Thursday, February 23, 2012

Filipino Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 large can regular fruit cocktail
1 large can tropical fruit cocktail
1 package shredded coconut
2 bottles nata de coco (clear coconut cubes)
1 can condensed milk
2 cans nestle cream

Method:

1. Drain the syrup form your fruit cocktails, shredded coconuts and bottles of nata de coco. You can dry them by mixing them all together in a strainer and leaving them there for a few minutes to drain any excess syrup.

2. Place the drained fruit cocktails, shredded coconut and nata de coco in a large mixing bowl and add the condensed milk. Mix well.

3. Add the Nestle cream and mix them all together until everything is evenly blended.

4. Place inside the fridge and chill for 30 minutes to an hour. Then serve and enjoy!

BBQ Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients:

The Potatoes

4 potatoes, preferably firm cooking, medium size
1/4 teaspoon salt (no iodine)

Potato Stuffing

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk, lukewarm, you may take a bit more if you feel so
3 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon salt (no iodine)

Stuffed Potato - Herbs

Optional, in as far as you have available, you could add the following herbs to the potato stuffing, prefereably fresh:

2 tablespoons Chives, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Rosemary, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Tarragon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon Mint, finely chopped
1 Chile Pepper, red or green, finely chopped


Stuffed Potato - Capping

4 slices cheese, prefereably lighly matured Edam, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 tablespoons olive oil, prefereably the yellow cooking type

Method:

1. Brush the potatoes clean under cold running water and cut in two over the flat side. Cook 10 minutes with some salt, drain and let cool down. Carve a cavity in each half potato using a spoon. Set potato halves aside.

2. Put the potato carvings into a bowl and add the butter. Squash, and add milk while stirring until you have a smooth mix. Add onion, curry powder and herbs (optional) and bring stuffing to your taste with salt and pepper. Stir in some more milk if you feel the mix is too dry.

3. Stir the curry powder through the chopped cheese.

4. Spread the potato stuffing over the potato halves, flatten the top, and sprinkle with cheese.
Sprinkle one teaspoon of olive oil over each potato half.

Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

195 gm cake flour
140 gm plain flour
150 castor sugar *
100 light brown sugar *
1 tbsp baking powder
225 gm salted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes *
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk (I used normal fresh milk)
1 tbsp vanilla extract *

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 165C. Line cupcake pan with paper cups. In a bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking powder on low speed until well mix with the k-beater. Add cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

2. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk and vanilla essence. Light whisk to mix well. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients into the flour mixture in 3 parts, scraping down the sides of the bowl before each addition. Beat until ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.

3. Fill papercups with batter to two-third full (for me I filled it up slightly more than 2/3 for a rounder cupcake). Bake it for at least 20 to 25 mins depending on how brown you want you cupcakes to be. Test cake with cake tester and when it comes out clean, it is ready. Transfer to cooling rack to cool down completely.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

West Texas BBQ Beans

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons Cooking Oil
1 large Onion
1 or 2 red Chile Peppers (or more, see below)
8 cloves Garlic
2x 15 oz cans Pinto Beans
1/4 cup hot Water (or more, if required)
1 teaspoon Bouillon Cube
1/2 teaspoon Cummin Powder
1/2 Cayenne Chili Powder
Pinch Salt (if you like, to taste)

Preparation:

1. Chop the onion, chile and garlic to small pieces; Don't worry about taking the seeds out of the chiles, we're talkin' West Texas here! (If you add a couple more of those red chillies, you're making Chile Beans!)

2. Heat the oil in a pan and slowly fry the onion, and after a few minutes add the chopped chillies and garlic;

3. Add the Cummin powder, keep stirring very regularly, and slow cook until the onions are a golden brown;

4. Meanwhile, open the cans, pour the Pinto beans into a mesh strainer, and rinse well under cold running water;

5. Mash HALF of the beans under a fork;

6. When the onions in the pan are golden brown, add the beans and beans mash, stir, and add some water until you feel the mix has the right consistency;

7. Crumble the bouillon cube and stir through the mix;

8. Add the Cayenne chili powder and taste the beans; Add more Cayenne if your tastebuds tell you to do so. (Remember: we're talkin' West Texas here!)

9. Let these West Texas beans simmer for at least one or two hours or so. If you feel the bean mass is getting too thick, just stir in bits of water until you feel the beans have the right consistency;

10. Taste. If you feel the beans are not salt enough, just add a pinch of salt to taste. (We hardly ever do so, but it's really up to you; It's your beans!)