We look forward to Christmas, our favorite time of year, for many reasons—one of which is the chance to sample the dishes of fellow chefs and foodies.
Today we are featuring easy-to-do recipes; and in the coming weeks, more chefs and food enthusiasts will be sharing their respective specialties.
Lillian Borromeo’s Special Leche Flan
10 egg yolks
1 1/3 c carabao’s milk
1 can condensed milk
lemon rind
For the caramel:
Caramelize ½ cup sugar with ¼ cup water in a pan until amber in color. Pour in leche flan molds.
For the flan:
Lightly beat yolks. Add the rind and condensed milk.
Mix well.
Strain and pour into caramel-lined molds.
Cover with foil and steam or bake in a baño maria at 300°F for an hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool before serving.
Makes 2 large flans
Commercial-style Leche Flan
30 whole eggs
10 cans evaporated milk
1 k white sugar
Rind of 1 lemon
Follow same procedure as above.
Makes 20 large llanera or 38-40 small flans
Brasserie CiÇou’s Chicken Liver Paté
1 kg chicken liver, veins removed
1 medium white onion, peeled and chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil for sauteing
225 g unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
50 ml cream
15 g Quatre Epices (French Spice mix)
30 ml brandy
Salt
Pepper
Saute onions and garlic in olive oil without browning.
Add in the chicken liver.
Season generously with salt and pepper.
Add bay leaf and thyme.
Flambé with brandy.
Add the cream, then let simmer for 5-6 minutes.
Check that the liver is cooked.
Turn off the heat then let it cool to room temperature.
Transfer mixture in a food processor. Season with Quatre Epices. Process until smooth.
Add in the butter a few pieces at a time while the food processor is running.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide the mixture into 10 sterilized bottles (100 g/bottle), then cover tightly but not too tight or else the cover will explode when processing.
Process the bottles in boiling water for 20 minutes, take it off and put on a cooling rack. Let it cool to room temperature then transfer inside the chiller. Label and decorate bottles as you wish.
Mama Rosa’s Crispy Adobo Flakes
1 kg pork kasim or chicken breast
5 g whole black pepper
5 g laurel leaves
25 g minced garlic
100 ml vinegar
120 ml soy sauce
24 g white sugar
4 g iodized salt
400 ml water
Marinate the chicken or pork with all the ingredients listed except water, for at least four hours.
Transfer mixture to a pot and add water, simmer until tender. Drain, cool and flake the meat.
Set sauce aside.
Pan-fry the flaked meat, add the sauce a little at a time while mixing continuously until the mixture dries out.
Once the sauce has been consumed and the mixture is dry, add 3-4 tbsp oil.
Keep mixing until the meat become crispy.
Bottle in nice jars with Christmas ribbons.
You can use the recipe for pure pork, pure chicken breasts or a mix of both.
If using pork and chicken, cook and roast separately, combine once both are crispy.
Milky Way’s Polvoron
1 ½ c all purpose flour
1 c white sugar
1 ½ c powdered milk
1 c melted butter
1 tsp lemon extract
Optional:
1 c toasted pinipig
In a dry skillet, toast flour on medium heat until golden brown and nutty. Be sure to stir constantly with a wooden spoon.
Immediately transfer to a bowl and let cool for about 20 minutes.
Once cool, sift through a strainer and set aside.
Add sugar and powdered milk to the toasted flour.
Add butter and lemon extract. Mix well.
Allow this to sit for about 20 minutes before molding.
Mold and wrap in Japanese paper or cellophane.
For polvoron with pinipig, add 1 cup toasted pinipig to the final mixture. If it is too dry, you may add additional melted butter. Let sit for 20 minutes before molding.
