APPLE BUTTER

This is my first time making apple butter. I first saw and learned about apple butter at the farmers market and was determined to make them during apple season. Well, this will not be my last, i'm definitely making more of this.
Great as holiday gift!

I got this recipe from Dinner and Drinks with some tweaking ofcourse=;)

Ingredients:

10 big apples or 12 medium apples, peeled cored and diced
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 C apple cider
2 1/2 pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 T lemon juice

Mix all the ingredients in a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Puree the cooked apples ( I used my immersion blender), you can also mash the apples if you want some texture.
Cook uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes just to thicken the mixture.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

*Shelf life 3 weeks inside the fridge.

I've been enjoying the apple butter on my toast every morning.

APPLE BUTTER FRENCH VANILLA ICE CREAM WANTON NAPOLEONS (OCT. DARING COOKS CHALLENGE PART 2

This is my wanton dessert challenge. Hope this will make me win Jaden's Steamy Kitchen cookbook!!!

Ingredients:

Wanton wrappers - fried
homemade apple butter - will blog the recipe asap
french vanilla ice cream
mint leaves for garnish.

PHO TAI GAN (REAR STEAK, TENDON PHO) OCT. DARING COOKS CHALLENGE

The October Daring Cooks Challenge is making Pho. We love Vietnamese food and pho is one of our favorite. I have made this a lot of times, but i am not an expert in pho making (I wish!). I also know that there’s a whole slew of method and process to this dish, that’s why i was excited when this months hostess Jaden of Steamy Kitchen chose Pho. Let’s see maybe i will be an expert after this challenge. I can dream right?

Jaden suggested to make Pho Ga (Chicken Pho) but she also gave us other options should we decide not to make the chicken pho. I ask my family w/c would they like me to make, a unanimous decision was made...Pho Tai Gan (Rear Steak, Tendon Pho) which is one of my fave at the Vietnamese restaurant. The other fave of ours is Bo Ko Ca Rot (Spicy Beef and Carrot Stew)

I then decided to cook this specific pho using the slow cooker, primarily because i have no time to babysit the long and slow cooking process by using the conventional method on the stove top. Check Jaden’s crockpot pho recipe HERE . The recipe serves 4.

I followed Jaden’s basic broth recipe and then made some tweaking as i went ahead w/ the rest of the process. Since I'm fortunate enough to have access to some authentic ingredients, i challenged myself to make this pho as authentic as possible.

The broth you make is the success to your Pho, so this stage is crucial.

BEEF BONES- I used 5 lbs. shin bones (Asian Markets sells this type of bones). These bones has cartilage, marrows and some meat attached to it.

Par-boil the bones on high for few minutes just to get rid of the those scums (those grayish/brownish stuff!) Rinse your bones briefly. I know what you're thinking..what? rinse and throw the broth? yes!!! You get the "bone goodness" when you boil them for a longer period. Slow cooking the bones will produce clear broth.

CHAR THE GINGER AND ONIONS - 2 medium onions, about 4 inch ginger cut into half. Jaden say's this stage is optional but i say it's imperative. For me, charred ginger and onions imparts a fortified and smoky flavor. Believe me because i have tried both charred and not.

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TOAST YOUR SPICES - Toasting will bring out the oil of the spices and for surely add depth to your broth flavor. These are the standard pho spices sans the black cardamom w/c i don't have. If you will notice i used Saigon Cinnamon
this is the type of cinnamon used for pho but regular cinnamon will be okay although the Saigon kind has an intense cinnamon flavor.

SINCE I WANTED TO AT LEAST STAY AUTHENTIC I USED ROCK SUGAR W/C IS SOMETIMES CALLED ROCK CANDY W/C AGAIN IS COMMONLY USED IN MAKING AN AUTHENTIC PHO. THIS CAN BE PURCHASED IN ASIAN STORES BUT REGULAR SUGAR WILL BE FINE. I USUALLY BANG IT W/ THE HANDLE OF THE KNIFE OR A HAMMER THEN BANG AWAY=;) A LITTLE OF THIS SUGAR ROCK GOES A LONG WAY.

