Category Archives: Asian cooking

Egg Tarts

Posted in Asian cooking, Dessert, Philippine Cuisine by

I grew up having these egg tarts either as an afternoon snack or as part of any party/gathering menu. Of course, you can make it into a pie but sometimes, small one serving tarts are just too cute, right? It would have looked even cuter with fluted tart molds but I didn’t have any on hand. I just used a normal muffin baking tray and ended up with these:

egg tart

You will need:

CRUST

125 grams unsalted butter, room temperature

60 grams confectioner’s sugar

1 large egg, lightly whisked

230 grams all-purpose flour

1 tsp vanilla extract

CUSTARD

130 ml fresh milk

100 ml hot water

90 ml evaporated milk

3 eggs, lightly beaten

125 grams caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 180 degree C. Place rack in the center of the oven.

2. Sift flour. Set aside.

3. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy and smooth (4-5 minutes). Add the lightly beaten egg, pour half of the egg in each addition, scraping the sides after each addition. Beat just until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract and beat.

4. Add in the flour, in two additions, scraping the sides of the bowl before each addition. Beat until you form a dough.

5. Roll out dough (1/4 inch thickness). Cut with a cookie cutter that is a bit larger than the muffin tin. Line the muffin tins with the cookie dough. Press in the dough with your fingers. Repeat the same procedure until you use up all of the dough.

6. In a bowl, mix all liquid and whisk until sugar is well dissolved. Sift the mixture twice. Carefully pour the custard mixture into each tart shell.

7. Bake the tarts for 15-18 minutes until lightly brown.

8. Lower the temperature to 150 degrees C. Bake a bit more for 5-8 minutes until custard is cooked through. Insert a toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean, the custard is ready.

9. Let cool and enjoy!

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Sweet Avocado {Thick} Shake Dessert

Posted in Asian cooking, Dessert, Fruits, Philippine Cuisine by

I grew up having avocado shake as dessert. This dessert is a family favorite, especially my dad’s. We used to make this into a lighter and thinner shake with lots ice cubes which results into a refreshing drink. For Filipinos -or Asian, like me, enjoying avocado this way is not new to us.  When I first introduced my spanish family to this dessert, they were surprised as they were used to having avocado only as a salad ingredient. I have prepared this both as a light (can be drank) and a thick (eaten with a spoon) shake. What surprised and delighted them, at the same time, is the thick, creamy and smooth texture similar to a mousse dessert without the need of using cream nor egg whites. This has now become a family favorite. My mother-in-law has even introduced her friends to this delicious and easy dessert. Even my husband’s nephew who was never an avocado fan has become a convert.

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Aside from the deliciousness of this dessert, there are more reasons to love avocados. First, it is rich in unsaturated fatty acids which help counteract the harmful effects of saturated fats in our body. It is also rich in vitamin D, which helps in the correct absoption of calcium in the body. It has high vitamin E and potassium content and considerable amount of calcium, iron and magnesium. This is a highly caloric fruit (100 grams raw avocado = 160 calories) so it should be taken moderately. I always use semi-skimmed or skimmed milk and skimmed condensed milk but you can, of course, use any you have on hand.

For this recipe, you will need:

7-8 small ripe avocados

250 ml semi-skimmed/skimmed fresh milk

220 ml skimmed condensed milk

1. Cut the avocados in half. Take out the seeds. Scoop the meat with a spoon and place it in the blender.

2. Pour the fresh and condensed milk in the blender.

3. Cover the blender and process for 2-3 minutes. Place in whisky glasses.

4. Chill.  Serve and enjoy!

 

You can also serve it layered with fruits of your choice. My family loves the combination of strawberries and avocado shake.

avocado dessert

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Custard Cake Recipe

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Philippine Cuisine by

When I was growing up, custard cake was one of my most favorite snack. We would buy it in the local bakery but unfortunately, we can only buy it every now and then since it’s more expensive than the other breads or cakes. Since my family loves custard and cake, I decided to make our perfect custard cake. The cake itself is not too sweet, not interfering in any way with the sweetness and creamy texture of the custard. So, if you like custard and cake this is a must-try recipe!

orange sponge and custard cake 097

custard cake I made for Christmas Eve dinner

This custard cake has the perfect amount of custard (in my family’s opinion). This is entirely different to the custard cake I used to have in my childhood years, which has a very thin layer of custard on top and had one desiring for more custard. I typically use two (2) 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan when baking.

I admit, the cake might look plain at first glance but I assure you, you will forget your first impression of this cake at your first bite. Imagine a soft sponge cake and a creamy, “melt-in-your-mouth” custard. I don’t find any reason you can’t use other flavor (lemon, orange, etc.). I baked a batch of this yesterday and had the first slice for breakfast today and the hubs said it was heavenly! ^^) This time, I added vanilla for the custard and orange juice and orange zest for the cake.

