Tibok-Tibok (Coconut Milk Pudding)

I miss the traditional desserts I used to enjoy back in the Philippines. I spent most of my childhood there, and even though it's been decades since I've been to PI, I can still remember how good the food was, especially the desserts.

So this year, I wanted to make a Filipino dessert for Thanksgiving. I asked my mom, my aunt and my grandmothers for their recipes for tibok-tibok. It's a coconut milk pudding topped with fried coconut milk solids called latik. It is a specialty in the region where I grew up, Pampanga, and it's also better known as maja blanca to the rest of the Philippines.

My Tita Rica explained to me that the name "tibok-tibok", which literally means "heartbeat", describes how you can tell when the pudding is done; the bubbles just barely touch the surface so it looks like it's pulsating - like a beating heart.

There was so much variation between each of their recipes that I decided to take what I liked most about each one and created a whole new recipe. I also put toasted coconut flakes to add another layer of texture. Maybe I'll try topping it with julienned Philippine dried mangoes too :-) Yum!

Tibok-Tibok (coconut milk pudding) with latik and toasted coconut
Allergy Note: contains dairy ingredients.
For dairy-free alternative, you can replace the whole milk with coconut milk, rice milk, goat milk or soy milk.

latik:
3 1/2 cups canned coconut milk*

toasted coconut:
1 -2 cups sweetened flaked or shredded coconut (same as desiccated coconut)

pudding:
3 1/2 cups canned coconut milk *
3 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon of lime peel
1/2 tsp salt

* for best results, try to find canned coconut milk that has "first pressing" written on the label

For the latik:

In a deep non-stick frying pan, bring the coconut milk to a boil then lower to medium heat. Continue stirring the coconut milk until the coconut oil starts coming out and the coconut milk solids turn golden brown. Remove from heat immediately and pour into small bowl.

NOTE: some canned coconut milk are very lean, so if your coconut milk starts thickening and there's not much oil coming out, add a tablespoon of coconut oil or vegetable oil to allow the milk solids to turn golden brown.

For the toasted coconut:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the flaked or shredded coconut on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.

For the pudding:

Grease a 9 x 13 pan, with the coconut oil from the latik, then set aside. In a large saucepan, combine coconut milk, 2 1/2 cups whole milk, 1/2 cup sugar and lime peel. Bring to a boil, remove lime peel and then lower heat to a simmer. Combine cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup whole milk and mix thoroughly. Pour into the saucepan and stir constantly until the pudding starts to thicken. Let the pudding cook for a few more minutes. The pudding will thicken and as soon as it starts to bubble, remove from heat and pour into the prepared pan. Let cool completely before cutting into servings.

Egg-free Coconut Macaroons

I made these coconut macaroons for a play date last week and they were a hit. They're nice and crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. And the best part: they are soo easy to make. Just dump everything in a bowl, mix and then bake. I have to warn you though. . . they're very addicting :-) And if you drizzle or dip them in chocolate. . .good luck trying to resist them.

This recipe was adapted from Ina Garten's Coconut Macaroons.

Egg-free Coconut Macaroons
makes about 3 dozen
Allergy Note: contains dairy and wheat

14 oz. bag sweetened flaked coconut
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat

In a large bowl, combine flaked coconut, flour and salt. Pour in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Drop tablespoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop) onto the cookie sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely before removing from cookie sheet.

variations:
- drizzle or dip these macaroon in melted chocolate
- chop up 1/2 cup of dried fruits like pineapple, papaya or mangoes and add into the batter
- if you don't have a tree nut allergy, you can top each macaroon with some chopped nuts. suggestions: almonds, pistachios or cashews

Hot for Chocolate?

Now that the weather has cooled down, I found myself in the mood again to make chocolate truffles. I guess you can say I'm looking forward to the holiday season. Every year, I give my friends and family boxes filled with my homemade goodies, and almost always I include chocolate truffles. I started doing this about ten years ago, when I was a poor college student and couldn't afford to buy gifts for everyone. Nowadays, the boxes are a bit bigger and the goodies are even more delectable.

