Foot and Fire

Who is not curious of how the real strawberries taste? Everyone wants to try the real thing. This red heart-shaped fruit is pretty to the eyes and a favorite flavoring not only for our cake, ice cream, juices, and tarts but also for our childhood vitamins and medicines too.  So when I got hold of mine, I made a strawberry gelatin flan 1 cup strawberries, chopped 4 cups fresh milk or water 1 cup condensed milk 1 cup cream 1 pack gelatin In a pan, add all ingredients. Cook over low heat for about 15 minutes while stirring constantly. When the mixture is about to boil or starts to boil, remove from fire. Let cool in a glass pan and refrigerate to let it set in. Slice and serve chilled.  Here's a link to my youtube video on my berrylicious dessert  STRAWBERRY GELATIN FLAN.

Amik looks like bihon (our local dried noodle made of cassava or corn) but more fragile. It is crunchy, sweet and oily. According to the locals, this is the food of the Muslims when it is Ramadan. ***  We bought one piece to sample "Amik," a food prepared with so much care as according to our host, Sir Roger de la Cruz, it will never form in oil like this if the one who cooks is a sinner. Well, as an aspiring cook, I am challenged to do this some time. ***  Seaweeds abound Samal and one should not leave the island without tasting at least this kind  that has the soft jelly texture. *** This seaweed is my favorite because it has the crunch, a perfect characteristic for salad. *** Panga ng Tuna or Tuna Jaw is best accompanied by these two seaweed salad.  Courtesy of our host, Sir Roger. *** I can't leave Samal without sampling the Isda sa Bato, fishes that are colored when in water and looks like they should go to the aquarium rather than in my bowl. *** *** Yes, Just ...

Are these deer heads real? Posing by the wall decors at Kristin's Steakhouse,  Lacson Street, Bacolod City. Kristin's serve crocodile steak as well as ostrich  but we did not dare try as we were genuinely hungry and we need surefire set of meals. Perhaps, next time. The place is highly recommended!!! *** Summer cooler, anyone? ** Their Ox tongue in mushroom sauce is superb. *** Kristin's house steak specialty...  beef tenders *** *** Their vegetable stir fry is wonderful too. *** We capped our dinner with Flibby's Cupcake.  Just a walking distance from Kristin's.

3 cups cornstarch flour 2 cup milk 2 coconut milk or water 1 can corn kenels or preferrably cream of corn 1/2 cup cheese 3 cups sugar In a casserole, mix all ingredients and stir until no lump is left. Place on top of fire, and stir mixture constantly until it thickens. Transfer in a mold and let cool and form before slicing. Serve chilled with cheese or corn kernels on top.  

A bunch of bananas and a left-over chocolate:  Banana split (a name insisted by my nephew). *** A quick dessert. Peel 12 small bananas and pour some chocolate syrup.  Serve with a Smile.  *** Yummy and gone in seconds Banana and chocolate are like soul mates, very compatible. ***

I have a small bowl of chocolate in the fridge, a left-over from the chocolate fountain we served during the last birthday of my nephew. I also have small green bananas (balangon variety) hanging in our clothesline to ripen. So, an idea sparked: make a chocolate and banana cake. Since the banana is not over ripe, i did not mash it but instead, sliced it. For this recipe, I used the the following proportion times three. I churned out three 9 x 6 pans with 1 inch thick cake I cut into squares. So for a small pan, here is the proportion.... 2 cups sifted flour 1T baking powder 2 pcs chicken eggs 1 cup milk or water 1/2 cup canola oil (or may use butter/margarine) 1/2 cup sugar (or more if desired) 1 cup sliced banana (or mashed, if desired and I used a lot of this in this recipe)  1/4 cup chocolate syrup (or melted chocolate of choice) To melt chocolate from the fridge, I boil water in a small deep pan and place a stainless bowl of top of the pan. This will slowly melt the chocolate a...