If you are afraid that the custard would rise when you pour your cake batter, don’t fret. Just pour evenly and make sure no custard mixture is “peeping” and all is covered with the cake batter and eveything will be well ^^)

*Note: I also found out that it is easier to “flip” the cake later and be totally sure it won’t stick to the pan if you bake it in a pyrex baking dish. Works everytime!

custard cake with handmade choco decors

Custard cake I made for New Year’s Day lunch with handmade choco decors

I even successfully baked it in silicone cupcakes molds plus I got to use as topper the caramel that hardened! (I obviously over-cooked the caramel for this batch ^^) The kids loved those caramel stars, though!

custard cake

custard cake with star caramel on top. yum!

You will need:

CARAMEL TOPPING

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup water

CUSTARD

6 egg yolks (room temperature), don’t throw away the egg whites. Make this meringue cake and enjoy! ^^)

400 grams condensed milk

1 cup milk (I used semi-skimmed milk)

1/4 cup sugar minus 1 tbsp.

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional, you can substitute with your choice of flavor)

SPONGE CAKE

225 grams cake flour

180 grams granulated white sugar

1 cup freshly squeezed and strained orange juice (use an orange you will typically eat on its own)

70 ml oil (I use refined olive oil but you can substitute with other oil)

3 eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp orange zest

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

5 grams butter (for greasing pan)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 170ºC. Grease pans with butter.

2. Heat a pot in a stove, medium heat. Add water and sugar. Do not stir. Let it boil, moving the pot now and then but don’t stir the mixture. Let it simmer until the color turns light amber or golden brown. Turn off the stove. Pour caramel to the pan/s. Set aside.

3. In a bowl, pour the egg yolks, condensed milk, fresh milk, sugar and vanilla. Whisk and mix together. Don’t beat as we don’t want air bubbles in the custard mixture. You will have about 2 cups of custard. Strain the custard mixture so you will get a smooth custard. Pour 1 cup each of custard in each pan. Set aside.

4. In a grease-free bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy and soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. You will know the egg whites are ready by turning the bowl upside down. If the meringue does not fall, it’s ready. Set aside.

5. In a bowl, whisk together the cake flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.

6. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar together until creamy. Pour in the orange zest, oil and orange juice. Beat until incorporated.

7. Add the dry ingredients to the egg yolk mixture. Beat until well incorporated.

8. Fold in the meringue (beaten egg white) into the egg yolk mixture. Using a whisk, fold in just until well incorporated. Do not overwork. We don’t want the cake mixture to deflate. The air bubbles in the meringue are very delicate. Just fold in, making sure there are no traces of meringue clumps. Pour half of the cake mixture into each pan.

9. In a larger pan, pour hot but not boiling water. We will be baking the cake using the bain-marie (water bath) method. Place both pans (with the caramel, custard and cake mixture in) into the larger pan. Bake just until the top of the sponge cake turns golden brown. Bake this in the middle rack of your oven. Do not open the oven while the cake is baking or else, the sponge cake will deflate. Once the top of the cake is already golden brown, open the oven and insert a toothpick in the center to check if the custard and cake is done. If the custard is not yet done, bake a little bit more (5 minutes more at a time) but lightly cover pans with an aluminum foil.  Check if the custard is done. When the cake is done, turn off the oven and leave the pans inside the oven for about 10 minutes.

10. Take the pans out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. Do not be tempted to turn your cake now as the custard hasn’t set yet. Just let it cool on the rack. Once the pan has cooled down, cover with aluminum foil and chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.

11. Take the pan out of the fridge about 5-10 minutes before serving it. Pass a thin knife all around the pan. Take a plate, slightly bigger than the pan, and invert your cake on the plate. Serve and enjoy!

custard cake slice

Sinful!

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Yema {Custard} Balls

Posted in Asian cooking, Dessert, Philippine Cuisine by

Yema balls are typically made with egg yolks and condensed milk. Sometimes, processed or chopped roasted peanuts are also added and gives an interesting mixture of flavor and texture. Yema balls are part of my childhood. I remember, when I was still a kid, I would buy two balls for PHP 0.25 which means that with 1€ today, I could have bought more than 400 yema balls! When I had kids, I started making these custard balls at home.   n my home, a merengue cake is synonymous to yema balls. It’s a great way to use the egg yolks (aside from making Creamy Leche Flan, of course!) This has become family and a party favorite in my home!

yema balls

You will need:

6 Egg yolks

500 grams Condensed Milk

25 grams butter

white sugar

Directions:

1. Heat a pot on low heat. Melt the butter stick.

2. Add the beaten egg and stir continuously.

3. Add the condensed milk. Keep on stirring. Make sure the mixture does not get burnt or doesn’t stick to the pan.

4. Add chopped/coarsely processed peanuts/pistachio/macadamia nuts or desiccated coconut flakes if desired.

5. Keep on stirring until the mixture sets (almost like dough, it will clump together)

6. Let it cool down.

7. When it’s already lukewarm, line a plastic container with cling film. Place the custard mixture in it and cover. Place it in the fridge until you’re ready to work with it.

8. Use an ice cream scoop or a cake pop round mold to mold the balls. If you don’t have either, place a bit of olive oil on your clean hands, scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and shape it to a ball with the use of your hands.

9. Roll it in white sugar.

10. Serve and enjoy!

To serve your yema balls, you can also use lollipop sticks or cellophane candy wrapper instead of using cupcake liners!

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