Langka (Jackfruit) Meringue Tarts

Summer vacation has started so it's that time of the year again when I am so busy keeping my two girls occupied. Whenever we're at home, I keep them busy with art projects, reading, math reviews...and of course, BAKING! As I've mentioned before, baking is one thing my daughters and I enjoy doing together. This Langka Meringue Tarts that I am sharing with you today were the first sweet treats we made this summer vacation...

It's another recipe from Goldilocks Bakebook, the ingredient measurements of which I tweaked to suit our taste buds. These tarts were made using canned langka (jackfruit), a large fruit native to Asian countries like the Philippines. Ripe jackfruit is sweet and has a distinct flavor and aroma which works well in desserts. Back home, jackfruit is commonly used as an added ingredient in turon (banana roll), halo-halo, saba con yelo and ginataang halo-halo. As a main ingredient, It is used in a Filipino ice cream called langkasuy, which is a combination of langka and kasuy (cashew)...and in langka tarts  which were made famous by Goldilocks Bakeshop.

I've long been wanting to try making langka tarts and finally I got the chance to do so with my daughters! Though we didn't follow the exact instructions in the bakebook, our langka tarts turned out wonderful. We enjoyed making them and we also had an awesome time eating them! They're so good, I tell yah! 

Homemade Langkasuy (Jackfruit and Cashew) Ice Cream

It's the first Wednesday of the month and we're supposed to have another guest blogger for PiTCC's Favorite Dishes from Around the World, but sadly, she didn't make it because of her busy schedule despite the two months notice.

But worry not, I have something special to share! What's so special about this ice cream, you may ask. Well, this ice cream flavor is something that you can only find in the Philippines. I'm sure many of you haven't heard of it! It is called Langkasuy, which is the shortcut for Langka (Jackfruit) and Kasuy (Cashew).

It was made popular by Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream and was one of my favorite flavors when I was growing up. Jackfruit is a popular tropical fruit in the Philippines which when fully ripe, has a delightfully sweet flavor. Langkasuy Ice Cream captures the full flavor of this tropical fruit with the added crunchy texture and nutty flavor of cashew nuts. I tell you, their flavors complement each other so well!

Saba Banana con Yelo

It's spring break here in Texas this week. Though we didn't go out of town, my daughters are so excited to be off from school. Cherlin said she's thrilled to be home because she can help me do the cooking. Isn't she the sweetest??! She really enjoys helping me out in the kitchen, you know! She's only six but learning how to cook is something she really enjoys.

Last weekend, she helped me bake Food for the Gods and chop some ingredients for Beef Caldereta for a friend's baby shower. After that, she said she's really tired and would love something cold for snack. This is what we made together.

This is a favorite Filipino snack called Saba con Yelo. Saba is a variety of banana common in the Philippines and is very popularly used in snacks like ginataang halo-halo, turon, banana que, and halo-halo and in dishes like the pochero that I posted last Friday. Though I love just anything with this banana, the Saba con Yelo was my most favorite when I was growing up. I loved the thought of going home from school to this cold snack. My daughters, especially Cherlin, love this too. 

Check it out and see for yourself how the simple Saba bananas can turn into a delightful snack...

Ginataang Halo-Halo

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend doing something you love! My family and I had a great one! The weather was perfect and we had an awesome camping trip with our friends at Cedar Hill State Park which is about 50 miles away from our place. This was where we had our first camping with our DFW circle of friends, and we thought of going back just so we could explore the place, which we failed to do the last time since it was only an overnight camping. 

I could say we all had a blast! We had our friend's 25th birthday celebration...the boys went fishing...the girls help the kids do some crafts(bracelet and kite making)...and the kids got to watch a reptile show. Though Ryan, Clarise & I suffered much from sneezing, runny nose and itchy eyes because of allergies, the fun, the great food, and camaraderie with good friends made it all worthwhile.  

We've been doing spring and fall camping since 2009, and we're really enjoying it. I guess much more than the thrill of being able to experience nature and sleeping in a tent away from the comforts of our own home, it's being able to spend some quality, distraction-free, time together as a family and having the chance to bond with those closest to us that make us love camping! We truly find camping to be a great way to enjoy the outdoors while building good relationships...and we're definitely doing it again! :)

This dessert that I'm sharing with you today is one of the stars last Friday night. We had chocolate and peanut butter cake, cupcakes and cake pops as well as apple and cherry cup pies, but this Filipino favorite was a hit!

This is called Ginataang Halo-Halo which simply means Mixed Ingredients in Coconut Milk. It is basically a mixture of different tubers like sweet potato, purple yam, and taro root as well as other ingredients like Saba bananas, jackfruit, tapioca pearls, and glutinous rice balls. All I could find was yellow sweet potato so my ginataang halo-halo wasn't colorful as it should be...but it was tasty of course!

