Chef KC

2009-07-17T17:21:00.000-07:00

Chicken pot pie? Not really but an edible show piece made from fondant clay except for the "chef pastry brush tool" in the middle which I had in my kit for years and I said whynot include this in my fondant genre for my come back post? Hmmm, here it is guys. My last post was last December of 2008, that was way too long . Really missed it .
One afternoon, while in my kitchen, really had done all my work for day. Rememberd having piles of fondant clay in my storage box. I got 2 pounds of them and rolled it to make cute three layer fondant dummy cake, and I ended up making this free-style genre. I put it on an apple-green and white cake pedestal however the photo was cropped for better veiw of the show piece. There are so many things you can do with fondant like wedding cakes, petit four sec or little cakes and best also for show pieces like this. Here is a simple recipe of fondant clay, try making your own and create your own show piece.

3 Tablespoons Warm Water
5 teaspoon unflavored Gelatin
1/2 cup liquid Glucose (you can get this from baking or some craft stores) or Corn Syrup in a pinch (but reduce the water if substituting corn syrup)
1 Tablespoon Glycerine (optional: improves softness)
6 cups Confectioners' Sugar, sifted

Add warm water to small bowl.
Add gelatin and stir until dissolved.
Add the glucose and glycerine and stir until dissolved.
Cool for several minutes.
In a separate, large bowl, sift confectioners' sugar.
Make an indention in the center of the sifted sugar and pour in the gelatin mixture.
Stir until combined (ideally with a wooden spoon.)
Dust your work surface with confectioners' sugar.
Turn your fondant mixture out onto the work surface and work the powdered sugar in with your hands.

Happy Kneading!

Itsy Beet-sy Beets...back to blogging

2008-12-21T20:57:00.001-08:00

The whole family went up to the coldest region in the Philippines, Baguio or Benguet. The place is known for its cool climate, good food since they get the best of the best like the fresh produces I found this great spot of veggies and this beets struck me the most. I did not have to fix or adjust my digital camaera to get a good photo shoot for my come back to blogging. The length of the sprouts in the beets was just right, the lighting was perfect. That is one thing I like in blogging, you learn to appreciate just about anything depending on your subject and you tend to research and justify the whats, hows, wheres, whys of the subject. There were a lot of people passing by the vegetable area but this one spot for the beets was definitely ignored and ha!ha! taken for granted. I love the natural effect the environment provided that day to this shot I made.
Beet-sy Infos
Beets are usually firm, round, uniform in size. Tops should be fresh or just wilted, but not yellow or deteriorated. Large, rough beets are often woody.
As a dish...
To prepare it: Cut off tops, leaving an inch of stem attached to beets. Leave roots on. Scrub well. Steam or boil before peeling. The perfect seasonings, flavorings and combinations that goes well with beets are: lemon, allspice, caraway, cloves, dill, ginger, horseradish, bay leaf, orange, sour cream and onion.
As a beverage...
A rich ruby-color is imparted to drinks by the inclusion of beetroot. Always used raw, they do not need to be peeled just scrubbed. The juice is quite strong tasting, so use it sparingly: above one quarter (1/4 of a piece of beets) beetroot juice to three quarters(3/4 ) other juice. Beetroot greens enhance the nutritional value of the beet beverage. However they are fairly high in oxalic acid, which is poisonous if consumed in large quantities. Juiced beetroot and leaves work well in all vegetable combinations.
Therapeutic uses...
Beetroot is used as a blood fortifier and iron builder in traditional herbalism, particularly for heavy menstrual blood loss. It is very rich in immune-boosting beta-carotene, as well as many other materials, including iron and manganese. It is also traditionally used during convalescence.

This beverage recipe is just right when you just want to concentrate. This is perfect to maintain a healthy brain.

Itsy Beet-sy Beverage
yield: 2 small glasses or 1 large glass

200 grams raw beets
1 carrot
1 large orange
50 grams spinach
Cut the beetroot into wedges. Chop the carrots, cut away the skin from the orange and roughly slice the flesh.Push all these in the juicer and add ice. Pour onto the glasses. Enjoy!

