Homemade Fudgesicles

When I was in grade school, my favorite snack during recess was a twin popsicle. It came in two variants: orange and chocolate. The orange variant, I'm more than willing to share, but when I'm sucking on my chocolate popsicle do not expect to to share it. Hands off please! With my fondness for chocolate per se or in this case with chocolate popsicles, seeing this awesome popsicle mold in my local specialty kitchen store, I just knew I have to have it. 

Being a self-confess chocolate fiend, my first popsicle creation would a a chocolate kind. I scour around the net finding the best recipe that would better adopt to my family's taste. Who would have thought that there are a lot of different ways to do it, but the most easy and less time consuming version is by using a chocolate pudding mix, which I immediately disregard due to the fact that I want to make it without any pre-pack stuff. Finally got Alton Browns version, it sounds promising however a lot of reviewers gave it a negative saying it's too bitter because amazingly, there is no sugar in the recipe. How great is that? Anything without sugar that I can make desserts with, I'm willing to try at least once.

Those AB's recipe does not get good reviews, I was willing to give it a try, how bad could it be right? It's Good Eats! I'm so glad I gave it a try though, it's one of my family favorite. I think by now, you guys can tell that my family is easy to please anything with chocolate they gobble it up with no problem. Taking into consideration of what others say about this  (1) is that it taste too bitter? My solution to that problem is that if you like your chocolate extra bitter go with a higher percentage of chocolate around 65-80% and if you prefer a milder chocolate taste go with a lower percentage of chocolate let's say 50%. For kids I think it's better to use a semi-sweet variety, bittersweet chocolates might be too strong for the little one's taste. Just be sure to use whatever chocolate that you have no problem eating on it's own. The (2) problem that people found with this recipe is that it was gritty. I didn't have a problem with that because when I whisk the cream, milk and cocoa together I waited patiently until everything is dissolved and I waited it to simmer. When it simmers, the chocolate thickens up a pit and turns into this delicious smelling hot cocoa. I would have drank it then and there if I wasn't craving for some popsicles. 

I'm not sure if you can see but most of the wooden popsicle sticks are lopsided. I just figured it our after hours and hours of waiting that, I should have waited for a few hours before putting in the wooden sticks so that the mixture will have more body into it and give the sticks would have the necessary support they needed, so as they wouldn't have been flopping around like crazy. The sticks have to be standing straight as to get the cover in one swift motion. Though I didn't get it in one swift motion, I was able to gingerly pry to cover off the mold. Gently run the bottom part of the mold in running water and gently help the pops out of their mold. I laid my freed popsicles in a baking sheet lined with cling film and hurriedly put them back in the freezer and waited for the surface to re solidify. I left it there for 30 minutes, I wouldn't want them to get freezer burns. Each popsicles are then wrapped with cling film and stored in the freezer in an airtight container, wouldn't want them to absorb so funky smell from the other stuff in the freezer. It would keep for a week in the freezer but trust me these are good and it wouldn't last that long. 

Enjoy!

HOMADE FUDGESICLES

Adapted from Alton Brown Good Eats

• 8 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tsp.vanilla

1. Placed the chopped chocolate into a medium glass mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine heavy cream, milk and cocoa powder in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly until cocoa is dissolved and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from the heat and pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for 2 to 3 minutes and whisk gently until all chocolate is melted. Whisk in the vanilla extract.
3. Divide the mixture evenly among the molds and place in the freezer. Freese for at least 4 hours or until solid. They can be held in the freezer for up to 1 week in an airtight container.

PB & J for Grown Ups

PB & J sandwich is a very popular lunch box or snacks for the little ones that most likely most American kids has eaten this in one point in their life. It’s a sandwich layered with peanut butter and either a jam or a jelly. In Canada, UK and Australia it’s more popularly known as peanut butter and jam sandwich. In Manila being a former American colony, it’s peanut butter and jelly or PB &J, though these are not as widely popular snack item here. Here the most popular breakfast or snack items are hotdogs, every kid loves their hotdogs. Like a typical Filipino-Chinese kid, I grew up eating lots of hotdogs not PB&J. However, now as I grew wiser, I discovered my love affair with PB&J, it might because I love how the peanut butter greatly compliments the sweet jelly. My favorite combination is the uber traditional PB & grape jelly, it just has this perfect sweetness.

