Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen

  

Things to try at Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen. We've been dragging our feet to try this Chinese resto well maybe because it looks    small and ordinary from the outside.  Surprisingly though, the food was well seasoned, sometimes bordering on low salt but you know, its how I want my food to be.  In effect, you taste more than the saltiness of the food, savoring the other flavors that made each dish distinct.

The Cold cuts combination. 

       

Taro Puff and Crispy Noodle with Seafood on the background.  I’ve never been a fan of taro puff but this one was served hot, perfectly crisp on the outside with a soft, oozing center which had a hint of five spice. Perfect! (I wonder where I can learn to do this lacy coating.)

    

Broccoli with Scallop and Shrimp. Broccoli was perfectly blanched and the scallops and shrimps were fresh. 

We tried their Fish lips soup and their Crispy Noodle with Seafood.  Both were spot on.  Its funny how my Tatay would always wanna order a noodle dish in any Chinese resto we’re in.  I guess, he gauges a Chinese resto by the pancit they serve and this one is worthy of a second visit.  Can't wait.


Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen
Puregold Mindanao Ave. a few meters from the Mindanao Ave. and Congressional Ave. intersection, Quezon City

Care for some glorified Chesa (Egg Fruit)?

If there's a fruit that could seriously challenge Durian's throne as the fruit with the strongest critics, this could be it.  Egg fruit or Chesa, I recently found out, stirs quite extreme feelings.  It's either you love it or hate it, period. No “ifs” or “buts”.

A tree in the farm has been consistently giving so much fruit, but since no one wants to eat it, the fruits are allowed to just fall off the tree. It's such a waste.  The challenge then is to turn this fruit into something different to make it more ummm.. edible. (Come on, it could be the next superfood, imagine, it contains 2000 ug beta carotene per 100 g!)

Since I was hankering for sweets,  I knew I had to turn this into a dessert. Squash pie was on my mind, but I didn't wanna make it too cloying so, why not make it into a tart instead?

I didn't have much time to spend making this so I googled the simplest recipe I could find.  For the crust, I used the recipe I got from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/all_butter_crust_for_sweet_and_savory_pies_pate_brisee/and for the filling, found this flourless  recipe from http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/suzannes_old_fashioned_pumpkin_pie/ and used it with some modifications.  I had an extra eggwhite from the filling so I decided to top this thing with a meringue topping to make it look a bit more dramatic.

And here it is!  Don't you just love how this one turned out??  Some might not be too keen on cinnamon and nutmeg, so feel free to lessen  or omit it completely.

For the Crust:

1 1/4 c All purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/2 c salted butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

4 to 6 Tbsp ice water

1. Cut the sticks of medium soft butter into small pieces, about 1/2 inch cubes and chill in the freezer.

2. In a food processor, pulse salt, sugar and flour until mixed together.

3. Slowly add in the butter.  Continue pulsing the mixture until it resembles a course meal.

4. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time while pressing pulse a few more times until the mixture sticks together when some of the dough are pinched. 

5. Lightly flour a surface and pour the dough.  Divide into two then form into thick disks.  Wrap using plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

6. Open the oven and set it to 350F.

7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it stand in the counter for 5 minutes before rolling the dough to desired thickness.  Cut using 88mm round cookie cutters then place them in 85 mm fluted tart cups.  Press lightly to fill the cups and form the shape.

8. Bake it for about 10 minutes then remove from the oven. 

For the filling:

2 c Chesa pulp

1 1/2 c heavy cream

1/3 c packed dark brown sugar

1/3 c white sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs plus 1 yolk

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp dayap zest

1/2 c chopped toasted pili nuts

1. Process chesa pulp until smooth in a food processor.

2. Manually beat eggs until frothy.  Add everything except for the pili nuts. Pulse the processor several times until well incorporated.

3. Sprinkle some chopped pili on the pre-baked tart crusts. Pour chesa mixture on the tart crust then return to the oven for about 20 to 30 mins or until a toothpick inserted at the center almost comes out clean.

For the meringue topping:

eggwhites from 2 eggs

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

4 Tbsp sugar

1. Beat eggwhites and cream of tartar until soft peaks at medium high speed. (I use 8 on my Kitchen aide)

2. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time while beating. Beat until stiff peaks. 
  Check out these lessons to learn the difference between peaks http://www.yummy.ph/yummy-lessons/baking/details/peak-performance-soft-vs-stiff

3. Top each tart with a dollop of meringue and with the back of the spoon, form peaks on it.

4. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes or until the meringue is dry to touch.

5. If you have a small torch, you can pass it slighly over the peaks to give it some color.

Note: the meringue on top was dry-to-touch but still soft.  Sis wanted a crisp and dry meringue, much like a pavlova so I tried baking some at a lower temp of 300 F at 30 - 45 mins but it was still soft.  I think the recipe isn't the right one for those types.  I'll probably try another meringue recipe akin to a pavlova recipe for the next try to get this texture. 

The Unending Quest for an Acceptable Pizza Crust Part 1

PIZZA! Just thinking about it makes me drool. Really. Couldn't think of a better way to open this blog than to write about my love/hate relationship with this food.

For someone who grew up eating homecooked meals, eating burgers and pizza were always a treat.  I'm not as  addicted to burgers anymore but my love for pizza stayed (just don't feed  me pizza everyday).  Been trying to bake an acceptable (note: acceptable, not perfect) one from scratch using recipes either from the internet or from one of my cookbooks but the results usually was.. ahh.. let's just say, far from what I envisioned the crust to be.  

Lately, I chanced upon this no-knead recipe : http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/06/jim-laheys-no-knead-pizza-dough-recipe.html. No-knead, hmmm... that sounds easy enough and since I have this penchant for over-kneaded, tough pizzas, I gave it a try.  

Pizza #1: This was how it looked unbaked.  I used lightly cooked prawns, onions, button mushrooms , mozzarella and fresh basil leaves. 


It was kinda hard forming this into a perfect circle since the dough kept shrinking back.  Oh well.

  

And this is how it looked after about 12 minutes at around 400F.

 

Those who've tried this were right, it was crisp but unfortunately, too tough for my taste.  For those who are thinking of trying this simple recipe, go ahead but bake it shorter.  As for me, its time to search the net again for another recipe. 

For the pizza sauce, this is how I made it:

Simple Pizza Sauce (Good for 2 to 3 10-in pizzas)

vegetable oil for sauteeing

half a head of garlic, minced 

1-150 g Del Monte Tomato Paste

2 T water or more if its too thick

1 tsp sugar 

pinch of ground pepper

pinch of italian seasoning

fish sauce to taste - (Of course you can use salt but the Filipino in me can't help adding this instead of salt)

1. In low fire, sautee minced garlic in oil until golden brown. 

2. Add in the tomato sauce and water.  Sautee for a minute or two.

3. Add the seasonings.  Let it simmer for another minute.  

You're done!