Recipe: Choco and Cream Semifreddo

I just saw this at the back of the tetrapack of Nestle All Purpose
Cream tonight when I was making the usual new year's eve ref cakes.
Anyway, here it goes:

Ingredients:
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup sugar
1 pack of 250ml Nestle cream
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup kitkat wafers

Procedure:
1. On a small mixing bowl set atop a pan of simmering water, beat egg
yolks until pale yellow in color.  Add sugar and beat until light in
texture. About 2 minutes.
2. In a separate bowl, beat Nestle all purpose cream until soft peaks
form. Add in vanilla.  Fold beaten egg yolks into whipped cream and
set aside.
3. In another bowl, beat egg whites into stiff peaks.  Working in 2 or
3 additions, fold egg whites into cream mixture until no white streaks
remain.
4. Fold in chopped kitkat wafers and spread mixture onto a loaf pan
lined with plastic wrap.  Freeze for at least 2-3 hours or until
solid.

I cannot vouch for the recipe yet because I haven't tried it myself.
But I am saving this for future reference. Or maybe next year's cake
:)

Because food is good... Eat Fresh!

The other night, we were hankering for good food!  We thought about going to Distrito but because of certain logistical concerns, we ended up going to Eat Fresh, a place where they serve Hong Kong street food. My friends Kathy and Liyan went there before and they really swear by the food. Of course we couldn't help but be curious. ;)

We ordered a lot! And I wasn't able to take the pictures of everything we ordered ~_~ Talk about forgetting to shoot then eat. Ahaha.  Anyway, here are some of the things we tried:

Milk tea with grass jelly.

 This is basically nai cha XD It's not too sweet that's why I like it!  Kinda reminds me of the one from Zen Tea but not really.  I think this is just PhP 55. :D  Awesome deal, right?  They have other milk teas too but I wanted to try this just because.

The remnant of the lobster ball and the radish cake. 

The radish cake is way cheaper than the one from David's Tea House and it's fried in such a nice way. :D Crunchy outside. Nom nom nom! 

Takoyaki!  

It's not the best takoyaki out there but it is good! So much bonito flakes. And it's tasty. :)  Not too salty. The texture is ok too.  Just so happy that they put quite a lot of bonito flakes which I really love about this.  I think I like the one from Octoboy better but it doesn't mean this is not good.

Special Fried Rice

This is good for two people! I think this was just PhP 85. :D Then again, we were eating all those glorious dishes hahaha. XDDD

Seafood Mushroom and Stuffed Tofu

The seafood mushroom was something JM wanted to try when he saw it on the menu. The stuffed tofu was highly recommended by our friends who were also with us that night. The stuffed tofu didn't have a weird smell. (Yay! Plus points for Eat Fresh!) And it was crunchy outside, soft inside.  One order has two big pieces so we happily devoured that hahaha.

Pancake Balls

These were so yummy!  Just enough sweetness.  It's the addicting kind of sweet. Lol.  It's a bit crunchy outside and soft inside.  And you could easily break off one pancake ball from the rest.  You could share this sweet treat with others too.  Unless this is the only thing you're ordering.  Then again, it's so good, you could probably keep eating it if your appetite is that big!

I wasn't able to take pictures of the fried noodles. I should ask JM if we ate other things I can't recall at the moment.  But right now, just thinking about Eat Fresh's delicious food is making my mouth water.  We were thinking of going back there on the 15th. XD

The place isn't that big but it's alright.  It's not a fancy restaurant so it's quite relaxed there.  They also serve food fast, at least during the time we were there. You could bring your barkada there and enjoy a great time eating and laughing together.  One more thing I love is that they have a nice assortment of food on their menu so there's probably something for everyone in your group.  I wish we could've ordered more but we were quite full already.  Between me and JM, we had all that yummy food and our total bill was around PhP 550.  It was way better than eating out in Makati because of the variety of food and also because of how filling the dishes were all in all.

For more details,  check out Eat Fresh's Facebook page.  And if you want to go there, here's the address: 100-A Maria Clara Street, Quezon City
Sorry but I don't recall where Eat Fresh is located exactly. But you could click this link to get an idea of the general area. ^^;;; 

Their store hours: 10:30am - 12:00 am

Lychee Pocky

I went to Singapore 2 weeks ago and on my last day I noticed that Fair Price had Pocky! Good grief, why didn't I check earlier? Anyway, here are some pictures of this delicious treat and my thoughts.

I don't remember the price of this Pocky because I was in a rush. I think it was cheap enough but I wasn't very sure if I would enjoy the flavor. Graah. I now regret not buying more of this. I like lychee and the flavor is just right. It doesn't taste like medicine at all!  The lychee bits were nice too. I couldn't help but keep on eating each stick. Just so happy that none of them got squished on the way back to Manila!

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Double Bianco for the win!

That is a foldable spoon that's part of the package!

This is the goodness known as Double Bianco ♥ ♥ ♥

Working along Rada Street has been wonderful.  We're near a wonderful sisig seller, Shakey's, Mini Stop, KFC, Starbucks, Jollibee and a whole lot of places to eat.  Whatever day it is though, we like going to Rada Mart, a Korean grocery on Rada.

To be honest, I've eaten different kinds of noodles and ice cream but I've only thought of starting the reviews now. Lol. Yeah, I end up eating first then never blogging about them.  It's just that this Double Bianco ice cream was so good, I have to tell the world about it.

The packaging of this icecream is fascinating.  The swirl looks so attractive, doesn't it?  I was afraid of breaking it when I tried to pry off the cover. I even asked someone else to take off the cover for me.  When the cover was already off and I tried scooping out the icecream, it wasn't as soft as I expected.  No wonder it's able to hold its shape with the swirly shape and all.

The swirly top of this treat is mildly flavored vanilla icecream with strawberry syrup.  It's so good because it's not overpowering.  And as you reach the other half, you will taste apple flavored icecream (or is it frozen yogurt?) :)

One great thing about this is that it doesn't melt easily. I would type stuff, eat and then it would melt a little but not too much compared to the usual icecream sundae.

For PhP 58, this is a great buy!  I think my other co-workers will also try this instead of the usual Melona when they can.  If you're a fan of Korean icecream, try to check if your neighborhood grocery has it. :)

Experimenting with Chocolate Cupcakes

I found this recipe and tried it last week. And yes, I forgot to blog about it because I got a bit lazy. I will note what happened in this blog entry. Anyway, here it goes.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="choco mini cupcakes, chocomint cupcakes"][/caption]

Recipe

Moist chocolate cupcakes - This recipe is eggless and it's not necessary to use a mixer for it either.

Variations:

For all variations, I didn't use vinegar. I wasn't sure what kind of vinegar was needed.

1. More cocoa powder - 1/2 cup instead of 1/3 cup. Additional 3 tablespoons of water.


2. More cocoa powder, milk instead of water - 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 1/3 cup of milk


3. More cocoa powder, milk + water, mint -1/2 cup cocoa powder, 2/3 cup milk, 2/3 cup water, 3 drops mint extract

Results:

1. More cocoa powder - A bit dry. The chocolate flavor was just right. The cupcakes looked lumpy at the top, as if it has bumps and lumps, literally.


2. More cocoa powder, milk instead of water - Good texture all around. Smooth at the top. The flavor isn't as chocolatey.


3. More cocoa powder, milk + water - The flavor isn't far away from the second variation, in terms of sweetness and chocolate-ness. But there is a hint of mint. Not strong enough to be a turn off.

Conclusion:

I am ok with the current texture of the cupcakes after 3 batches. In terms of flavor, it's ok with the first batch. But of course the amount of liquid components did change the flavor while it improved the texture. I need to figure out how to bring out the chocolate flavor more. I used the Hershey's cocoa powder that's available here instead of plain cocoa powder in the baking supply store. I should also look into using other baking cocoa powder because there might be a difference. At least I know I am getting somewhere. :)

Pre-Valentine Lunch at Twenty One Plates

My boyfriend and I go to Twenty One Plates on special occasions. Like birthdays, anniversaries, etc. We went there last Saturday, a pre-Valentine's day date. And they had a special menu with set meals on that day. Before setting out on our lunch trip to Twenty One Plates, we were discussing the menu. I was partial to the something new set and he was partial to the something old set. So guess what happened on that day? I had the something new set and he ordered the something old. Haha. XD Seriously, there's tuna ceviche and the interesting dessert with white chocolate wasabi! I couldn't help but be biased and order that. And of course he wanted something very filling. It's the meat, I tell you, it's the meat. And because of his very hearty appetite, we also ordered kimchi rolls, a favorite at Twenty One Plates!

