Almond Tart

I seem to find myself snacking on nuts lately, especially almonds. Unlike what I usually snack on like Lays Salt and Vinegar chips or hunky bags of M&M'S, nuts are healthful (right?). Though, botanists claim that almonds aren’t actually nuts. The almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East. The edible part of the almond, which is the mahogany hard nut that we eat, is really just a seed of the fruit drupe. It perhaps may be a seed, but the almond is still a nut that impresses me with its many uses and flavors.

Some enjoy eating this rather bitter nut (or seed) raw rolled with spices or in a trail mix, but I prefer mine sweet, turned into some sort of pastry-like confection. One of my favorites is an almond cake using almond meal, grounded up almonds, that have turned into marzipan or almond paste. These are damp and soft, perfect with whipped cream and some fruit resting on top. In France, my prized almond treat is the French macaron. It’s basically a meringue mixed with powdered sugar, almond flour and your choice of flavoring piped and baked to form tiny little domes of light, dense and chewy goodness. These tiny domes are used as a sandwich to hold colorful and sweet butter cream or ganache. I’ve even made my own (fail) French macarons, but they probably weren’t as shiny and chewy as the ones sold in the boutiques of Laduree.

Since I happened to spot an unopened bag of blanched almonds in my pantry the other day, I wanted to make a dessert out of it. I saw a recipe for an almond tart from David Lebovitz and it looked so appetizing. It looked crunchy and caramel-y, but he warned that it would be difficult to create and had a great chance of frustrating the baker. Still, I went for it, but instead of adhering to his somewhat complicated instructions (which I would probably fail to follow anyways) and turning out a crunchy “cookie-like accompaniment”, I made mine smooth and caramel-y with a thick custard-like top burying a bed of flaky thin almonds.

Almond Tart :Adapted from David Lebovitz

For the dough
1 cup (140 g) flour

2 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup (4 oz, 115 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into little cubes

1 tablespoon ice water

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1. Mix the flour and sugar in a standing electric mixer or food processor (or by hand, using a pastry blender.)
2. Add the butter and mix or pulse until the butter is in very small pieces, coarse sand. The whole mixture should resemble light colored sand
3. Add the water and extracts and mix until the dough is smooth and comes together.
4. Press into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and chill for around 30 minutes or so.

5. Once thoroughly chilled, butter a 9 or 10 inch tart pan. Remove the dough from the plastic and press, using your clean fingers, the dough into the tart pan.

6. After the fifth step is completed, freeze the tart pan with the crust already in it for around another 30 minutes while preheating you oven to 375F (190C).

7. When you're ready to bake, remove the tart from the freezer and cover it with foil and fill it with pie weights or uncooked rice, as to not allow it to rise during baking.

8. After baking it for ten minutes, remove the foil with the pie weights or rice and return the tart into the oven for around another 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

For the tart filling
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream

1 cup (200 g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (80 g) sliced almonds

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

2 teaspoons Frangelico(Hazelnut) or Amaretto(almond)

1. To bake the tart, line the rack under the one you plan to use with a sheet of aluminum foil.
2. Heat the cream, sugar, and salt in a big, wide heavy-duty pot until it begins to boil.

3. Once the mixture begins to foam up or bubble add in the almonds, almond extract and liquor.

4. Add the liquid-y mixture into the tart and bake it in the same preheated oven.

5. After the first ten minutes, use an off-set spatula to break any crust forming on the surface of the tart. Do the same thing every few minutes.

6. Bake the tart for around 30-40 minutes until the top looks slightly caramel-like.

The tart I made didn't turn out exactly like his recipe. Mine became less crunchy and more creamy.

The Temperature of A Perfectly Cooked Steak

My mom has been dreaming of dining in 145° Fahrenheit ever since she had read reviews about the establishment in many publications (Yummy Magazine, the Philippine star). Though she doesn’t exude the aura of a steak-eater, when she is faced with a juicy cut of beef, she can’t help but chomp till the last bit.

Last July 24, my mom finally got a chance to chow at the much talked about 145° Fahrenheit. It was her 4?th birthday (I was told to keep this a secret).



When we entered the modern decorated abode of 145° Fahrenheit, we felt like we entered a California steakhouse. The tables are draped with fine white linen; the walls were adorned with a wine list and a large wine cabinet. The beautiful stainless steel open kitchen completes the ambience of a contemporary steakhouse.