2008-08-07T18:20:00.000-07:00

Everyday should be a lucky day! Kendi Bistro is celebrating 888 or August 8, 2008 era as the chinese says the luckiest day. This dessert is made from meringue flavored with cinnamon that goes well with any caramel-based component, like the banana mousse in it. We all know that graham flour is good with melted butter and lots of sugar to sweeten it that made it more chewy inside and inhibits the meringue from getting soggy while cooling in the freezer. Yes, it is chilled before it is served but covered with clear plastic to avoid it from getting soft. It is finished off with a cinnamon stick and a banana leaf strip.
Whatever it is that you do this day, make it a lucky one and give it your best!

2008-08-01T01:32:00.000-07:00

My kitchen has come up with it's international set of menu and this is one of them. Coconut-Turmeric is basically popular in Italy and India which reminds of good friends back when I was in college. I thought a pasta dish which could be plain with just mushroom and peas can even be made better with the flavors incorporated. I would want people who dine at the bistro that eating it in a claypot is artful and still be a [KENDI] -like cuisine.

2008-07-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

This perfect ending is velvety yet refreshing. Kendi Bistro is all up to develeoping your sense of taste to a higer level.
Cream:
Heavy Cream
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla Powder
A little cinnamon
Poppyseed
Thinly sliced Pineapple
It was simply whipped to semi-soft peak and poppyseeds were folded in. Pineapple fanned and dipped in the cream.

2008-07-21T03:04:00.000-07:00

Cooking is totally different from baking, I must say, having timed myself 3.30p.m. to 5:00pm. Really, it feels rewarding and this dish made me realize things. That a restaurant charges a higher price because of the skill and experience one chef puts in every plate. This is not an original genre but from a book I consider one of the best. Europe's Master Chef[Eurodelices,Konemann]. Chef Emil Tabourdiau, is the man for this dish. The colors, fragrances and flavors of Provence united in one dish. The original recipe, serves 4 and it was quite challenging to do just 1 serving. I had to divide everything by 4 and get too little amounts of all the ingredients. Try this dish, if Kendi Bistro is real, which I virtually am including it.
Ingredients

1/2 kilo of chicken

1 large eggplant

1 small eggplant

1/2 zucchini

1 red bell pepper

3 regular tomatoes,red

1 head of garlic

1/2 onion

1 egg

3 1/2 T flour

7 T ground almonds

1/2 c bread crumbs

6 1/2 T olive oil

salt and pepper

Basil Sauce

2 sprigs f basil

5 1/2 oz of shallots

1/2 c butter

2/3 c heavy cream

2 T white wine

White Stock

chicken carcass or bones

1 each onion, carrot and leek

1 celery rib

1 bouquet garni

Procedure:

Seasoned all thinly sliced and shaped vegetables then broiled each in olive oil and baked for 5 minutes except for the tomatoes and garlic cloves. The other eggplant component was seasoned, oiled and baked for about 12 minutes at 355 F, I scraped off the meat and mixed it with onions.
Again the meat was seasoned with salt and pepper, dredged in flour, egg and ground almonds adn deep fried it in Olive Oil . Boil the white stock .

Braise the shallots in butter, add the wine and stock, then reduce Add the blanched basil mix using a buerre mixer or a food processor to obtain a greener sauce and strain. Braise the garlic cloves, tomatoes and the bread chicken breasts. Line eggplant slices in a ring mold, top with the eggplant-onion filling, then with fried breasts, alternately top with zucchini and red bell pepper slices. Bake at 375 F for 7 minutes.

Pour Sauce over hot plates, unmold the dish in the middle and garnish with garlic and red tomatoes. I loved it. Howelse can I elaborate. Labeled SPECIAL for KENDI BISTRO.

Now Open! Kendi Bistro

2008-07-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my virtual bistro! For someone craving for an eggless breakfast, try this dish. Compound flavors like Saffron,Honey and Soy sauce all in this plate. I must admit that cooking is kinda new to me. Dessert is my expertise and I would like to develop my culinary skills and I am beginning to enjoy it. Hop in to my bistro and try this bfast/brunch item from my menu.

