Crema de Fruta

Here's another one of my favorite Filipino desserts. It's called crema de fruta (which translates to "fruit cream") and it's what I'm making for our family gathering this Christmas. I'm not sure why this dessert is so synonymous with the holidays, but why ask why? All that matters is it's sooooo good! There are so many variations of this dessert but the one I'm familiar with is a sponge cake layered with stirred custard and fruit cocktail and topped with unflavored gelatin.

My mom gave me a recipe for crema de fruta a long time ago but it only had instructions on how to make the custard and fruit gelatin - not the cake. She told me that when she makes it, she just goes to the local bakery and asks to buy a sheet of sponge cake, the same kind that's used to make jelly rolls. This saved her time baking, especially during Christmas when there's so many activities going on.



I decided to use a hot milk sponge cake for my version of crema de fruta because it's quicker and easier to make than traditional sponge cake. If you're really short on time, you can just buy the sponge cake at a local bakery like my mom did. Ladyfingers or pound cake are good substitutes as well. I also added a little cake syrup, a secret ingredient that most pastry chefs use to keep cakes moist. It's basically simple syrup that you add flavored liquers like Grand Marnier or kirsh.

Merry Christmas! Maligayang Pasko! Joyeux Noel!

Crema de Fruta
Allergy Note: contains eggs, dairy and wheat

sponge cake:
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

cake syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

custard:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract

30 oz. can of fruit cocktail in heavy syrup
1 Tbsp. unflavored gelatin

To make the sponge cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a rectangular glass baking pan (I used an aluminum pan because sometimes I forget to bring back my baking pans during potlucks or family gatherings). Sift the flour and baking powder together. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until thick then slowly add the sugar. Continue mixing until light and fluffy. Gradually add the flour mixture.
In a saucepan, combine milk, butter and vanilla extract; cook just until the butter has melted. Slowly pour into the batter; mix until combined. Pour into prepared pan then bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely.

To make the cake syrup:
Place sugar and water in a saucepan; cook until the sugar has dissolved. Drizzle lightly over the sponge cake.

To make the custard: 
In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour and milk. Cook in medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Pour some of the mixture over the egg yolks and mix together till combined. Add the egg yolk mixture to the saucepan. Cook for a few more minutes then remove from heat.
Stir in butter and vanilla extract. Pour over the sponge cake. Let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the fruit cocktail and sprinkle the unflavored gelatin on top. Let the gelatin "bloom" (absorb liquid and expand) before mixing it in to the fruit cocktail. Microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minutes to melt the gelatin. Pour over the custard.

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

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 wheat14 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 (I used jackfruit) 
- if you don't have a tree nut allergy, you can top each macaroon with some chopped nuts. suggestions: almonds, pistachios or cashews

UPDATE 3/25/10: I tried pulsing the shredded coconut in the food processor first before adding it into the batter and it really improved the texture of the macaroons.

Marc Jacobs Bag Cake

My sister is truly an inspiration to me. Six years ago, she decided to forget going to law school and follow her dream. Without telling anyone, she applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology and got accepted. Soon after breaking the news to everyone, she packed up her bags and moved to New York City to study fashion design. It took a lot of guts for her to make such a risky decision, especially after investing so many years of schooling. But it was a bold move that paid off in ways she couldn't have imagined. Today, she's working as a handbag designer for Marc Jacobs , one of the top fashion designers in the world. She was the one who encouraged me to go to pastry school and I'll be forever grateful to her for that. So when she told me she was coming home to celebrate her 3oth birthday, I wanted to make her a cake that symbolized her dream fulfilled. I just had to make her a Marc Jacobs bag cake.

This wasn't an easy project for me. I love decorating cakes but making sculpted or 3D cakes is a bit intimidating. I still have so much more to learn and since I never had any formal training in art, making these cakes look true-to-life is an added challenge. I tried to make a bag cake a few years ago and it turned out okay, but I really wished I had a book to guide me.

