Kusina Maria

a Filipina’s food and cooking blog

Archive for November, 2009

November 22 Sunday Dessert: Blueberry New York Cheesecake

Blueberry New York Cheese Cake

Bluebery New York Cheesecake

To finish off our Sunday Lunch we decided to make some Blueberry New York Cheesecake. We decided on this since one of our cousins is allergic to chocolates and I was also trying to avoid chocolates. According to the Joy of Baking New York Cheesecakes as distinct from Italian Cheesecakes because they use cream cheese as opposed to the traditional Italians that use ricotta.

While some people contend themselves with no-bake cheesecakes with the use of gelatin, my gastronomic adventures at Lachi’s has led me to believe that baked cheesecake is the richest, creamiest, best kind of cheesecake. I was initially intimidated when we learned this in school.

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November 22 Sunday Lunch

Abellas

There used to be a time when Sundays meant Sunday Lunch at Lola’s house. Each family would bring a dish made by aunts who all had a gift for cooking and baking. There would be Sundays when we stuffed ourselves silly with home-cooked Filipino dishes such as Imbao Soup, Kare-kare or various versions of Adobo. There would be times when the cheese lovers would devour rich and cheesy Baked Lasagna or Stuffed Shell Pasta would delight us all. Or Sundays when an aunt would make Paella or cook crabs and prawns. Then we’d end everything with a make your own halo-halo station, or any dessert that one of my aunts would make.

But things changed as the nieces and nephews grew up, Lola died, and a few of us were left in Davao City. I suspect my aunts grew tired of waking up early on Sundays. I would if I were them.

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Baking Chocolate Souffle

Chocolate Souffle

On the very first day of culinary school, the very first thing I made was a Mocha Souffle. And it was a nerve-wracking but very fulfilling task. I enjoyed it because I love mocha. And so did my groupmates.

Mocha Souffle

Mocha Souffle

One of my aunts, Tita Teri, an experienced baker, requested that we bake souffle. She already knows how to bake a lot of pastries but has never tried baking souffle. And it was the very first thing she asked from me after I finished culinary school… baking souffle. Tita asked that we baked chocolate souffle, which I didn’t bake in school but had baked for Kuya Andrew during one of our kitchen testing sessions. So I wasn’t very intimidated when Tita Teri asked for it.

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Mommy’s Dinner Party Notes and Review

Here are some notes from the dinner party I made for Mommy’s Birthday.

Anchovy Pasta

Anchovy Pasta for Daddy

I prepared the Anchovy Pasta specifically for Daddy who loooves anchovies. Turns out everybody loved it. And they like capers as much as I do. I prepared too much (1 kilo for 8 adults) but they all ended up taking home some anchovy yummy-ness.

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