USE A GOOD BRAND OF FISH SAUCE. THIS BRAND IS MY FAVORITE.

AT THIS STAGE YOU'LL PUT THE PAR BOILED BONES, SPICES, SEASONINGS, ONIONS AND GINGER INTO THE SLOW COOKER THEN ADD WATER ENOUGH TO COVER THE BONES. SET YOUR SLOW COOKER ON LOW AND LET COOK/SIMMER FOR 8 HRS.

THIS IS MY PHO BROTH AFTER 8 HOURS OF SLOW COOKING. TAKE OUT THE BONES, THE SPICES AND SKIM SOME SCUM IF NEEDED. BUT IN MY CASE I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE MUCH SCUMS TO SKIM.

AND YOU'LL BE LEFT WITH THIS FATTY BROTH. THERE ARE A LOT OF METHOD TO GET RID OF THE FAT, I FIND PUTTING THE BROTH IN THE FRIDGE IS THE BEST FOR ME.

UNTIL THE FATTY SUBSTANCES WILL CONGEAL. IT'LL BE EASY TO TAKE THE FAT OUT

AND YOU'LL BE LEFT W/ A CLEAN CLEAR BROTH.
THIS IS THE BASE OF A WONDERFUL PHO.

SO WHILE THE BONES WERE SIMMERING. I BOILED THE TENDONS SEPARATELY WITH SOME OF THE SPICES UNTIL COOKED. THEN SLICED THINLY.



SO W/ THE BROTH READY AND THE TENDONS SLICED THINLY WE ARE READY TO MOVE ON TO THE ASSEMBLY OF THE PHO TAI GAN.

THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS FOR PHO DISH.

THINLY SLICED REAR STEAK. YOU CAN BUY THINLY SLICED STEAK AT ASIAN MARKETS. IF YOU CAN'T BUY THESE KIND, YOU CAN ASK YOUR BUTCHER TO SLICE IT THINLY FOR YOU.

HARD BOILED QUAIL EGGS

NOW THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE !

ARRANGE YOUR MEAT AND HERBS AND VEGGIES BEFORE POURING THE STEAMING HOT BEEF BROTH.

YOUR BROTH SHOULD BE STEAMING HOT WHEN YOU POUR IT TO THE BOWL. THE BROTH WILL COOK THE VERY THINLY SLICED STEAK.

NOW WHEN IT COMES TO PHO, I'M A PURIST...I DON'T LIKE TO ADD CONDIMENTS OR SAUCE FLAVORINGS SUCH AS HOISIN SAUCE, SRIRACHA ETC. I LIKE TO SAVOR THE WELL SEASONED BROTH. I ADD THAI BIRD CHILI IF I WANT IT SPICY NOTHING ELSE!

Thanks, Jaden for the Pho-tastic challenge. This was spot on, it was just like the restaurant's Pho! Pls. also check my Apple Butter, French Vanilla Ice Cream Wanton Napoleons HERE

BO KHO CA ROT (SPICY BEEF AND CARROT STEW)

Since it's "soup weather" already i thought i'd share our all time favorite Vietnamese Stew/Soup. A must have everytime we go to any Vietnamese Restaurant. We liked it so much that i had to research and experiment lots of different recipes so i can make it anytime we want it. I found this recipe at the library, "Authentic Vietnamese Cooking", i had to xerox the page. I have had this for years so don't ask me who the author is coz i can't remember. I'll have to google it.

Don't be overwhelmed nor be intimidated by the ingredients, some i'm sure are already in your pantry and some can be purchased easily...promise, well if you have an Asian store in your neck of the woods.

Through the years i have tried/tweaked the recipe. I have also cooked this in 3 different ways using slow cooker, dutch oven simmering for hours and pressure cooker w/c means cooked in an hour. I personally didn't see any difference it's all about your preference and how much time you have. I have tendons aside from the chuck roast so i opted to use pressure cooker to tenderize the meat fast.

The kind of meat cut really is again your preference, i have used short ribs, oxtail but for now i'm using chuck roast, beef tendons and bone marrows.