Rice

1 Cup of steamed Rice

1 Tablespoon Corn oil

2 cloves of garlic

About 4 Strands of Saffron thread

Salt and pepper

1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds for garnish

Toast the sesame seeds and set aside. Heat oil in a skillet, saute garlic and Saffron, add rice. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in sesame seeds.

Honey Ham

1 slice of ham

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon Honey

Heat the oil, add in honey and pan fry the ham slice.

Tomatoes and Pechay

2 pieces red tomatoes

Pechay leaf

salt

boiling water

ice water

Season boiling water with salt. Poach the tomatoes for 10 seconds and immediately put in ice water to prevent it from cooking further. This method retains the vegetables texture and minerals.

Soy Oil

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Whisk together. and Drizzle around the rice.

Gadget by LabPixies.com

C h e f KC: Now Open! Kendi Bistro#links#links

2008-07-20T01:00:00.000-07:00

C h e f KC: Now Open! Kendi Bistro#links#links

Gadget by LabPixies.com

Young chefs... our future !

2008-07-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you moms from the bottom of my heart for enrolling your kids in my home kitchen. I hope that they have learned this summer. I can see that their deep passion for baking can still be developed and who knows this would be their career in the future. Once again kids, I salute you for giving your best in all our sessions and keep baking!

100% Pinoy..Warm Dessert

2008-06-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

Early morning yesterday, I received a text message from my Cuz Ces from Boston... if I'm interested in sharing my baking skills through a media network here in the Philippines. Instantly I replied "ofcourse, no excuses, no buts and ifs". I hope that this recipe will make it. This warm dessert which I created just yesterday was challenging but easy to prepare and economical. I think it is 100% pinoy because of the tropical fruits I used and is highly available since its in season as well. The fresh fruits were simply mashed and the rest were sliced, coated with beer batter. The fritters was filled in with Mango-Honey Cream Cheese and finished off with Calamansi- Butter Sauce. Calamansi Zest, halves and wedges to garnish the dessert.
Ingredients:
Banana Mixture (Mash the bananas with sugar and salt, form into a patty,insert a slice of Jackfruit and mango jam, chill for 10 minutes, dip in beer batter, deep fry in canola oil at 350F for about 3-5 minutes, drain with paper towel, cool for 5 minutes and fill in with filling)
3 pieces boild Saging na Saba
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 slices of Jackfruit soaked in syrup
1/2 Tablespoon of Mango Jam
Avocado (Dip in beer batter, deep fry, drain, cool and fill in with cream cheese:method is applicable to pineapple)
1 piece of slice Avocado
Pineapple
1 Slice of fresh Pineapple
Beer Batter (Mix all, use as coating for fruits )
2 cups all purpose flour
5 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups regular Beer
4 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon powder
pinch of salt
Mango-Honey Cream Cheese Filling (Combine all, put in pastry bag with large round tip, fill in to the fritters)
1/2 Cream Cheese
4 Tablespoons of Honey
1/2 teaspoon of Pandan Extract
2 Tablespoons of Mango Jam
Calamansi-Butter Sauce (Melt all together in a pan and pour over the fritters, garnsih with Calamansi Zest, halves and wedges)
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup sugar
5 pieces of fresh Calamansi juice

Oil for frying
3 cups Canola oil

The Polka Dot Pajama

2008-05-28T23:50:00.000-07:00

Its been 5 years and this polka dot pajama still fits him, he is taller, bigger and smarter. Son it has been 5 years of fun with you. Happy birthday and I promise to give you a better life, you however have to be happy and discover life yourself. Mom will always be here for you! I love you anak!

Balls...rolls

2008-05-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

I always think of how I can prepare a unique fruit salad and at the same time make a statement out of it. A salad should always look fresh and palatable. I just used a baller for these, well it was quite an effort but worth it. Watermelon, Honey dew (green) and melon were the fruits available. Not realizing that I already a collection of espresso cups since it is my favorite accent for my photo shoots.