When we were handed the menu, I was not that excited since this restaurant is known for their steak,since I don’t eat beef. Luckily, when I opened the neat menu, I spotted many other equally mouth-watering meaty alternatives, like New Zealand crusted lamb chop, roasted Cornish hen and duck breast with foei gras. For more aquatic choices, they offer lobster, prawn, sea bass (which are nearly extinct, btw), black cod, and Norwegian salmon. I was deciding between the seemingly fresh sea bass and the Cornish hen. Though I should be eating more fish, I couldn’t help but choose the Cornish hen, since it is my favorite poultry. We wanted something light as an appetizer to accompany the bread and whipped sweet butter, so we ordered the artichoke salad. My mom and dad ordered the medium rib eye to share. I ordered my Cornish hen, my sister ordered salmon with clam chowder sauce, and my brother ordered the sea bass.

As we were waiting for our orders, the wait-staff was attentive to our whims like water and drinks. We were the only one in the restaurant until an old couple entered and were treated with the same attentiveness as us. We made an observation that there were tons of old couples and families “dinnering” there that night.


artichoke salad

The artichoke salad, which we thought was just going to be a plate of artichoke hearts, consisted of salad greens, candied walnuts, artichoke hearts, bamboo shoots, and a sort of red wine vinegar dressing. The crunch of the walnuts complemented the softness of the salad greens and artichoke hearts, and I enjoyed the sort of sweetly sour-acidic flavor of the dressing.

sea bass

The sea bass was soft and flaky, as it should be, and was resting on top of some sort of weird looking rice pilaf surrounded my mussels. The Norwegian salmon lay on top of a bed of mashed potatoes enclosed in steamed clams with clam chowder sauce. The salmon, which my sister preferred raw, was cooked well and was light, but the clam chowder sauce did nothing for the flavor. It is better enjoyed when mixed with the mashed potatoes.

Norwegian salmon

The Cornish hen was elegantly displayed with a side of roasted broccoli and carrots. The soft texture of the hen showed that it was cooked excellently, and it was a little spicy too (I like spicy). I opted for a side of mashed potatoes, but I wished I had gone for the creamed corn since my sister had extra mashed potatoes.

Cornish hen

The supposed forte of 145° Fahrenheit is their steaks. The name of the restaurant itself is the temperature for a perfectly cooked juicy piece of steak. My parents ordered the rib eye, apparently from New Zealand. My mom really liked the steak, but my dad was on the opposite end. My mom found it charred and mildly flavored while my dad thought of it as too chewy. Even though I was tempted to ask for a piece to truly understand its flavor, I didn’t because I don’t eat beef.

rib-eye

The sleek ambience combined with the great food and warm hospitality makes for a good dining experience. Though the steak was supposedly not as amazing as we thought, the food tastes awesome. 145° Fahrenheit is somewhere that can be enjoyed by all generations who enjoy good food in a fitting setting.

Roshan: Cookie-Cake

I have officially converted into a Roshan fan.

Yummy!!!

My aunt gave my mom a ginormous cookie cake embelished with a chocolate greeting for her birthday. I was slightly hesitant in taking a bite of the cookie (or is it a cake?) since it looked a bit hard. As soon as I forked it and put a tiny chunk into my mouth, I was surprised by the crispness of the confection. My favorite part of it was the insane amount of chocolate chips and walnuts that overflowed the cookie. In every bite, I got tons of chocolate chips and walnuts that the cookie-cake became so sinful. I had to get someone to stop me from eating too much. I am soon going to order more cookies once the cookie-cake has finished. :D

Does anyone know her contact info?????

Hot Birthday Lunch

July 24. July 11. June 16. June 26.

These dates are the birthdays of my mom, uncle, cousin and baby cousin, and it is the reason why we ate a gluttonous lunch at HEAT last Sunday, July 11.

Heat is actually an acronym for “Healthy Eating and Amazing Tastes”. Heat offers healthy eating in amazing tastes in their international buffet consisting of Japanese, Chinese, Indian, European, American, and of course, Filipino dishes. The “stylish-resort” decorated establishment was created back in 2005, where at was lauded for its array of fresh seafood and wonderful tasting desserts. It’s definitely one of my favorite buffets, since I love dessert, and HEAT always manages to please my pallet.

sushi and sashami section, bread and cheese section

Even though most like to start the buffet with bread (there is a fantastic selection of bread ranging from focaccia to sourdough), I almost always start with sushi, though, the sushi available in Heat is no the freshest. The usual staples of a sushi bar can be found in HEAT, such as salmon, tuna and California maki, but my favorites were the salmon terrine and spicy tuna salad. A layer of crisp seaweed, sticky sushi rice, soft cream cheese and a thin layer of smoked salmon make up the gorgeous looking salmon terrine. I then went for the incredibly fresh lobster, still in its shell, which was so light, and its flavors were mellow.

lobster, sushi and sashami

For the entrées, I started off with grilled sea bass, shrimp palau, chicken tika, fish makhani and some vegetables, the “healthy eating” part to my meal. The sea bass was amazingly grilled and it was so flaky and soft, as if it will melt down as soon as I took a bite. The Indian foods available were all a little too spicy, except for the chicken tika, which was soft, and I like spicy food. HEAT also has a special soup making area where I ordered the laksa, a popular Malaysian and Singaporean dish, which was spicy as well. As soon as my brother took one sip, he immediately drank some water to cool down the heat. Maybe the restaurant is called HEAT because of the intense heat of the food.

plate 1: chicken tika, srhimp palau, grilled seabass, vegetables, fish makhani

Plate 2: Peking duck rolls, scallop-shrimp and vegetable dumpling

I then moved on to the Chinese section where I spied some scallop-shrimp dumplings. My sister loved these and the scallops were so ethereal and light, which complimented the unusually sweet shrimp. I also got a vegetable dumpling and a Peking duck wrap, which were both typical Chinese fare. It seems odd to me that my favorite siopao is found in HEAT (actually in Circles, as well). A soft white mantau, Chinese bread, is filled with a sweet asado and carrot filling.

plate 1: fresh shrimp, salmon tartar plate 2: peanut glazed sea bass, siopao, tempura, grilled salmon

The fish monger for HEAT must have had a good catch, since it seems like they had tons of fresh sea bass, which are almost extinct, to go around. Not only did they have grilled sea bass, but a peanut-tasting sauce glazed sea bass, though this paled in comparison to the grilled one. The Filipino section offered tons of variety. There was sinigang, a sour and spicy soup, barbeque, adobo and grilled salmon, which was so delicate and perfectly seasoned, all befitting to showcase the flavors of our country.

plate1: rib-eye, popover, pork ribs, pasta aioli-oli plate 2: laksa

A good buffet should always have a good cut of beef. In HEAT, the rib-eye filled the position. Since I don’t eat beef, my brother filled me in on the flavor, which was tasty, but it was a little too chewy for his taste. A side dish offered with the steak was a fluffy and hollow popover. They also added a shawarma station wherein guests can choose the filling for their shawarma, a famous Middle-Eastern snack.

chocolate brownie cake, tiramisu-like torte, blueberry cheesecake, creamy cheesecake

HEAT’s strong suit may not be in its savory dishes, but its sweet offerings make-up for it and takes the cake. After a smorgasbord of entrées, I finally went on to crowding my plate with the sinful desserts. I started of with the miniature cakes. Small slices of blueberry cheesecake, a creamy cheesecake, tiramisu-like torte, and a brownie cake rested on top of tiny white plates. Even though I adore cheesecake, my favorite happened to be the tiramisu-like torte. Layers of espresso-soaked chiffon cake and cream were topped with a chocolate ganache, Yum!

display of dessert section

The dessert section not only displays cake, but a prodigious variety of confections some being mini pecan tarts, cream puffs, sabayon chocolate cream and vanilla panna cotta, a heart-warming bread pudding and jelly. HEAT also offers Filipino desserts like bibingka, ube and sapin-sapin.

clockwise: cream-puff, pecan tartlets, blueberries'n cream crepe, chocolate and lemony cream-cheese puddings, chocolate cream and vanilla panna cotta