So this time around, I read Elisa Strauss' The Confetti Cakes Cookbook: Spectacular Cookies, Cakes, and Cupcakes from New York City's Famed Bakery. It just came out last year and I'm so glad I got it. I'm sure you've seen her cakes featured in magazines and saw her compete in numerous Food Network cake challenges. Her background in art and fashion in addition to her incredible talent as a pastry chef is something to be admired. Her book is well-written and beautifully illustrated. The projects in her book range from simple polka-dot cupcakes to the more elaborate sushi cake. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn, not only about sculpted cakes, but also stylish cookies, cupcakes and mini cakes.

Now that I have a pretty good idea of how to construct a handbag cake, I went ahead and got started. I printed a photo of the pink Marc Jacobs Blake bag from the company's website. Finding the height, width and depth of the bag was easy, but now I needed to get the details of the bag accurate. So, I went back to the photo and measured the size of the pockets, the diameter of the o-rings on the handles, size of the zippers, height of the handles etc... and increased the measurements to match the real proportions of the bag. I drew each piece and cut them out so I can use them as templates.

I baked two half sheets of red velvet cake and cut them into three pieces. I assembled the cake and inserted three wooden dowels inside it to prevent the layers from shifting and to keep the cake from collapsing on itself. After crumb coating it with a thin layer of frosting, I placed it in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the frosting firm up. When it was ready, I covered it with pink rolled fondant.

I used the templates to make the pockets and used a tracing wheel for the stitch details around the edges. To make the bottom part of the push-lock hardware, I used a round cookie cutter and a petal cutter, stacked them together then cut the top part off. I used a veining tool to create the groove for the push-lock and a cel stick to write "Marc Jacobs" on the round piece. For the top part of the hardware, I cut a thin strip of fondant and placed a semi-circle fondant on top of it. I used a round piping tip to mark a circle in the middle.

I painted the push-lock with gold luster dust and attached it to the cake by brushing a little bit of vodka on it.

I made the o-rings out of gumpaste by using two different sizes of round cookie cutters. I let them dry overnight, painted them with gold luster dust and looped the fondant handle through it.

To make the zippers, I cut hexagonal pieces of fondant for the slider, rectangular pieces for the pull-tab and a tiny strip for the tab holder. For the teeth of the zipper, I cut a long strip of fondant and scored a line in the middle and made hash marks all the way from end to end. I painted the zipper and teeth with gold luster dust.

I had a lot of trouble putting on the handles. I guess I should've made them differently. The first pair of handles were made of gumpaste but I didn't make them long enough so I put fondant pieces at each end. Since the gumpaste handles were so thick , the fondant ends couldn't carry the weight so they slipped and wouldn't stay on. I wanted them to be upright like on the picture, but it just didn't work. After trying a couple more times, the handles eventually broke. I didn't have time to make another pair of gumpaste handles so I tried a different approach. I made them out of rolled fondant with stem wire inside for structural support. Made a second attempt to have them standing straight up, but they still fell down. I finally had to settle with laying them on the sides.

To make the piping around the bag, I just cut long strips of fondant and attached them around the cake.

The finished cake was not exactly the way I had envisioned it, but I was pretty happy with it nonetheless. More importantly, the birthday girl loved it and everyone enjoyed eating the cake.

Happy Birthday little sis!

A2B, Aadiyaar Ananada Bhavana BTM Bangalore

A2B BTM is located Opposite to Udupi Garden 16th Main BTM and is beside the Petol Bunk.
Looking at the name one thinks that A2B is a typical South Indian Restaurant,May be it was true some years back.
But now A2B is a typical Cosmopolitan Restaurant where in it tries to serve all types of Food. Located on 2 Floors The restaurant has exotic north delights to offer apart from the South Indian Dishes.

The Ambiance Gives you a Complete Indian Look wherein you see Marwadi’s[People from Rajasthan] , Kannadigas[People from Karnataka] serving typical North Indian delicacies like Chole Bhature.

The ground Floor of A2B serves all the Sweets that range from Kaju Katli’s to Gulab Jamuns and some of South Indian Dishes.

The First Floor is a Restaurant with beautiful colour combinations of the Chairs, Tables and the Dishes.A2B looks like a Good place to Hang Out especially for Couples.
But this is not the truth,especially when you see the location J.

What you find here is more of families who want a Outing or want to taste something other than usual Ghar Ka khana.