Pineapple Marmalade in Pan de Sal Toast

2008-05-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

Having a pineapple marmalade is okay with pan de sal toast but ... with Mom making it from scratch totally makes a big difference. Sweet, tart and from the heart I must say this concoction is. Thank you so much Mom for a bountiful plate of love, care, joy and understanding . We salute you simply for being a wonderful person, mother to me and my sisters, a wife to dad, a mother-in-law to V, a grandmother to L and J., and even a great daughter to your mother. Thank you for raising us this way. I love you...Just want to say that I always strive for perfection in my craft because I can see that you deserve more when you get older.

M e r i n g u e J a r

2008-05-06T20:37:00.000-07:00

Everytime I make desserts that requires lots of eggyolks, can't help but make meringues which became my son's favorite. I try not to make too many because he can actually finish a whole jar of these. The candy is simple made from eggwhites, granulated sugar, cream of tartar as a stabilizer and a little vanilla for flavor . Whipped up to stiff peak stage, you can actually pipe different shapes, I used a crown tip for large rustic rosettes and baked at 250 F for 1 1/2 hours. Meringues should be kept in an airtight container since sugar is hygroscopic ( one that absorbs moisture) . We should always utilize all the ingredients left after baking so there will be no waist.

2008-04-17T18:33:00.000-07:00

I missed you guys, those days when I would bake and just bake for blogspot. Excuse me for finding no time to post even just a photo but I promise to post as much as I can. This is a shoot from my recent baking session with mom. Coconut Caramel Bun, mom's childhood memory of that she calls "Everlasting bread" in her highschool days. She said that the vendor would sing a song entitled "Everlasting" while selling this bread. I wanted to make my version along with mom while we debate on what would go best with the product .The bread is simply filled with shaved young coconut, cooked in a heavy Pandan (asisn herb for desserts and savory) syrup. The dough used here is an enriched type f dough with eggs, milk and butter. Yum! I have a collection of espresso cups and I think it matches the bread with flowers. Ofcourse the bread is finished off with deep caramel frosting a garnished with shaved coconut as well. Missed you all and I am excited to share more of my kitchen ideas and adventures. Mom, had a great time po!

2008-01-23T20:04:00.000-08:00

Butter-Coffee Loaf made one ordinary day an extraordinary one. Why? Well, I am proud to have found a perfect recipe for a somewhat buttery and very coffee quickbread. This is it! I am definitely using this research to my ... let you know. The people loved it, they just look so moist, dense it is but tasty...

Brioche A La Ensaymada...

2008-01-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Brioche is made from a rich dough with high ratios of egg and milk to it's flour component. This actually is my version of Brioche relatively compared to Philippine's famous Ensaymada which is basically made of the same set of ingredients except for its make-up or shape. Ensaymada is traditionally coiled almost like an inverted cinnamon roll. The combination of sugar and dairy elements of the bread gave it a deep to light amber color on top. Brioche is originally served without the sugar and butter coating, enhancing it though made it more palatable and pleasing to the eye. Bricoche a la ensaymada is a good thing to serve...

Pineapple Crumble Tarts...

2008-01-15T23:54:00.000-08:00

An Aunt from New York visited the Philippines and shew was the same person who played a significant role during those hard times back in the states. Pineapple Crumble Tart is my local version of apple pie since I know she is used to eating the famous american pie. For 2008, this tart is a perfect pastry ensemble to pay tribute to her greatness and that she enjoys our very own pineapple fruit. The base is made of a flaky and light shortcrust, filled with lime infused chunky pinapple cream and finally topped with graham-butter crumble. I reduced the amount of sugar for the topping to give highlight to the richness and tartness of the filling. Mint leaves are not available however my passionfruit tree has great leaves to garnish the dessert. To you Aunt. B... thanks for coming over and together with my son, we'll surely visit you ...

2008-01-06T00:36:00.000-08:00

A new year for '08, a new life and better posts for this blog. Panetonne, an italian bread made from a rich dough with dried fruits and peels. The first time I tasted this bread was ofcourse in Italy. They wrap it in a huge conical box with a sturdy handle since the bread is quite dense. I admit it was a little underbaked and the bright lighting from the background made it even more look pale. I used a special baking pan here which I know was really meant for baking such type of specialty bread. The family enjoyed a few slices with tea and hot chocolate in the days of 2007's holiday .

