Mixed Berry Mousse

The pastry department is low on supplies. Bangkok shutdown is crippling hotel industry not just in the capital but in the whole country as well. It's a big annoyance having to deal with the effect of  protest that has been going on for many weeks now. I can do nothing about it. What I can do is be imaginative so I can make something that is satisfying. I am back to old recipes for the meantime. I hope it won't take ages before I get all my supplies as I am getting impatient. Big time.

I decided to give mixed berry mousse a go once more. The last time I made it was before Christmas. I think a month break is long enough. This time I topped it with  mixed berries for a nice touch.

Apple Pastry Cream Tart with Crumble Topping

One time last week, a commis handed me a bag of apples and told me to make something out of them. Apparently, someone had purchased more than what was needed. Apple tart came to mind. Not the classic French apple tart. I was thinking of combining cooked apples and pastry cream, then top it with crumble. Sunday was a few days away. I had enough time to do a trial run and if it passed the taste test of my loyal fans I could proceed :)

Mango Sticky Rice Pudding (Khao Niao Ma Muang)

Another addition to the dessert menu is this classic Thai mango sticky rice. I have eaten it countless times but I had never cooked it until today. The executive chef asked me to cook the  pudding and arrange it on a dessert plate.  I used banana leaf as the base. I molded the sticky rice in a mousse ring and laid it on the banana leaf. I put diced mango on top, poured coconut sauce on them and sprinkled roasted black sesame seeds. To garnish, a fresh mint leaf or Thai orchid can be used. The chef was in a hurry and neither of us wanted to sprint into the kitchen to get  mint leaf. (The bakery is in a separate building, on the other side of the resort) . He needed to show it to the big boss immediately so just for the photo taking purpose, he used basil leaf instead. :) I had no idea where he got it though.

Chocolate Walnut Tart for the BR Restaurant's New Menu

The restaurant of the resort where I work is overhauling the entire menu. The first of such in four years since it started operation. That long, yeah. The new menu debuts today. Lots of new dishes and desserts await eager customers and patrons. As the person in-charge of desserts, I was asked to make chocolate walnut tart for the opening.

Tortilla Dessert Wrap

The roasting hot weather of Bangkok and my job are the reasons why I don't cook/bake a lot at home anymore. I work 9 hours a day and spend 3 hours commuting to and fro. Neither me nor my sister wants to deal with heat so we  whip up something quick and easy most of the times. Yesterday, my sister and I came home early from church. We took a nap and when we woke up we felt so hungry. We hadn't done food shopping for a week but we had tortilla stock in the fridge. I rummaged the fridge for whatever I could find and saw carrot, cucumber and  lettuce. Just the right filling for my wraps. I opened a can of tuna, topped the veggies with it and that's what we had for dinner. I was becoming tired of eating the same thing when I saw  bananas. I took the knife, chocolate syrup and announced I would make dessert using the remaining tortillas.

Delicious Cake Pudding

If you have so much bad cake, one of the many ways to use them all up is to make them as cake pudding. I have loads of them. I got orders for cake but I was not satisfied with the result of the little modification I did in the original recipe so I baked another cake. I don't feel good tossing them away. When big sis informed me about the children's potluck at church I thought of bringing cake pudding. It was a right decision as it was a big hit not just with kids but with adults as well.

Apple Pie

In Asian culture, gift giving is a common practice. If you are a teacher,  you get never-ending gifts from doting parents of your students. My sister is a kindergarten teacher. Last week, she brought home  2 kilograms of apples, a gift from a generous parent. We are enjoying the abundance of the fruit.  Big sis is juicing them with carrots. So we have fresh carrot-apple juice to drink.  I made apple pie.

Frozen Chocolate Banana

My two nieces were spending the weekend with us. Because of our nannying stint, I thought our usual Friday night dinner would be called off but no one wanted to cancel it. I didn't mind it though as I already had a menu for the night. I made paksiw na isda (fish in vinegar sauce) and frozen chocolate banana for dessert.

These are delicious treat for kids and kids at heart. You can use any fruit you like. I used  bananas because they are aplenty in this tropical country.

Maiz Con Hielo With Corn Flakes

Maiz Con Hielo which means corn with ice, is a popular snack in the Philippines. It is similar to halo-halo in a way that both required shaved ice and milk to mix with the ingredients.

Summer months are over yet we still experience roasting hot climate. When my friends were here for our Friday night dinner, I gave them a surprise treat. I made mais con yelo for dessert. No one complained!

Simple Dessert for Mango and Brownie Lovers

Mangoes and chocolate make perfect partners! When I saw the beautiful mangoes my sister brought home, I didn't hesitate to experiment ...... eat  mangoes with the brownies I made earlier.

Trying a new brownie recipe was good

My cousin Joy was home for the weekend. We don't see her often as she lives 3 hours away.  To give her a welcome treat, I baked her brownie. Not the kind I usually do but a new recipe I got off the internet. I tweak the recipe a little to appeal to our taste buds and it did not let us down!

Luscious Blueberry Cheesecake

If there is something I will not refuse myself to indulge in, it would be cheesecake. I just love the richness of the filling and  the crunchiness of the crust. And there's  the topping which help balances the rich cheese taste.When combined the tastes counteracts each other in a delightful way.

Last year I made  three chocolate cheesecake for my sister's birthday. This year, our friend Maggie requested a blueberry cheesecake. I bought the ingredients couple of weeks early. Because of our hectic schedule, we couldn't find time to get together.Then last week we decided to have barbecue at my place. I had finally got the  chance to make blueberry cheesecake.We chose Sunday as it was the time favorable to all. Everyone agreed.