In the Philippines, Ginataang Halo-Halo is served not only as dessert but also as meryenda (mid-afternoon snack). As dessert, it is served cold, and as snack, it is usually served warm. This has been my favorite since childhood, and I love it with lots of glutinous rice balls and tapioca pearls! 

For those who love coconut milk, this is definitely for you...

Halo-Halo (Mixed Fruits and Beans in Shaved Ice)

Halo-Halo, whose root word halo means "mix" in Filipino, is a traditional summer cooler in the Philippines. It is basically sweet preserves like kamote(sweet potato), langka(jackfruit), kidney beans, monggong pula(red mung beans), nata de coco(coconut gel), saging na saba(cardava banana), sago(tapioca pearls), sugar palm(kaong) and ube(purple yam) mixed together, filled with shaved ice and milk, topped with ice cream, leche flan or haleyang ube(purple yam jam) and sprinkled with rice crispies, ground nuts or coconut flakes. This refreshing treat is usually served in a tall, clear glass or bowl that shows it's colorful contents.

Though Halo-Halo is a favorite during summer when the weather is particularly hot and humid, it is eaten year round in the Philippines, and is available in most restaurants and fast food chains. My most favorite is that of Via Mare & Chowking...but I must say that nothing compares to homemade Halo-Halo.

What I like with homemade Halo-Halo, just like any other homemade food, is that you can always make it according to your taste, and you are always sure that you are using fresh ingredients. You can always opt for the bottled fruit preserves available in stores but as for me, I prefer cooking them myself. Though it takes lots of hours to cook beans and tapioca pearls, it's worth it. I can always cook the ingredients ahead of time anyway! 

I'm sharing this on These Chicks Cook, What's Cooking Wednesday, What's on the Menu Wednesday, Miz Helen's Country Cottage's Full Plate Thursday and It's a Keeper Thursday.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• ½ cup gulaman, cubed (cubed gelatin)
• ½ cup minatamis na kamote (sweet potato in syrup)
• ½ cup minatamis na langka (jackfuit in syrup)
• ½ cup minatamis na saging na Saba (Cardava Banana in syrup)
• ½ cup minatamis na sago (tapioca pearls in syrup)

Toppings:

• 4 to 6 cups shaved ice
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 4 scoops halayang ube
• ½ cup pinipig (rice crispies) or ground peanuts or roasted coconut flakes

Classic Turon (Banana Rolls)

Last May 5, Pinay in Texas Cooking Corner was offered to be one of the blog-tour stops for “Vegan Family Meals: Real Food For Everyone”, a new cookbook by Ann Gentry, Hollywood’s #1 Vegan Chef and owner of chic LA restaurant, Real Food Daily. I said YES, of course! I'm not a Vegan...but I feel that this is such a good opportunity to try Vegan food.  

The blog-tour will run from mid-June to mid-July. I chose to do recipe duplication of her Lasagna Rolls which I will share with you in the week of July 11.  I'll be posting details of the blog tour in the days to come, so watch out for it! Meanwhile, for those of you who would like to know more about Ann Gentry, visit her blog, Real Food Daily.

Yesterday, I was so excited to receive my complimentary copy of "Vegan Family Meals" cookbook! 

I found some recipes that I would love to try, aside from the Lasagna Rolls (which I will be doing for the blog tour) like the Sesame-Shiitake Tofu Frittata and Black-Eyed Pea & Red Pepper Soup. But I'm not ready for that yet...I have to get the needed vegan ingredients first! For now, let me share with you my Classic Turon (Banana Rolls) which I guess both vegan & non-vegan will love. :)

Turon(Banana Rolls), which some call Banana Lumpia(Banana Spring Roll), is a favorite Filipino snack made of sliced banana & jackfruit, dusted with sugar and wrapped in spring roll wrapper and then fried. Some also use mango, cheddar cheese and coconut instead of jackfruit. Well, I still prefer using jackfruit. The ripe Jackfruit itself has an amazing taste, aroma and texture that when combined with Cardava Bananas create a more satisfying flavor. Here in Texas, I buy it frozen or canned. Jackfruit contains many vitamins and minerals, and offers numerous health benefits. It has isoflavones, antioxidants, and phytonutrients which means that it has cancer-fighting properties. If you haven't seen or heard of Jackfruit & Cardava Bananas, here's how they look like:

Try this very simple and easy to prepare snack and you'll see what you've been missing...

I'm sharing this on What's on the Menu Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Foodie Wednesday, Let's Do Brunch, Miz Helen's Country Cottage's Full Plate Thursday and It's a Keeper Thursday.

Prep Time:~15 mins              Cook Time:~10 mins               Yield: 12 pcs. turon      

Ingredients:

• 8 pcs. Saging na Saba (Cardava Bananas) or Plantain Bananas cut lengthwise into 2 or 3 depending on thickness
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ cup fresh or canned ripe jackfruit cut into thin strips
• spring roll wrappers
• Vegetable oil