There were some new offerings like the heavenly chocolate and lemony cream cheese puddings. The puddings were sweet, airy and melted like butter once placed in the mouth. Another new addition was the churro. One churro is dipped in chocolate while the other a strawberry preserve, but both were light, sugary and delightful. Staples like the crepe station, halo-halo bar and the mini ice-cream parlor still offer their sweet and luscious delights, my favorite being the crepe, preferably filled with blueberries and cream, but I also love smashing in chocolate chips, nuts and brownies with the rich and creamy vanilla ice cream.

sabayon, churro, bread pudding with blueberry sauce, variety of chocolate straws

A beautiful selection of truffles and chocolates are for disposal as well. There were tons of fruit infused and plain chocolate truffles being offered, but my favorites were the ambrosial chocolate straws made in numerous flavors, strawberry, pistachio, and milk, white and dark chocolate. The pistachio chocolate straws were slightly nuttier; the strawberry chocolate straws were a bit tart, but still very very sweet.

chocolate truffles, halo-halo section

As always, there were chocolate fountains with plenty of different “dippable” items like fruit, cookies and marshmallows. A fountain was added, a blue one, which tasted like white chocolate, though I was hoping that it would be mint chocolate.

blue chocolate fountain, milk chocolate and white chocolate fountain

Once again, HEAT has stroked my sweet tooth and my really full belly. I can tell that most of their food is cooked healthily (maybe except for the desserts) and the taste is surely amazing. It remains one of my favorite buffets in the Philippines.

K.cafe

According to the dictionary, a cafe is "a usually small and informal establishment serving various refreshments".


This blog is not a small informal establishment serving various refreshments, but a reflection of drool-worthy desserts, enticing eateries, sweet stress-baking, enigmatic entrees, delectable dishes, and scrumptious junk-food.


K.Cafe is not a an actual cafe, but it will feature many bountiful baker's fairs, mouthwatering food markets, ravishing restaruants, satisfying sushi bars, heavenly hole-in-the-walls, belly-grumbling burgers, and of course, charming cupcakes.

Stress Baking

College Entrance Exams, refresher courses, quizzes, homework, CAT! The stress got to me.


On the way home, I suddenly realized that there was a tropical depression around Katipunan since it was raining incredibely hard. Good thing I brought an umbrella, which almost snapped in two because the wind was so fierce.



As soon as I got home, my brother prepared roast turkey with stuffing. I know that it's not the time of year to be serving a formal roast turkey, but it was really moist and the stuffing was fragrant. After I ate platefulls of turkey and stuffing, I was craving for something sweet, and I was still stressed. I wanted cookies. I remembered a really simple, but healthy-ish recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger. Ellie Krieger hosts a show on the Lifestyle Network, Healthy Appetite, and creates simple but healthful recipes, some of which are desserts. I bought her book a couple of weeks ago, since I tried a few of her recipes available on the Food Network website. My sister even said that her food was too nutritious that no one would crave for it except her husband, who if you've seen him on the show will know that he looks kinda like an actor (Bradley Cooper), and she used her craveful food to capture him.








One recipe that I really trust is her Triple Chococlate Chunk Cookies. The cookie is moist, soft, chunky, chocolatey, a little healthy, and super easy. I just dump in the ingredients, mix them together and bake. I find the recipe foolproof because of all the many times I have made them, they have turned out great. She even gives out the nutritional information of each recipe, and these cookies have only 110 calories (Mrs. Fields' cookies are around 340 calories each. Yikes!). Though I changed the recipe a bit and instead of Chunk Cookies, it has become Double Chocolate Chip Cookies.

First you need:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder (Cadbury produces the most fragrant result!)
3/4 cup chocolate chips (not mini)
2/3 cup chopped nuts (any, but I prefer peanuts or almonds)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C.

In a large bowl, mix together the sugars and butter. Once thoroughly mixed, add the oil and egg, and continue mixing until incorporated. Mix in vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour and cocoa powder together. Stir the chocolate chips, I like Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, but any brand will do, and nuts in with the dry mixture (flour and cocoa powder). Add the flour mixture to the butter-sugar-oil-egg mixture. Using a rounded tablespoon, scoop the batter onto an ungreased baking parchment (if using normal parchment paper, rub some oil onto the parchment) on top of a cookie sheet. Bake until cookies are just set, around 12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool for aound 15 minutes. Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container, where they will keep for 4 days.