filipinos know about krispy kreme abroad so it's not new for them. But because of its availability and "newness" in manila, more people are flocking in and trying to grab that free original glazed donut while they line up for a box of donuts. Let's see after a couple of months if they are still the biggest selling donuts in manila. Will it continue to satisfy customers or will customers gets sick and tired of it?

Pasta Recipe #1

I love cooking especially when it comes to seafood and pasta. I don't cook meat at all. For today's brunch, I made an olive oil base pasta with ingredients found in my refrigerator.

Ingredients:
Cooked or left over spaghetti noodles. You can use fetuccine if you like
Olive Oil (the amount depends on the amount of noodles you will add)
2 pcs of anchovies or if you don't have anchovies, you can use sardines in olive oil or spanish style.
2 overriped tomatoes (do not do anything yet to these toms)
1 half of the large bell pepper or 1 small bell pepper, chopped
half of white onions
fresh chopped chives and basil
4 cloves garlic
Asparagus, chopped
4 pcs of sundried tomatoes on olive oil, chopped
1/4th black olives chopped
1/8th cup of capers
ground pepper to taste
Parmeggiano

In a pan over low heat, add olive oil. The amount of olive oil depends on the amount of noodles. However, to keep olive oil as good as possible, do not let it smoke as the higher the heat, the good fats will become transfats. So for this, just add about 1/4th olive oil. Add anchovies or sardine, mash it while cooking then half the tomatoes and squeeze the juice in the pan. While the anchovies or sardine is cooking, chop the remaining tomatoes, set aside. Add garlic, onions, pepper and the tomatoes (not the sundried). Wait for about 30seconds then add asparagus, sundried tomatoes, olives and capers. Add ground pepper and mix. Add noodles. If pasta is too dry, add olive oil. Serve it with shredded or ground parmeggiano.

For this recipe, i was able to cook for 4-5 people however, because it's so good, 3 people or less can gobble it all up in one seating.

in search for the best chocolate cake

i'm currently craving for chocolate cake. I haven't found the best chocolate cake yet but i will be visiting cafes and restaurants to check out their cakes. Anyway, so far, i have tried starbucks, matcha, shoppersville, gayuma and sugar house.

let's start with starbuck's chocolate cake...well some people like it but i have to say it's not great. It's very dry. I couldn't even finish it.

Shoppersville chocolate cake is good, moist and the chocolate icing is just right. however, it's too heavy for me.

sugarhouse... lacks something to make it memorable.

matcha... well matcha's chocolate cake is white sugar icing with caramel chunks on a chocolate cake. i had to look for the chocolate cake in it ffs. Too much icing and there are caramel chunks than the cake itself. This isn't a chocolate cake. but it's good i liked it. i'll eat it again.

gayuma... ah the famous cake. i thought it was famous because of its name, better than sex lol. I disagree tho. I think nothing can be better than sex lol. but the cake is just bliss. moist, good amount of chocolate and caramel sauce.

oh well looks like gayuma may be the best chocolate cake but i'm still in search. i just need to know where else to look for chocolate cake. I'll be passing by Xocolat, shangri-la hotel ortigas and cookies and goodies.

punch and salsa recipe

Last night I celebrated my birthday with my closest friends. Mum made marinara pasta and we had roasted garlic and shrimp pizza delivered by yellow cab. I made my ultimate salsa and punch.

Salsa it's actually simple to make and there are so many varieties of salsa. For my salsa, i use stewed tomatoes instead of the whole tomatoes.

Salsa:
2 cans of stewed tomatoes (if you choose to stew it yourself then use 7 big toms)
1 whole white onion(finely chopped)
parsley
sweet basil(fresh, optional.. most don't use this but i've recently discovered that it makes a great addition to the recipe)
jalapeno pepper or tabasco or chili flakes

just mix everything.