Y: 4 to 6

1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 t five spice powder
2 T sugar (use 1 T if using coconut juice in can)
4 lbs. beef cut of your choice (chuck roast, short ribs, ox tail, stew meat)
1 T vegetable oil
4 to 6 small yellow onions or 1 med. sweet onions
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
3 oz.fresh ginger, sliced and lightly crushed
2 cups young coconut juice or beef stock (i personally like coconut juice)
2 stalks lemongrass, remove green tops and root ends, bulbs halved crosswise and lightly crushed.
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick, about 2 inches long
3 to 4 dried chilies or 2 fresh bird's eye or Thai chilies
1 t annatto seeds or powder (sometimes called atsuete/achuete)
2 to 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally 1/4 inch thick

After cooking this a lot of times, there are steps i skip but will still show you all the original steps on how to cook this.

1. Combine the fish sauce, five spice powder, and sugar in a dish. Add the beef meat, coating well and allow to marinate, refrigerated for 4 to 6 hours. (I skip this step).

2. Heat the oil, onions, garlic and ginger in a pot. Cook the ingredients until fragrant and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the meat, fish sauce, five spice powder and sugar. Then add the coconut juice or beef stock and cover the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. (I've used both coconut juice and beef stock, i like using coconut juice)

3. Add the lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon stick, chilies and annatto seeds or powder. (Annatto seeds or powder turns the dish red/orange color) simmer, covered over medium-low heat for 2 hours or until meat is tender.

4. Add carrots and continue braising until the meat falls off the bones. Skim off the fat.

5. Restaurants typically serve this w/ noodles but i love mine w/ steamed white rice. Garnish w/ cilantro leaves, Thai basil, lime wedges, bean sprouts, fresh Thai chilis if you want it more spicy.

Note:
To simplify the task of skimming fat and getting a clear and rich colored stock, remove onions, carrots, and meat from the pot. Then place a double or triple layer of paper towels in a sieve set over a bowl and strain the cooking liquid through the paper towels.

Some of the ingredients

Serve with lemon wedges and onion flakes

Or simply the soup sans lemon and all condiments

If you go to a Vietnamese Restaurant i highly recommend this! This dish is called Bo Kho Ca Rot, Spicy Beef and Carrots or simply the spicy orange/red soup.

ENJOY!!!!!

SINUGBA NA ISDA (GRILLED FISH)

This blog is a continuation of the SINUGBA NA LIEMPO Please check it out. As i mentioned, Sinugba na liempo and Sinugba na Isda comes hand in hand.

I used tilapia for this specific sinugba but you can use different kinds of fish of your choice. Snapper and trout are great for this dish as well. Although this is categorized as grilling, the process is technically steaming the fish. The tilapia is wrapped w/ banana leaves and then grilled, so the banana leaves gets grilled and charred w/c imparts a distinct flavor and aroma to the steaming fish.

Ingredients:

Whole fish (cleaned, scaled and gutted)

1 pack banana leaves ( available at Asian stores)
tomatoes (sliced)
green onions (cut into 1" length )
garlic (minced)
lemon grass (fresh is better- cut into 1" length)

ginger (sliced thinly)

S&P

***i didn't put exact measurements, the quantity will all depend on the size of your fish and how many will you be grilling.

1. Mix all the veggies and spices, then stuff some into the fish cavity.

2. Lay the stuffed fish in the middle of the banana leaves putting some of the veggie, spice mixture under the fish and on top of the fish.

3. Wrap the fish sealing ends w/ toothpick.

4. Grill until banana leaves are charred approximately about 30 minutes.

SERVE W/ THE SINUGBA NA LIEMPO, STEAMED RICE. I LOVE MINE W/ SPICY VINEGAR.

Lay fish in the middle of the banana leaves.

Secure edges w/ tooth pick

Grill (i grilled this fish for 35 minutes)

Unwrap gingerly, and enjoy the aroma as you unwrap!

ENJOY!!!!!