When I saw Sherry Yard’s PB&J Cookies I knew I have to give it a shot. The ingredients are easy to find and most of it I have on stock. I just have to but a jelly or jam. Guess what flavor I chose? Yep you guess it! I chose grape jelly  this is a fairly easy weekend project, the only thing I found difficult about this is the rolling part, the dough was very sticky. Even with the help of my newly purchased a Joseph Joseph adjustable rolling pin, I still had a hard time rolling it out. Got fed up with it, I rolled it between two pieces of cling wrap and freeze it for 5-10 minutes before cutting out the round shapes to get that perfect round shaped cookies. I used 3 inches cookie cutter which roughly got me 6 pairs of cookies top and  bottom. The  scraps, I made them into two mini versions and a little plain peanut butter cookies. I actually like the smaller sized cookies, it has more body on it. The big size cookies are fun to eat however they are quite soft and very fragile.

JAM FILLED PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

Adapted from Desserts by the Yard by Sherry Yard

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup grape jelly

1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. Scrape down the bowl. Beat in the peanut butter. Scrape down the bowl. Add the egg, and beat in. Beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
4. Dust an approximately 12-by-17-inch sheet of parchment paper with flour, place the dough on it, and dust the top of the dough. Top with another sheet of parchment and roll out to about ¼-inch thickness. Place with the parchment on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
5. Place racks in the middle and upper third of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
6. Remove the top sheet of parchment from the dough, and using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut 3-inch circles of dough. Top 1 circle with 1 tsp. of the jelly and cover with another circle. Pinch the edges together and place on one of the baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining circles, placing the cookies 1 inch apart.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets from top to bottom and from front to back, and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cookies are nicely browned. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets, on racks. Do not handle the cookies until cool – they’re very crumbly and could easily fall apart. (The cookies can be stored airtight for 2 days.)

Preserved Green Mangoes

One of the things I love living in the Philippines is the abundance of tropical fruits like bananas, coconuts, pineapples and mangoes. If I could eat only one fruit in my life, I would choose to eat mangoes! Philippine Mangoes are the best! Specially then they are cheap and in season. My godmother who now lives in NYC always say that nothing beats the sweetness and juiciness of our local mangoes. When they aren't in season though I love eating Preserved Mangoes or more locally known as Burong Mangga. They are regularly available in supermarkets, but you know me, I love making things from scratch. How hard could it be? I spoke too soon.

I soon found out there are different ways on how to do it. Some uses water, sugar and salt solution, some adds chili or sili, our local chili. The original recipe though is the brine solution, using rock salt and water. Choosing which solution I should use is a no brainer. I have a sweet tooth therefore I chose the sugar and water solution. I got the recipe of my favorite local food magazine called Yummy. The combination of the sweet sugar syrup with the sour green mangoes is absolutely addictive so give it a try. The only thing that I found hard in this process is the waiting process, you need to give mangoes time to absorb the syrup, you have to leave it alone for 2 to 3 days! Yikes! I know the feeling.

PRESERVED GREEN MANGOES or BURONG MANGA

Adapted from Yummy Magazine

• 2 to 3 large green mangoes, peeled and cut into big strips
• 4 cups of water

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. salt

1. Wash and peel green mangoes.
2. Slice the mango cheeks into big strips. Discard the seeds.
3. Boil 4 cups of water then let it cool completely.
4. Soak the sliced mangoes in the cooled water overnight. This will soften the mangoes but still keep it crisp to the bite. I put mine in the fridge.
5. To make the syrup, fill the pan with the 2 cups of water. Pour in the salt and sugar, let it boil until the sugar and salt are completely melted. Let it cool completely. Once cooled, store it in the fridge with the mangoes soaking in water.
6. Drain the mangoes soaking overnight and place in an airtight container.
7. Pour syrup over mangoes, make sure the the mangoes are all the way submerged.
8. Refrigerate 2 to 3 days before for indulging.