Our table had cute flowers:

So yeah, this is really something special. ??? I like how simple the table is set there. We sat in a different area than our usual. XD It was the first time we sat in the room on the right side. I think we were near the kitchen.

Kimchi rolls - always ordered because they're so delicious!

We can't help but order them. I told him I wouldn't eat a lot because I needed to make room for everything else, especially the dessert! But as always, the kimchi rolls are spicy in the right way. :D

Something Old set:

The Classic Caesar

Salt and Pepper Wagyu and Smashed Potatoes

Frozen Brazo de Mercedes

Something New set:

Tuna Ceviche with Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar, Sesame and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Prawn Tempura with Balsamic and Wild Honey Reduction

Glazed Mangoes with Korean Vanilla Icecream and White Chocolate Wasabi

The Verdict:

I could only speak for myself. The tuna ceviche was lovely. Sweet, tangy, spicy. I had to remove the chili bits from the other slices because it's overwhelming. I love spicy food but I think I wanted to savor the sweet and tangy flavors more that day. And the tuna was fresh so it was all good. :D

The prawns of the tempura were soft and oh so yummy. I really loved every bite. I thought I wasn't going to ever eat the rice and just enjoy the prawns but I couldn't leave the rice alone ahaha. I felt it was such a waste to not eat it. But really, the tempura and salad were already so good together.

I was able to taste the Caesar salad and potatoes. The salad wasn't too salty, which is a good thing, I think. And the bacon bits were scrumptious! You really want to eat them all. And the potatoes were good too.

I loved the dessert. Chef Tinette let us rest for a bit before serving the lovely and yummy desserts. The glazed mangoes were just right. Not too sweet and the vanilla icecream melting on top of it was heavenly. The intriguing part: white chocolate wasabi. It made sense with the mangoes and icecream haha! XD Who would've thought?! I drank hot chocolate with chili before so I guess white chocolate with a mild wasabi flavor is a good combination ;) It's not overpowering the white chocolate. And it has a nice kick.

My dearest seems to have enjoyed his meal as much as I did. And like all the other times we've been to Twenty One Plates, we were so giddy. They must have put something special in the food every time they prepare them. And incidentally it was Chef Tinette's birthday last weekend. We didn't know until much later, when we were already sipping our milk teas in Serenitea.

Would we go back to Twenty One Plates?  Hell, yeah! And would we recommend it to you?  Of course! :D

Creamy tuna and eggplant pasta

We love tuna, we love eggplant, we love pasta.  So yeah, they have to be together in one dish. Lol.  We have some cute ribbon-shaped pasta here so I decided to use them today.

Ingredients:

• 400g pasta


• 5 small eggplants, sliced thinly


• 1 can tuna in oil


• 1 can mushroom soup


• 6 cloves garlic, chopped


• garlic powder


• pepper


• olive oil

Procedure:

1. Prepare the pasta according to the pack.  Set aside.


2. Heat up a pan. Put maybe 2 tbsp of olive oil.


3. Sautee the garlic.


4. Fry the eggplant in the oil.


5. Add the tuna. Make sure that you fry the eggplant well enough.


6. Add the mushroom soup. And maybe a little water if you think it's too thick. Let it simmer.


7. Add garlic powder and pepper to taste.


8. Put the pasta in the sauce and mix them all together.


9. Remove from the heat.

Results:

Mom likes it XD So yeah, I think I am happy cat.  Even without cheese, it could be tasty enough because of the pepper and garlic powder.

Other Notes:

You could use any pasta, I would think.  But I'd rather use penne, ribbon pasta or fusili. :)  I tried to make a similar dish before but with chicken and cauliflower.  My sister seems to be allergic to chicken now so we're avoiding it.  If you don't have mushroom soup, maybe cream and mushroom would work.  I'd most likely add some cornstarch dissolved in water to make it thicker.

Fun with potatoes

Potatoes with cheese and spices.

Ingredients:

• marble potatoes


• grated cheese


• olive oil


• pepper


• salt


• parsley


• garlic, chopped


• dried basil leaves

Procedure:

1. Boil the potatoes.  When they're done, set them aside.


2. In a pan, heat some olive oil.  Then put the garlic, sautee until they're brown.  I just used medium heat.


3. Add the potatoes.


4. Put some salt and pepper to taste.  Mix them all.


5. Add the parsley, cheese and basil leaves. Mix them all together.


6. Serve them.

Results:

It was pretty tasty.  I didn't put a lot of parsley so it wasn't overwhelming.

