Friday, November 13, 2009

Quick and Easy

A few days ago I stumbled upon a recipe of Pinoy-style Custard Cake by a Pinoy Foodie Blogger - Kusina ni Manang. After reviewing her recipe, I was tempted to make one myself since her recipe only called for leche flan ingredients and cake mix in a box.



Custard cake would probably one of my top 20 favorite desserts. The cake is simple yet I love how you get 2 textures of creamy and light in one dessert. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

Although this recipe was inspired from Kusina ni Manang, I made some adjustments. And here's what I did:

ingredients:

~ Custard Topping~
1 egg
2 egg yolks
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 can large condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp lemon juice OPTIONAL ( I wish I did this, this usually tempers the sweetness of the custard )

Caramel
sugar and water, adjust according to your preference
Boil mixture in a sauce pan, then add to your cake pans when once the syrup turns amber colored.
BE CAREFUL THIS IS VERY HOT!

~Cake~
I used French Vanilla Cake Mix from Duncan Hines, I just followed what the box asked for. I think the French Vanilla Mix is the best cake for this, it was a good bargain for $0.76 cents!

Procedure:
Preheat your oven 350F
I used 2 pans 6" and 8" round baking pans.
Mix all your custard ingredients until well combined. Add a thin custard mixture to your caramelized pans. Prepare your water bath for your pans. Fill a larger pan (such as a roasting pan) with warm water, make sure it is large enough that will fit the pans you're going to use for the cake. This is called Bain - Marie method. The water should be in the mid level of the larger pan when you add your cake pans.

Bake Custard Topping for 30mins. uncovered.

After 30mins when the custard is set ( jiggly in the middle ), start mixing your cake. Then add your cake mixture to the pans and bake for another 30mins or so. The cooking time for this last part is dependent on the size of cake pans used. You still need to use the Bain- Marie method for this second part. You may need to add more water to your bath.

When you cake is set and a tester comes of clean, your cake is ready. Cool for 10mins or so. Loosen the sides then invert in the pan. I found it best to chill the cake in the fridge overnight.

I really love the outcome of this experiment. I may use chocolate cake mix next time. Thanks Manang for this wonderful recipe!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

What to do with your green tomatoes?


A week ago I cleaned up my garden space starting with the tomato plants. I know some of the fruits will not ripen anymore and I remembered that I have a pie recipe for them from a Food Network Magazine. I did have a lot of them about 4 pints, the plant was given by a friend and I think they were volunteer cherry tomatoes from her compost.

These tomatoes were very sour and I usually add them when I saute stuff. I already froze the other ripened ones and I already have a lot in my fridge. I never knew before you can make a pie out these green ones. So with my favorite pie crust recipe I made a green tomato filling to try this southern dessert. And it was later that I found out that this was southern when I searched from Food Network. A recipe of Paula Deen popped and right there I knew.


My Review: The pie was like a "sweet 'n sour" pie. A little too tart for me maybe next time I will cut the amount of lemon juice but aside from that it was good with my favorite all-butter pie crust. I did take half of the pie to friend's house and she liked it. And this pie would be best served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. At least now I don't have to worry about my green tomatoes.