Ensaymada madness

I couldn't stop myself, just had to take a pic before everything disappears in 2 minutes... flat!

Almost everyone I know has a bucket list, things they want to do  before they go.  I, too, have a growing foodie bucket list, made up of mostly, what else, food to cook or bake. ;)

Ever since I finally baked a successful pandesal, I couldn't stop thinking of making another go at baking an edible ensaymada.  I've tried it twice, both times it turned hard as rocks and this isn't an exaggeration. Even my dogs wouldn't touch it!

Anyway, I was on a look out for a recipe.  I probably have 5 different  ensaymada recipes from different sources languishing in the recipe box but I wanted to try a new one so I searched yummy.ph and found this: Patty Loanzon's Cheesy Ensaymada http://www.yummy.ph/recipe/Cheesy-Ensaymada . Looks easy enough but yikes! 4 hours wait to proof! This is gonna be a looonnnggg day. 

Since this was a spur-of-the-moment baking, I have to make do with the ingredients on hand.  Everything checked except queso de bola.  Raiding the ref, I found some leftover blue cheese, Pecorino romano, and a pack of cheezy spread.  Though blue cheese might be an interesting choice, it had to be the Pecorino since I needed my family or the dogs to finish this lot in case it doesn't turn out well. Haha.

After resting the dough for 1 1/2 hours and rolling it into a swirl, it's ready for 4 hours of proofing.  Time for some early Christmas shopping!

With everything set, I turned on my trusty Kitchen aide and kneaded it using the dough hook attachment.  I'm sure manually kneading it is possible but after my failed attempts using hand-kneaded ensaymada, I'm not gonna risk this one, so I let the dough hook do its job.

After four hours and a failed shopping trip, all puffed up and almost ready for the oven.

I made some minor revisions to the recipe.  To get a more buttery and a stronger cheese flavor, I used pecorino romano instead of processed cheese in the dough and added an extra 1/2 c of butter to the dough.  Also, I kneaded it an extra 5 minutes since the dough wasn't elastic enough after 5. Lastly, I made a sponge composed of the yeast, a bit of flour, honey and water and allowed this to rise a bit before adding it to the rest of the dough ingredients.

And here they are!   

 Finished Pecorino romano ensaymada.  Buttery and soft just the way I like!  

The pecorino and butter sent heavenly aromas from the oven, beckoning the hungry to try the large buns even while scorchingly hot.  I couldn't stop myself, I had to know if at last I made an edible ensaymada.   Even without the topping, I bit into it.  It yielded.  I was excited.  It was soft, buttery and melt-in-the-mouth. FINALLY, an ensaymada recipe worth keeping.

First time Ibos!

Sorry haven’t been posting.  It has been a busy month for me and just had a breather before another long weekend.  

I’ve finally got a short vacay outside the Metro. Actually, I had a quick visit to the family’s roots in Mindanao.  If you’ve been there, its actually a bucolic seaside town with amazing views of endless rice fields. But any vacay wouldn’t be complete without some foodie pursuits, right?

Ricefields abound around Misamis Occ.

Aren’t you sometimes awed at how a humble seed from no less than a weed can be transformed into so many delectable possibilities?  I’m particularly talking about rice, which could be the staple we know, a kind of porridge, a sauce thickener, a main dish (I’m thinking risotto and paella), a snack item, even a dessert!  I sometimes feel guilty of being able to easily bake a passable chiffon or a chocolate cake and yet clueless on how to make native snacks such as biko or suman.  It has been on my to-do list for so long, so on this vacay, I asked my cousins if they could find me someone who’ll be willing to show me how wrap our native rice-based delicacy called Ibos.  Thankfully, the retired family cook was only too willing to teach me how.

Manong Ipit thinning some of the coconut leaf ribs to make it easier to use as a wrap.

Why Ibos? Because I really love how this one tastes. Unlike similarly wrapped rice delicacy found here in Manila, this one is slightly sweet, with a hint of anise and a heavenly smoky taste that you get from cooking the filling in an open wood fire.  And don’t forget the leafy undertones which it gets from wrapping and boiling this in young coconut leaves.  It’s the perfect breakfast, midday or afternoon snack with sikwate (native chocolate drink) or naturally ripened mangoes. 

Cooking the ibos filling in open fire just like in the olden days.  Frankly, I think this infuses the filling with some complex smoky flavors which makes it extra special.

Just thinking about it makes me wish I still had my BH (what they call the “pasalubong” there) stash in the freezer but alas, it was gone in a flash.  Blame it on the shrinking baggage allowance which will never be enough if you want a month’s supply of ibos in the freezer. Haha! :)

Only the young coconut leaves are used since its more pliable

It didn't take long before I realized this thing needs quite a BIT of patience to wrap! But as I hit my 5th one, it became a LOT easier.  Practice does makes perfect, so BRING IT ON! ;)  Between the four of us, we were able to make around 75 pieces of oddly shaped ibos.  Good thing, quality control doesn't apply to first timers.

It's kinda hard to describe how to wrap it.  You can look at this  blog for some direction http://unofficialcook.com/recipes/suman-sa-ibos/.    I'm attaching, though, the recipe for the filling which you have to cook in a heavy pot on an open wood fire or stove top with continuous stirring until it is almost half-done then wrapped while hot.  Since the filling is still undercooked, the ibos should be arranged standing in a covered heavy bottomed pot half-submerged in water and boiled until done.

The newly wrapped ibos before it was boiled in water.  Looks good, right?

Ibos, just the way I like

2 1/2 kilos glutinous rice

milk from 6 mature coconuts

sugar to taste (according to the cook, its 1 salmon can full, ok so where do I get an empty can of salmon if I don't eat it? Haha )

2 Tbsp salt (I'm not too sure if this pertains to iodized or rock salt so, don't add everything all at once.)

1 Tbsp anise or less if preferred, pounded with a bit of water

Water with the same volume as the 2 1/2 kilos of rice   

 The finished product, our breakfast the following day :) Together with some hot cocoa, there couldn't be a more perfect combo to start the day than this!