I have to admit, one of my favorite movies of all time is 'Chocolat.' It has the trifecta of having a beautiful French town as a backdrop, luscious images of chocolate and my schoolgirl crush ... Johnny Depp. I remember being so intrigued when Vianne added a little bit of chili pepper to a cup of hot chocolate. Hmmm...I wonder how that would taste. I had to give it a try once I got home. C'est si bon! I never thought you could add anything to chocolate to make it more addictive. Well, I stand corrected.



So late last night, I got to work on a sinful confection. I dug out one of my favorite chocolate truffle recipes and began infusing flavors like cayenne pepper, cinnamon and honey into it. After enrobing it in semi-sweet chocolate, I sprinkled a little bit more cayenne pepper and cinnamon on top. I decided to call them Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffles.

You don't have to be a chocolatier or a pastry chef to make these exotic chocolates. It's incredibly easy to make and you don't even have to temper the coating chocolate. In fact, I learned this simple technique when I was thirteen, waaaay before I went to pastry school.



Trust me, if you make these for your friends and family, they'll think you bought them from an uber-chic chocolate shop ;-)

Mexican Hot Chocolate Truffles
makes about 60 truffles
Allergy Note: contains dairy ingredients

truffle filling:
16 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
4 Tbs. butter
1 oz. honey
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper *
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

coating chocolate:
1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
2 tsp. vegetable shortening

ground cayenne pepper
ground cinnamon

*For a little kick , start with 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and see if that's enough. If you really want to knock your socks off, add 2 teaspoons or more.

For the truffle filling, place the chocolate chips in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine heavy cream, butter, honey, cinnamon and cayenne pepper in a saucepan and cook over low heat until it starts to simmer. Remove from heat and pour over the bowl of chocolate chips. Wait for a few minutes for the chocolate to soften. Add almond extract and vanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, slowly stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and shiny. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or until the mixture is slightly firm.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper. Measure out teaspoonfuls of the truffle filling and drop them onto the cookie sheet. Freeze them for 15 to 20 and then roll them into balls. Freeze them again for 10 to 15 minutes more or until firm.

For the coating chocolate, combine the chocolate chips and vegetable shortening in a bowl and melt over hot water. Stir until smooth. Drop the truffles into the chocolate coating one at a time, quickly coat them and remove with a fork. Gently shake off any extra chocolate and place the truffle onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle cayenne pepper and cinnamon on top before the chocolate sets up.

You can store the truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to Make a Fondant Frame

Whenever I'm shopping for new toys...errrr tools, I always have a hard time narrowing down which ones to get because I want to buy them all. To keep myself from going on a spending spree, I try to practice some restraint by getting one or two items each month (okay, maybe three). My most recent purchase is an FMM textured lace cutter set. One of the lace patterns looked remarkably similar to the pattern on a picture frame I have. So I had an idea...I'm going to make a picture frame out of fondant!

Here are the tools I used:

- rolled fondant

- paintbrushes

- gold luster dust

- FMM textured lace cutter set

- rectangular cookie cutter

- clear alcohol (i.e. lemon extract or vodka)

- pizza cutter

- fondant rolling pin

- paring knife(not shown)

First, roll the fondant to the desired thickness and use the cookie cutter to cut out a rectangle.

Roll the remaining fondant to the same thickness. Press the FMM textured lace pattern onto the fondant.

Turn over the FMM textured lace pattern and repeat this pattern all over.

Use the pizza cutter to cut the fondant into strips.

Place the strips around the rectangle, overlapping them at the corners.

Use the paring knife to cut the overlapping strips at an angle. This will create the mitered edges for the picture frame.

The picture frame is finished now and ready to be painted.



Brush the frame with gold luster dust.



Mix some gold luster dust with clear alcohol to make gold "paint." Use a small paintbrush to write the message on the picture frame.

I got to try this technique on Dean's birthday cake last week. I think it looks nice with my favorite scroll design.