A2B is a self service Restaurant where in you need to buy some tokens beforehand, the Token number will be displayed on the LCD screen once your number appears,the LCD Screen is situated exactly on the forehead of Service Counter’s.

You can find Dishes Like Chole Bhature, Pav Bhaaji, Different Type of Dosas, Idli’s , paranthas etc. The food was quiet Decent, the pricing was Ok too, Service was avaerage considering the fact that there is huge crowd to eat at A2B on weekends.
Ambiance was super cool.Good Music. Location too is great considering the fact the BTM is the hub for all Software professionals.

Word Of Caution : If you enjoy crowds, explore A2B BTM on Weekends, orelse try visiting the place on Weekdays.

Sweets : Usually we have very expensive Sweets here in Bangalore, A2B is not an exception,expensive sweets but the Taste and Quality is decent.
I’ll Rate A2B ***1/2, not because of Food but because of other factors like Ambiance, Location and Pricing.

Malgudi Days ! ECity ! Bangalore

hmm,..... !
No this has got nothing to do with R.K Narayanan's Serial !
This is a chain of restaurants and they say that they are located in U.S too !
Located on the second left from Main Hosur Highway towards Satyam, This restaurant has lot to offer.
Awesome Ambiance.. The Ambiance actually makes you feel as if you are sitting in some thaeare and yes the Glasses around give a feel of huge space..but that is JHALAWA.. hehe
Good Place to hang out with Team's and when you want your project manager to shed some money especially when you dont have any other option around.
Food is quiet Average,the service is nice,the Crockery via which they serve excited me the most.
The beat I have seen around may Be gramin has some capabilities of the same Calliber.
Anyhow the food or the taste of food is primarily south Indian..more of Andhra Spices..the Non-Veg they serve ranges from Birds to prawns the Spices they used were a heavy dose for me.
North Indian dishes.. well Malgudi Days isn't the best place to check out them for.
Avg north Indian Food. On an Overall i'll rate Malgudi *** only because of their Service and ambiance.The price they charge don't equate with my Taste.May be for some it could be the Best Place.But the review I'am writing here is on my personal experience.
Good place for Team Hangouts but not a good place for Family Dinner.
Yes, a uniqueness I found in malgudi Days was the After meal Servings. i mean they have somehting unique to be served other than the usual saunf and mishri.
Overall.. not a bad place to try it once.

Papas Tiffin Koramangla Bangalore !

Yes the name is pretty much synonymous with someone who cares. In this case it is the food,

the Tiffin food !

Located near Indira nagar crossing.. Papas tiffin is one of very few north indian tiffin providers in Bangalore.

You taste it once, you will come again this is what the owner says, and yes he is true which i realised after cherishing their tiffin box.

The combo was excellent,taste superflous and the price nominal. I ordered a veg meal .. it turned out to be a heavy meal ;-).

Aloo ki sabzi was perfect northie type,Daal reminded me of maa and the Rajma Chawal reminded me of those Food Van's we have their in north which give us their special rajma chawal.

add to it the Kheer.........wah ... perfect i said !

And all these when compared to price left nothing to justify.

Verdict :5*

Advice: would surely suggest people in and around koramangla to have a try.

They do take orders for Non Veg meals, so all those interested in Chicken can ponder upon that option too..

Bobby Da Dhabha!

Bobby Da Dhabha Bangalore !
Loc: Beside Ulsoor Gurudwara, bangalore .

Perfect wen it comes to food..
Very Tasti Sabzi and Dal with a beautiful blend of masalas tadka and ghee.
You go any day and i bet anybody has to wait atleast 30 minutes to get a seat.
A perfect Dhabha lookalike.. i'l rather say it looks like a bhutiyaa haveli.
Below averae ambiance.
Huh..... but but the food is above any 5 star resti especially for all northies.
The Ma ki dali vith desi ghee ka tadka is like yummmmm..
Parantha's too are good,their recipe is like less spicy heavy taste and too much desi ghee!
The kheer is excellent it reminds you of mummy ke hath ki kheer...
And yes the heaviest dose is that doubled chaach ka glass...
perfect punjabi Overdose ........ loved that..

given a chance nobody should miss bobby da dhabha !
Money.. is peanuts when you compare the quality and quantity of food..