Baked Caramel Apple Turon

baked caramelized apple turon served with a small scoop of Snickers® ice cream

Have you tried baked turon? I have a few tart apples, cubed one and cooked it in a tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, filled 2 spring roll wrappers brushed with butter, and baked the rolls until they have browned and looked crispy. The baked caramelized apple turon is so good; tart, sweet, and buttery, and oh so crispy. I love it with a very small scoop of Breyers® Snickers Caramel Swirls ice cream. Sweet!  I'll definitely bake saba and langka turon later today now that I know it will be as crispy as deep fried.

Baked Caramel Apple Turon

2 tablespoons butter

3 - 4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

2 medium size sweet and tart apples, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 tablespoon melted butter

4 - 5 pieces Filipino spring roll wrapper

• Preheat oven to 425°F. 
• In a medium skillet, heat butter and sugar until sugar has melted. Add apples and cook until caramelized and golden brown. 
• Brush  one side of spring roll wrapper with butter. Place in a thin pile 2 tablespoons of apple across one edge of wrapper and roll, folding the edges in as you roll and keeping it tight and thin. Place on a parchment-lined baking pan.
• Brush rolls with butter from the skillet, if any is left, plus melted butter. Bake until brown and crispy. Serve immediately.

Chicharron Strips and Ginger Beer

vinegar and sea salt chicharron strips + ginger beer = perfect merienda

I love these chicharron strips already flavored with vinegar and sea salt; there's no need to dip in vinegar which could get messy. The Gosling's ginger beer, not fermented and non-alcoholic btw, which I think tastes  like carbonated salabat has a very strong ginger flavor and goes well with the yummy chicharron.

If ginger beer is not available in your area, you can make your own carbonated salabat. Prepare sweet salabat either from fresh ginger or salabat mix; let cool. Fill half a glass with ice, pour cooled salabat, club soda/seltzer water, a squirt of lemon, lime, or calamansi juice, stir once, and enjoy. Or if preferred, you can also add a splash of rum, vodka, lambanog, or gin bulag.:))

  

The Daring Cooks: Stock, Soup, Consommé

Filipino pig tail sour soup

Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cook's September 2011 challenge, “Stock to Soup to Consommé”.  We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consommé if we so chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!

The recipes are here.

I've never made consommé before but thanks to Peta and this month's challenge, I now have and enjoyed the process. Preparation of consommé is not complicated but there are several steps [including making the stock which is part of the challenge], not to mention lots of kitchen towels for straining the stock. I used the egg white method for both the chicken and beef consommé. I can't believe my eyes when the cloudy stock became clear. Consommé has to be adequately seasoned though because it loses some of the flavor when clarified.

from chicken stock to consommé 


chicken feet and necks for the chicken consomme,
 roasted beef bones with meat and vegetables for beef consomme,
countless numbers of kitchen towels for straining stock 

We were also asked to prepare bread or crackers to go with our soups. I baked a brioche filled with sauteed chopped baby rainbow Swiss chard, garlic, and onion, and grated Parmesan cheese to go with a simple beef consommé and cubed savory egg custard. 

Savory Egg Custard

3 eggs, well beaten

¾ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup chicken stock

½ teaspoon finely minced scallion, white part only

• Mix all ingredients and pour into a lightly greased 6 x 4 inch pan. Place on a steamer and steam over boiling water for 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool slightly, transfer into a chopping board; cut into half-inch cubes.

For the Filipino pig tail sour soup, I added some beef stock to the strained pig tail stock. I used tamarind paste to sour the soup and added my favorite vegetables. We usually eat this soup on top of a bowl of hot steamed rice with extra fish extract on the side. 

Pig Tail Sinigang Soup

stock

2½ pounds pig tails, cut into 6 inch sections

1 onion, quartered.

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 carrot, cut into 3 pieces

2 celery ribs with leaves, cut into 3 pieces

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorn

1 tablespoon sea salt

water

soup

3 cups strained pig tail stock

1½ cups prepared beef stock

¼ cup tamarind past

1 tablespoon fish extract

1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

3 large tomatoes, quartered

2 Asian eggplants, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 small daikon, sliced

2 cups of water spinach leaves

2 medium-hot green finger chiles

• Stock: In a sheet pan, mix ingredients except water, and roast in a 400°F oven until pig tails and vegetables are golden brown. Transfer into a large pot, add water topping 2 inches; bring to a boil, turn heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer until tails are tender. Remove tails to a large plate and leave until cool enough to handle. Cut into 2-inch pieces. Strain the broth, discard vegetables, and reserve 3 cups of the stock. 
• Soup: Return the pig tails and stock to the pot, add the beef stock, tamarind paste, tomatoes, and fish extract. Taste the soup and add salt if needed. Let come to a boil, add vegetables, and boil until tender. Serve while hot.

Food Friday: Savory Monkey Bread

Monkey bread sounds funny and I don't know why this pull-apart bread is called such. Most recipes I've seen are sweet, usually with sticky gooey cinnamon sugar and butter coating . Although I love sweet bread, I wasn't feeling it and opted for a savory one. I added cubed sharp cheddar cheese in the dough and as topping. The rolls are very soft and fluffy and great to munch on anytime of the day. I can easily go ape over this bread.🐵

Cheddar Cheese Monkey Bread

3½ cups bread flour

½ tablespoon instant yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

½ tablespoon kosher salt

¼ cup powdered milk

½ teaspoon garlic powder, optional

½ teaspoon onion powder, optional

1¼ cups water

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

• In the bowl of a standing mixer whisk together flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, powdered milk, and garlic and onion, if using. Stir in water and oil. With the dough hook attachment, knead on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides if necessary. Increase speed to medium-high and knead for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Transfer on the kitchen counter and knead in the cubed cheese. Transfer dough into a lightly greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and let ferment for 1 to 1½ hours. 
• Lightly knead dough, divide, and shape into 1-inch balls. Dip each ball in the melted butter and roll in the remaining cheese. Place balls almost touching in a 10-inch round pan. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown.