baby rambutan

yes, that biblical eve, the one who was tempted by the serpent to partake of the tree of knowledge. the original foodie?
it’s the apples in the pudding that gave it the name i think. but the chocolates in this recipe give it even more of a tinge of sinfulness and temptation.

based on Jacqueline Bellefontaine’s recipe from “chocolates”. i just had to try it. at least once.

white chocolate eve’s pudding with bittersweet chocolate sauce

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well, you know, i’m not that kind of girl. now. yet.

and i added tuna. but in the spirit of the dish,in the words of tita Delia Smith, from whose “Summer Collection” i base this recipe on, every time…”it is very strong and gutsy and intense…a very pleasurable experience,” and in the alleged origins of how it came to be called tart’s spaghetti, the ingredients are easy to find in any hard working woman chef’s larder…

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creamy, without cream! the recipe is from Saveur magazine, the May 2006 issue has gotten dog-eared now.

mango sherbet

1 pack, around 17 ounces, mango puree (Philippine brand) (you may substitute fresh very ripe mangoes to equal 2 cups, after straining–to remove the fibers)

3/4 cup superfine granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp. calamansi juice (or lemon juice)

1 tbsp. vodka (to inhibit ice crystals)

mix everything in a large mixing bowl preferably with a spout (for easy pouring into the ice cream maker) until sugar is dissolved.

freeze according to the ice cream maker instructions. let it sit in the freezer for a couple of hours for the flavors to mellow and for the sherbet to firm up.

luscious! my two older kids loved it, #2son had a little taste and said, can you make me some orange sherbet please? (i relented somewhat and bought him a new Edy’s flavor, orange with chocolate chips. everyone’s pleased.)

i must yield, and announce, there is an even better (cuter) way to make mango sherbet…chef monkey shows us how!

bit by bit, making progress, transferring photos. i am trying my best! if you don’t see the photos please go to the old kitchen,

babyrambutan.blogspot.com. they are there, still! meantime, i am doing what i can to sneak them into flickr.

enjoy what’s left of summer! there is a chill starting to sneak in, and that’s always, to my #1son, the sign that school time is near…

#2son found this little critter…

praying for world peace among the peppermints.

Mae of rice and noodles commented that the only ingredient she had available for halo halo was pinipig, the pounded green glutinous rice sold frozen in plastic packs in the Pinoy section of most Asian groceries.

that got me into another a HA! moment…hey i used to have pinipig bibingka…let me call Ma. she used to buy us this really special bibingka from her very early Saturday market forays. she didn’t have a recipe so i googled and found this recipe, which i tweaked a little bit.

i’m sure it is nothing like the real thing because if you read all the googled items re: pinipig they all seem to say that the commercially available packs are inferior, fake, no comparison, to the freshly harvested immature green rice pounded at the most opportune time.

but i wanted to give my kids a little whiff, if nothing else, of how good it could be.:grandma:

pinipig bibingka

4 cups pinipig (pounded green glutinous rice, available frozen from Asian food stores), thawed if frozen, toasted, cooled

2 cans coconut milk (i used Chef’s Choice brand)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

soak pinipig in coconut milk with sugar and salt (stirred well to dissolve) for at least 45 minutes.

preheat oven to 375F.

wash and dry (over low flame of stove top) banana leaves and line 8-inch square pyrex dish.

evenly spread out the pinipig coconut mixture. cover tightly with aluminum foil. bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, uncover, then bake 15 minutes more.

top with bottled coconut jam. bake for another 15 minutes. remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature before serving.

it got really fragrant…and i loved the toasty crusty sides and corners.

crimson, continued.

French almond sponge cake filled with raspberry cream mousse and topped with raspberry jelly…

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must cook everything crimson, for luck…. :glasses-slip::wizard:
to kick it off, i made lobster-tomato-and basil pasta. lobsters are on sale! the farmers’ market is open today! and Sunday is thess’s birthday! happy birthday thess! this is it….noodles for “straight” and long life….

i have never met her in person but i feel like i’ve known her for all my life. go on, thess celebrate. someday i’ll make you a three-layer chocolate cake, in person, in your new cooker. this time it’s long distance LOBSTERS!

years ago when my ma came over for a visit we took her to an al fresco dining spot by the bay in our little city (the restaurant’s long defunct)…it was memorable for the delectable lobster dish i had, and for the fact that the young inept inexperienced server spilled cold water on my back…no probs! it was a sweltering hot July day, i was wearing a quick drying linen shirt, and i really truly didn’t mind at all. methought it was terribly funny. the poor girl offered me her size 2 shirt–suffice to say i turned it down because i am double digit sized (never you mind what number….:drunk:)

i added the zucchini shreds for pizzazz but the flavor is much like that splashy first time.

lobster, tomato and basil spaghetti

anchovy butter or plain butter

olive oil

3-4 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 vine ripened tomatoes, skinned and seeded and chopped

1/2 of zucchini shreds, salted and rinsed

2 stalks of scallions, green parts only, julienned

1/4 cup of dry white wine

fresh basil leaves

2 1 &1/2 lb. “select size” lobsters, steamed/boiled, cooled, then meat extracted

thin spaghetti

heat up the wok or frying pan and add the [anchovy] butter and olive oil. add the garlic and stir fry until golden brown. add the scallions, tomatoes and zucchini shreds and toss to combine. immediately add the wine and bring up to a rapid boil over high heat then add the basil, lobster meat and spaghetti. season to taste with salt and pepper and turn off the heat and toss to combine everything well. serve immediately! tita Lidia (Bastianich) says no cheese on seafood, but if you’re in a sprinkly mood add some crushed red pepper flakes.

how to peel and seed tomatoes: have ready a bowl of ice and water big enough to hold tomatoes. bring a pot of water to a boil. wash tomatoes and mark “X” on the bottoms with a sharp knife. drop into boiling water for 30 seconds then scoop out and drop into ice water. the skin should easily peel off. cut and remove the seeds.

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shrimp, lobster claws and peeky-toe crab meat salad, fruits of the sea from the Maine coast

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