2007-12-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

It is Christmas once again and from the bottom of my heart, I wish everyone a Happy Christmas! This post pertains to one of my favorite pastries, BLONDIES, huge slices of pale ( how I call it) brownies, moist and fudgy!. Loaded with chocolate chips and raisins...yum!

L Y C H E E & P A P A YA Cheesecake...

2007-11-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

Seemed local but unusual for a cheesecake but I have always wanted to try making that original New York cheesecake (that of which has a burnt top, plain rich), and this what came out. The cheese I used for the first photo, the Lychee cheesecake is regular cream cheese and the second photo ,the Papaya cheesecake has half cream cheese and half goat cheese. Ths type of custard dessert was baked for just about 325 F. I would bake the Papaya cheesecake longer if I have known the pale color it will exude. I am proud to have been able to make a not-so-ripe Papaya fruit preserve. Back in college, we use a refractometer to have that perfect type of sugar syrup to preserve a certain kind of fruit of which I aspire to have one of these days... local and unusual, very asian as well...

Hope and Fortune...cookies

2007-11-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

I am happy and proud to share to you my very first attempt to make fortune cookies. It was indeed tricky to shape this oriental tuile cookie but is surely a delightful treat for a simple dinner at home. I arranged a HOT-Pot Party for the family and I thought that it can never be called a real chinese dinner if could not make fortune cookies which is made of all purpose flour, eggwhite, sugar and vanilla flavouring. A fortune cookie should have a simple message inside and so I placed it myself immediately after it has been baked working on the shape near the oven by bending the half folded tuile cookie on a baking pan rim. I enjoyed doing it... you can also try making strawberry fortune cookies by adding food color and adding strawberry extract. Hope is what I got after reading my message...secret!

Squash and Chocolate Cupcakes...a halloween bake-off!

2007-10-30T17:25:00.000-07:00

I am finally back to blogging. Gone for about a month since my sister from the States arrived and spent those days for old tine sake, not just but I really missed them.

Right in time that I have made this two kinds of cupcakes for a simple picnic with the kids. We will be spending our halloween with some kids from the neighborhood. It would definitely be fun and tell yah about it on my next post. Glad to be back...

Toasted M o n g o B e a n Coconut Risotto...

2007-09-20T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hearty bowl of sweetened coconut milk risotto with toasted mongo beans or better known as "ginantang monggo." Mom used to make this on a rainy day and it fed a lot of people. We had guests during those days and they wanted something hot and locally inspired since they come from the States. Well if you have fresh coconut that you can squeeze out the real coconut milk from, white sugar, sticky rice or "malagkit" and some mongo beans, allyou have left is the desire to make this delicious dessert. Mom toasted the mongo beans until really brown in color, roughly pounded it with a rolling pin and folded in the risotto mixture. This method can is also applicable to adding yellow corn and it would then be called-ginatang mais. Love it...

G u a p p l e - A p p l e Turnover...

2007-09-14T20:03:00.001-07:00

My turnover made simple since I used a light, sweet, and flaky pie dough instead of puff pastry which is high in butter plus dough. I was pressed for time and so I thought of just using such as the base the perfectly blended with the semi-exotic textures and flavors of the guapple and apple fruits. The pie dough was processed through a food processor and chilled for 30 minutes that makes it even flakier aside from using cold ingredients like the butter, flour, sugar salt and egg. The fruits were stewed in cinnmaon-sugar and soft butter that gave a nutty flavor to the fruits and never forget to season with salt. Cooled the stewed fruits completely. Just when it was time to use the filling, sheeted out the chilled crust, cut out 5 inches round ones, filled it with a generous amoun tof the cooked fruits. Make sure to seal the sides with a little egg-and- water wash. Dip fried it corn oil, let it drain on a paper towel, and dusted it with powdered sugar.

Serve warm...