Finely shaved ice (finer than our usual shaved ice, if I may emphasize) that feels like almost an ice cream but of course, it is not because when one's tongue feels the ice, it is still shaved. Perhaps, the savory milk complement the fine ice. Almost one has the heavenly feel already after having the flan, the ice and the milk. But then, one reminds himself not to be content with its "deliciousness" yet  because one is having a Halo-halo. The surprise should yet to come! ***   Of course, halo-halo has to have many more underneath the layer of ice and milk. I love this one because even though there is no grand or generous servings of sweetened banana and macapuno (i forgot if it has some beans), even though there is no colored gelatin to entice my eyes, even though there is no ube or tuber taste like camote, there is this fullness in its simplicity. *** Razon's of Guagua Halo halo is a must try. It should surpass everyone's expectation of halo-halo,  I guess becaus...

This was already sliced and transferred in a transparent container, hence the topsy turvy look. The white must be on top the chocolate... I am posting here the Black Sambo made by my sister in law during her last visit so as to remind me later when i can get the cahnce to prepare one... 4 knoxx gelatine 1 packs cream 1 can condensed milk 1 big chocolate syrup Prepare 2packs of knoxx as directed in the package, add cream and milk and chill until firm in a rectangular serving dish. Prepare the remaining 2 packs of knoxx and add chocolate syrup and chill until firm... My sister in law sprinkled walnut on top... Oh she prepared the chocolate first and the cream next.... Chill and serve as dessert.

4 cups bugnay 6 cups brown sugar Wash bugnay ang remove stem.  Press with both hands until the juices come out of the berries. Separate the juice and pulp from the seeds by using not-so-fine strainer In a pan or small casserole without cover, bring to boil the juice and pulp of bugnay berries Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Let boil for 30 minutes still without cover and stir.  In a low fire, continue heating the syrup for about 30 minutes until it thickens a bit. TIP: The syrup is ready if it does not separate or dissolve easily when dropped in a glass of water. Also, if the syrup does not break when spilled from a spoon about a foot high from the casserole.  Sterilize glass jar and transfer the jelly.  Let cool and refrigerate.

25 pcs banana, saba variety, cut half lengthwise 50 pcs lumpia wrapper Mascuvado sugar Canola oil for deep fry In flat dish, put mascuvado sugar and roll a slice of saba banana.  Place one rolled slice in lumpia wrapper and wrap.  Repeat procedure until all bananas are wrapped. In a deep pan, add oil.  Deep fry each rolled piece until golden brown. About a minute on each side. Drain remaining oil in paper towel or tissue paper. Serve hot and crispy.

1 1/2 kilo cassava, ground or grated 2 cans condensed milk 2 eggs, beaten 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar Pre heat oven at 350F. Soften butter. Add a cup of sugar, mix well and set aside. In a big bowl, placethe ground cassava, add the milk and eggs and mix well. Portion by portion, add the butter and sugar mixture to the cassava mixture and mix well. Grease and pour the mixture in a tin pan, ideally 9x6x2 pan. Bake for 30 minutes. If desired, glaze the pudding with butter and sugar. Let cool a bit and slice and serve!

 By GERLIE M. UY Ingredients: 1 head squash (2 kilos), peeled, cut and cubed 1 pc. Durian, unripe, remove from seed 1 kilo brown sugar 1/2 kilo mascuvado sugar 2 T sesame seeds 1 T vanilla 2 T cornstarch dissolved in 2 T water Put all cubed squash in a pot and add water in half the volume of the squash and bring to boil. Drain the squash and return the water to the pot. In the pot, dissolve the sugar and stir occasionally. Bring to boil. Meanwhile, mash the cooked squash with laddle and blender the unripe durian (if ripe is used, mashing will suffice). Add squash and durian to the boiling water-sugar mixture until well blended.  Add sesame seeds and vanilla. Slow-cook until mixture lose water. To thicken, add the cornstarch dissolved in water and bring to boil.  Place in glass container.  Serve as dessert as is or as sandwich spread for sliced bread.