Muddy Buddies with Sunflower Seed Butter

On a recent trip to the grocery store, I found this lovely jar of sunflower seed butter, right next to the ubiquitous peanut butter. It was like manna from heaven! I can't even tell you how happy I was to serve up a sunflower seed butter and jelly sandwich to my little guy. And guess what? He liked it! I started running through my head all the wonderful things I could make with this delicious find. Oooh...the possibilities!

First, I tried to make sunflower butter cookies. Ummm, let's just say it needed a bit of fine-tuning, so back to the drawing board with that one. But one morning, I was fixing up a bowl of Rice Chex cereal and saw the recipe for muddy buddies on the box. I thought I'd give it a try. My son likes Quaker Crunchy Corn Bran so I tossed it in for good measure. Not bad, not bad at all. I might try adding a dash of cinnamon or tossing in some dried cherries next time. Mmmmm...good!

Update (2/9/09): I added pretzels and dried cherries in a recent batch of muddy buddies and it was deeelicious!

Muddy Buddies with Sunflower Seed Butter
Allergy Note: contains dairy and wheat ingredients

9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex®, Wheat Chex® or Multi-Bran Chex® cereal (or combination)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In a microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, sunflower seed butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Update: Libby, from The Allergic Kid, is hosting "Thanks for 'Nothing' Thanksgiving Round Up" this year. It's a great opportunity to share recipes and ideas with others who have dietary restrictions like food allergies. I know how challenging it is to find delicious and 'safe' recipes, especially during the holidays, so I hope one of my recipes will find their way in your holiday table.

Lemon Layer Cake

It's my mom's birthday and, upon request, I made her a lemon layer cake. I tried to convince her to let me experiment with flavors, like adding a layer of chocolate ganache and raspberries, but she just looked at me like I was crazy. Am I the only one who thinks that sounds like an interesting flavor combination? O.K. Never mind. Anyway, I went ahead and made a vanilla butter cake with lemon curd filling. She specifically asked me to use hybrid buttercream frosting and absolutely no rollled fondant whatsoever...not even for decorations.



Since I haven't practiced on my piping skills for a while, I decided to do a scrollwork design in her favorite colors: red and black. I wasn't following a particular pattern or anything. However, I was inspired by Rosebud Cake's Flamenco wedding cake. Instead of individual scrolls like in their design, I decided to pipe branching scrolls and tried not to overlap them. I also piped triple dots wherever there was an empty space.



My mom absolutely loved her cake. She was wearing red and black on her birthday (do I know my mom or what) so her cake matched her perfectly.



Vanilla Butter Cake
Allergy Note: contains eggs, dairy and wheat
I've been using Wilton's vanilla butter cake recipe for a while now. The taste and texture reminds me of a pound cake but it's not as dense. I just made some very slight adjustments for my own use.

1 1/2 cups butter, softened to room temperature
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8-inch or 9-inch pans. Beat together butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Slowly add eggs one at a time then pour in vanilla extract. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk. Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely.

Lemon Curd
Allergy Note: contains eggs and dairy
I've tried quite a few lemon curd recipes and I'm pretty happy with this one. The unflavored gelatin seems to help stabilize the lemon curd.

1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin with 3 tbsp. water
3/4 cup lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, cut into cubes

In a small bowl, sprinkle the unflavored gelatin over the water. Set aside. Mix together lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, sugar and butter in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat then add the unflavored gelatin. Mix until gelatin is dissolved completely. Refrigerate for a few hours before using.

Hybrid Buttercream Frosting
Allergy Note: contains dairy
My own crazy creation (see story here). It's smooth like meringue buttercream but it's made of classic buttercream ingredients plus some whipping cream.

1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup cold whipping cream
red and black food coloring (gel or paste works best)

Beat the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract at low speed until combined. Slowly add the warm milk. It will separate at first, but don't worry - give it a few minutes and it will start coming back together. Increase the speed a little to whip it up a bit. Slowly pour in the cold whipping cream. Whip for a few more minutes and it should start to look smooth. It may curdle or separate again when you pour in the whipping cream, but give it some time and it will smooth out again.