SINUGBA NA LIEMPO (GRILLED PORK BELLY)

I grilled this during the "grilling season" w/c was last month. I got busy and forgot to blog this right away. Anyways, it's still grilling season somewhere! but you can certainly bake or broil them too!

This dish is one of my papa's favorite and when ever my mama prepares this dish she always grills fish along side the liempo, so i do the same thing. I will blog the Grilled Tilapia wrapped in banana leaves after this.

CUT THE PORKBELLY INTO STRIPS, SEASON W/ GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER, SALT AND PEPPER. GRILL UNTIL COOKED.

LAMI KAAYO (SO DELICIOUS). I LIKE MINE SERVED W/ SPICY VINEGAR

SINUGBA NA LIEMPO (GRILLED PORK BELLY) WITH STEAMED WHITE RICE, CHERRY TOMATOES, GRILLED CORN AND SPICY HOT VINEGAR DIP

ENJOY!!!!!

TUSCAN SHRIMP FARFALLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. fresh shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 box farfalle pasta
1 16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce
2 T white wine
3 cloves garlic (minced)
½ cup sundried tomatoes (chopped)
¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)
¼ cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

Prepare pasta according to package directions.
In a saucepan, sauté garlic, and then add the shrimps.
Pour Alfredo sauce into the saucepan.
Pour wine into sauce jar, cover tightly, and shake well. (“Waste not”)
Stir wine mixture into saucepan.
Stir in chopped tomatoes, chopped basil and cook for 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Toss with pasta, and top with the parmesan cheese.
Garnish with julienned basil.

ENJOY!!!!!

PAM'S RATATOUILLE W/ TRI-COLOR FARFALLE

*ADJUST THE RECIPE IF THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU.
Serving Size: 12

Ingredients:

1 piece chicken breast cubed (Pam's modification to the recipe)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion – chopped

1 tablespoon garlic – chopped

1 medium sized green bell pepper – diced

1 medium sized red bell pepper – diced

1 medium eggplant – peeled and diced

1 medium sized zucchini – peeled and diced

1 28 oz can tomato crushed or diced

1 oz fresh basil – chiffonade

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cook chicken in a nonstick pan, add a little of olive oil if needed. Set aside.

2. Using the same pan, sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil.

3. Add the peppers, eggplant and zucchini and sauté until tender, approximately 10 minutes

4. Add the cooked chicken, tomatoes, fresh basil and seasonings. Sauté for 5 minutes. Adjust the seasonings.

5. Serve with French baguette or in this case Pam mixed it with pasta.

POACHED PEARS IN WHITE WINE AND SABAYON SAUCE MY VERSION

Got the recipe inspiration from Julia Child's "Pear Poached in White Wine and Sabayon Sauce". As you know Julia Child is a "Vermouth lady" so obviously this recipe will call for one. Since i don't have vermouth in my "wine cellar" ha!ha! i wish!...i decided to make some substitutions and made use of what wines i already have and then i also tapered the quantity since i will be making this dessert for 3. Anyways, i'll post the original recipe just incase. And will do my version as i go along.

Pear Poached:
8 to 10 firm, ripe, unblemished fresh Bartlett pears
2 quarts water and 4 tablespoons lemon juice in a bowl
1 quart fine strong dry white wine or 3 cups dry white vermouth and
1 cup water
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks or 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

Sabayon Sauce:
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup fruit poaching liquid or a sweet white wine plus a little vanilla
1/4 cup white vermouth
1/4-1/3 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of liquid added.

Peel, halve and core pears, dropping them into the lemon water as you go, to prevent discoloration.
Meanwhile, simmer wine with lemon zest and juice, sugar and cinnamon for 5 minutes.
Drop in the pears (adding only so many that the cooking liquid covers them, or add more wine plus 6 Tbsp. sugar per cup.)
Maintain liquid at just below the simmer for 8 to 10 min. just until pears are tender when pierced w/ knife.
Let them cool in the syrup.
Serve warm or cold: store in a covered bowl, in the syrup in the ref.

For the Sabayon Sauce:
Whisk all sabayon sauce ingredients together in a stainless or enameled saucepan.
When well blended, whisk over low heat until mixture is thick, foamy and warm to your finger.
Do not bring too near to simmer or the eggs will scramble, but you must have enough heat to do the job. (a wisp of steam rising over the surface usually indicates the sauce is done- after 2 to 4 min. of whisking.

Note: With a longer wait, the sauce will usually separate but can be rehomoginized by beating again over heat. It will not be a foamy sauce, however, if reheated, it will usually be a smooth yellow cream, like a custard sauce.

Peel and core. I used melon baller to core. Some pears i left whole and some i cut in half for presentation.

This the wine i used for poaching in lieu of Vermouth. Love this wine!

Julia Child's Sabayon calls for Vermouth but i have always used Marsala for my sabayon sauce.
I opted for Bain Marie (water bath/double steaming) to make my sauce, instead of cooking directly into a pan w/c i think gives you a lot of room for mistake such as over cooking the eggs.

I LOVE THIS DESSERT!

I tried serving the poached pears w/ vanilla icecream it was delish as well.

Don't mind my attempt to make ice cream quenelles, it didn't come out as shapely as i wanted it to be
If you don't want to make the sauce serve it w/ ice cream it's also wonderful.

STEAMED RICE WITH CHICKEN AND CHINESE SAUSAGE

Steamed Rice with Chicken and Chinese Sausage is what I call a meal in one. This is a dim sum dish in most Asian countries, usually served on an individual bowl w/ a lid, when you open it you get the whiff of all the ingredients, oh, I can’t even begin to describe it, all I can say is.... it’s heaven!!! I’m just baffled as to why this is not served in dim sum restaurants here in America. I’ve been to NY, San Francisco and Chicago Chinatown but haven’t seen this dish in the dim sum menu. Pls. let me know if ever you’ve eaten this at a dim sum restaurant and I’d love to go to that place and eat there!!!!

I have almost forgotten that this is one of my favorite until I saw Ming Tsai made this on his show East Meets West few years ago. Since then I have made some tweaking to his recipe and I’ve been making this to fix my craving. What I’m blogging is not the traditional rice that’s used for this dish. I’m using sticky purple/black rice called “Tapol” in the Philippines. This variety of rice could be used both in savory and sweet dishes. The end product was still delicious and the color of the rice definitely made the dish more appetizing, in my opinion.

I highly recommend that you give this a try. But it’s imperative; should you decide to give this a whirl, pls. don’t use instant rice. I don’t have anything against them but it will just not work w/ this dish. Also don’t be intimidated w/ the ingredients you can always substitute them.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
3 chicken thighs, boned, ½ inch dice, with skin on
1 T soy sauce
½ T sugar
½ T sesame oil
½ C sliced scallions
½ T cornstarch
1 T minced ginger
4 lapchang (Chinese sausage) cut ¼ inch on a bias *I want a lot of these.
3 C white rice, washed until water is clear, drain ( I used “Tapol” )
1 t salt
1 T oil
6 C chicken stock or water

Combine the chicken, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, scallions, ginger and sausage and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

In a pot, combine the rice, salt and oil. On high heat, sauté briefly then add the stock to at least 1 ½ inches above the rice. (My Moms’ secret to a good ratio of water and rice to achieve perfect steamed rice is to deep the middle finger until it touches the top part of the rice and water should cover half of the finger, does it make sense?)

Bring to a boil then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the stock has evaporated to the level of the rice.

Add the chicken mixture, cover and cook for another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Stir well, cover, and reduce heat to very low. Add more stock if necessary.

Cook for an additional 10 minutes, then turn heat off.

Let stand for 5 more minutes to allow carry over cooking.

Serve on individual bowl and chopsticks.

TAPOL- A PHILIPPINE BLACK/PURPLE STICKY RICE. THEY CAN BE COOKED BOTH IN SAVORY OR SWEET DISHES. THIS VARIETY IS INDIGENOUS TO ASIA.

The rice turns red/purple when cooked.

Lapchang- Chinese Sausage (I love this fried too)