Foot and Fire

One morning I woke up on a message sent by Naomi, a friend from Germany who let me experience Vanilla for real years ago, sending me her photos on poached pears. I love pears, sweet fragrant pears. And I had been raring to do poached pears but I think the variety used for the recipe is not available here in the Philippines and so it remains in the backseat of my mind. I instantly thought of apples which abound on the market every December. So, I cooked Poached Apples having Naomi's message as inspo. Any wine will do. 16 peeled small apples Orange juice, peel saved 2 cups Syrah 2 Cups white wine 2 Cups apple-cranberry juice 2 Cups sugar Cinnamon powder/bark Ginger powder Star anise Cardamom Orange peel Dash of salt Peel apples and soak in orange juice to prevent browning. Set aside. In a deep pot, put all the liquids and sugar and stir and it let boil, then simmer over low fire.  Pound the spices in a mortar and pestle and add to the liquid plus the orange peel. Let the ...

The secret to the milk tea is actually the cardamom seeds which has to be pounded first inorder to bring out its aroma. Of course, a fine black tea is the soul of it. Milk is another story for me as I seldom use it and as little as possible.So for my Mik Tea, I use: Cardamom seeds Loose Black Tea (preferably Indian origin) Evaporated milk Mascuvado sugar Boil water. Add the black tea and the pounded cardamom seeds. Bring to constant boil until desired tea strength. Strain.  Add milk to the tea and mascuvado sugar. The caramel and organic smel of mascuvado adds a layer of pleasant taste to the tea milk. Serve warm and refrigerate the remaining to be served cold.  *** If you are tired of your usual hot teabag, infuse your fridge water with a bag or two of teas and you will love it too. Add lemon, or simply honey to taste. But I like mine as is.  If you are so concerned with the caffeine content of teas, try looking rooibois as it tastes like black te...

Surprising Healing Benefits of Spices By Brynn Mannino, Woman’s Day Tue, Jun 01, 2010  Here is an interesting read from Yahoo News... Pick out one or two spices that you need and incorporate to your dish of the day everyday.... Im sharing them with you so you will have a bright kitchen idea today... http://health.yahoo.net/articles/nutrition/surprising-healing-benefits-spices Chances are you sprinkle cinnamon into your morning oatmeal or add a dash of oregano to pizza without giving the spices much thought. But did you know your favorite flavors can actually do your body good? According to Christina Suarez, master herbalist and owner of TheGoodHerbCo.com , while spices are only effective when eaten at least daily, each has its own specific health benefits. Read on to find out which additives can burn fat, ease a sore throat or help you get to sleep, and how you can incorporate them into your daily diet. Cardamom Fruit of the Elettaria cardamomum plant in the ginger family. Health P...

White onions are mildly sweet in taste and crunchy with lots of antibacterial properties. Onion rings are great appetizers. Onion rings can also be a side dish. May be dipped with your fave dippings. Here's how to make your own Onion rings... 6 big pieces of white onions, sliced and separated into rings 1 piece egg, scrambled a pinch of salt, black pepper and chinese five spice a handful of cornstarch Olive or Canola Oil Heat oil in a small deep frying pan. Mix egg and spices in a small bowl. In a plate, spread cornstarch. Dip onion slices in the egg then roll over cornstarch then deep fry in the heated oil. Repeat procedure. By GERLIE M. UY

Tasty Panaeng Curry. A sampling of Panaeng Curry mixing it with coconut milk and fish. a pre-mixed panang curry paste I bought from Thailand grocery. i tasted it first because it is said to the mildest of the curry concoctions. Heat 3 cups of coconut milk, add the paste and mix well until lumps disappear. Bring to boil, add 500 gms of fish and let simmer until cooked. Adjust flavor with sugar and fish sauce. Actually, Panang curry paste ingredients are basically as follows: * Chili peppers * Galangal (a root) * Lemongrass * Coriander * Cumin * Garlic * Shallots * Peanuts * Shrimp paste * Salt Simply delicious and can be eaten even during lunchtime when the heat is on! The chili is much more tempered than those I tried in Thailand. Definitely, I will try this again. Shrimp may be omitted and tofu may be used instead. By GERLIE M. UY

LINK TO INFO RE CHINES FIVE SPICE http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five-spice_powder GREEN CURRY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_curry RED CURRY http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_curry PANANG CURRY: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panang_curry