Pastillas de Leche

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups fresh milk
* 3 Tbsps. sugar
* 1 tsp. butter
* 5 Tbsps. full-cream powdered milk
* 1/2 cup sugar for rolling pastillas

METHOD

1. Boil milk and sugar into a paste.

2. Add butter and powdered milk. Mix thoroughly. Let the paste rest until firm enough to handle. Divide into 20 pieces and roll into small cylinders. Roll in sugar. Wrap in colorful papel de japon (Japanese paper).

VARIATIONS

Pastillas de Nangka:
Add to basic recipe ½ cup fresh, finely chopped nangka.

Mocca Pastillas:
Dissolve 1 tbsp. Instant coffee and 2 tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa, in ¼ cup boiling water. To the basic recipe, increase powdered milk by ¼ cup.

Pinipig Pastillas:
Using the basic recipe, roll the pastilles balls on toasted pinipig (coat well), pressing a little to the ball. Then, roll on sugar.

Sans Rival

Cashew Sans Rival Meringue:
Ingredients:

7 each egg whites
¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar
1 cup cashew, coarsely chopped

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Beat together egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar until stiff but not dry. Fold in nuts.
4. Divide mixture into four 9” x 1/2”-round pans lined with parchment paper.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour or until golden.
6. Transfer on wire racks. Cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Invert then carefully remove the parchment paper. Completely cool on wire racks.

Buttercream

Ingredients:
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water
9 each egg yolks
¾ cup butter
¾ cup margarine
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups cashew for decoration

Procedure:

1. Boil together sugar and water until threadlike at 220°F.
2. Beat egg yolks at speed 6 until thick and fluffy.
3. Continue cooking the syrup until 240°F. Pour hot syrup into egg yolks in a stream. Beat until cold.
4. In another bowl, beat the butter compound until light. Add egg yolk mixture then vanilla. Beat until creamy.
5. Use this to fill the meringue layers. Decorate top and sides with more buttercream.
6. Sprinkle with cashew nuts all over. Freeze.

Bicol Express

Ingredients

•1/4 kilo pork, thinly sliced
•1 cup Baguio beans
•3 cups long chili or jalapeno peppers
•1 head of garlic, minced
•1 cup coconut milk
•2 tablespoons of cooking oil
•1 cup coconut cream
•1 onion, minced
•Salt to taste

METHOD

1.Estimated preparation time: 30 minutes
2.Estimated cooking time: 30 minutes
3.Soak chili peppers for 30 minutes then rinse and strain in a bowl of water with salt.
4.Heat cooking oil and brown sliced pork for a few minutes in a cooking pan.
5.Stir fry minced garlic and onion in another pan.
6.Add to the sauté the browned pork.
7.Then add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
8.Add the chili peppers, Baguio beans and cook until dish gets a little dry.
9.Add the coconut cream and boil until the sauce thickens.
10.Salt to taste.