Notes:

I didn't put exact measurements here because I just put everything together.  It depends on how cheesy you want it to be or maybe if you don't like cheese, you could remove it.  Without parsley's ok too.  It just so happened that Mom was craving this potato dish so I whipped it up earlier :D  I think it's a fun thing to make.  I would assume you could do this in a different way.  Like bake them.  So if you're going to bake them maybe put all the potatoes in a baking pan, put olive oil, then add the spices.  As for the cheese, maybe add it a bit later?  I am not sure.

It's something you could experiment with.  I would imagine it would also be a good side dish to fish dishes.

Bagoong Rice with Tuna

Bagoong rice or shrimp paste fried rice is something I haven't eaten in quite a while. I decided to make my own version with the ingredients we had, as well as catering to my sister's preference for tuna. She doesn't like pork but normally, it's served with caramelized fried pork.

Ingredients:

Please note that all these ingredients are estimates because I just used what we had at home.

• 1/3 cup bagoong or shrimp paste


• 4 cups cooked rice


• 1 small green mango, sliced thinly


• 2 eggs


• 1 tablespoon of sugar


• 1 can of tuna


• chopped cloves of garlic -- it depends on you (I personally prefer a lot of garlic!)


• oil to grease your pan

Procedure:

1. Heat the pan. Add the oil.


2. When the oil is hot enough, put the garlic and sautee them.


3. Add the tuna and bagoong. Sautee them all together.


4. Add the cooked rice.  Mix them well together.


5. When they're all mixed enough, set that aside.


6. Beat the 2 eggs. Add some sugar for a bit of sweet taste.


7. Fry them aka scrambled eggs. (In my case, I used a rectangular pan so it looks like tamagoyaki, but not really.)


8. Slice the cooked eggs.


9. Serve the rice with eggs and mango slices on the side.

I used to put some tomato sauce in the bagoong rice before. It is possible too. Put the tomato sauce before you put the rice in the pan, if ever you want to try it with it. Enjoy! :)

Cream cheese brownies attempt #2

I didn't bother about attempt #1. It was a huge failure. Orz Because it was really burnt. Lessons learned have been incorporated in attempt #2.  It's in a cookbook my sister got from her friends. Title of the book: Good Housekeeping: Easy Everyday Meals Volume 3. It is similar to the recipe to be found on the Joy of Baking site: cream cheese brownies.

Ingredients:

Brownie Layer:

• 3/4 cup butter


• 1 cup chopped unsweetened chocolate


• 2 cups sugar


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 3 eggs


• 1 1/4 cup flour


• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream Cheese Layer

• 2 eggs


• 1 bar cream cheese, softened


• 2 cups confectioner's sugar


• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Recipe:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan.


2. Start making the brownie layer. In a pan, melt the butter with the chocolate.


3. Remove from the heat and add the sugar and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.


4. Add flour and salt.


5. Pour into the prepared pan.


6. Start making the cream cheese layer. In another bowl, beat the eggs with the cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.


7. Spread over the brownie layer.


8. Bake until done or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


9. Cool then cut into bars.

Modifications:

The recipe I followed said use unsweetened chocolate. We had semi-sweet at home (or dark sweet! It's my sister who knows...) so I used only 1 cup of sugar instead of 2 cups so it won't be too sugary. I doubled the amount in the brownie layer because we find the McCormick vanilla syrup weak.  I forgot the vanilla in the cream cheese layer. Orz Oh and this time, we used two pans. And I am glad we did because having two pans meant that there'd be a second chance if the pan near the bottom of the oven got burnt -- which happened.

Lessons Learned:

• Check on your brownies if you smell the brownies already. Turns out that one of the brownie pans was already burnt because I was thinking that there was still time, etc.  That brownie pan was at the most bottom layer in the oven so maybe it was the reason why it got burnt.  I could've moved it and switched it with the one on top.


• Maybe I didn't use enough cream cheese.  The recipe said 1 bar of cream cheese.  But it was too liquid.  I am not sure if it's the eggs or the cream cheese in that layer that made it not so thick and so it settled at the bottom.

Overall opinion:

It tastes ok :)  One of the brownie pans got burnt.  But the other one was way better.  It was sweet enough so I guess I made a good call regarding the amount of sugar to put in the mixture.  I still have to figure out how the cream cheese layer should be though. Because it doesn't look like the one in the picture in the book. Here's a picture of the page in the said book: