My Serendipitous Notes

Indulge: Chocolate Ice Cream



Chocolate is Joshua’s favorite indulgent. And with chocolate ice cream, it’s double indulgent. When his mom just bought an ice cream machine, he just kept on asking me for a recipe. That’s the day before they typhoon arrive. But we were only able to make it last Tuesday. He was so excited always asking me “is the ice cream ready yet?" I think that sounds familiar to everyone. Joshua did his part in making the ice cream. He whisked the egg yolks and the sugar before I tempered it with the hot milk. While cooking the creme anglaise, Joshua is right in front of the melted chocolate trying to sniff its sweet bouquet until he could almost taste it. I tried to cool down the crème anglaise quickly through an ice bath so I could churn it. But that didn’t help because the mixture is not churning. The creme anglaise has to be really cold. We decided to churn the ice cream the following day. The same thing happen, the mixture is not churning. So, we called it a day and kept the mixture in the fridge. I’ve made a lot ice creams and sorbets at the restaurant but that was more than 5 years a go. So, I don’t’ know if the problem is my Crème Anglaise or the ice cream machine. :) I decided to grab a whisk and start whisking the mixture and place it in the freezer. Then, I realized I have a stand mixer, so I used that to do the mixing for me. The chocolate ice cream turned out okay. I guess I could have done the mixing and freezing much longer. But Joshua is already enjoying his chocolate ice cream on his favorite cup.

Puy de Lentil and Roasted Eggplant Soup



I have another puree soup in the process. You might notice that I do mostly pureed soups. I do love other types of soups but I’ve made a lot of pureed soups when my late-father stayed in the hospital for 14 months. Pureed soups are very easy to digest and they are so comforting. So, expect more pureed soups in the future.

Rice Pilaf

Rouxbe Online Cooking School

I love rice pilaf. Rice is a great carrier of flavor. So, instead of water, you can use stocks. Although brown rice is definitely more nutritious, there is still room for white rice. They are easy to digest most especially when you are recuperating from sickness. I made this Pilau Rice from Rouxbe Online Cooking School for lunch. You can also try the Coconut-Infused Rice. I also love adding some chopped young ginger for extra flavor.

Typhoon Ketsana: You Can Still Help

It has been a week since typhoon Ondoy (typhoon Ketsana) damaged the Northern part of the Philippines and has traveled to other countries in Asia. We have received aid from other countries but a lot of properties have been totally damaged. We are also experiencing another typhoon. Although less destructive in our city, it has been harming other regions of the country. Below are posts from other blogs on how you can help us and other countries who were and still affected by the typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis.

No Special Effects
80 Breakfasts
Market Manila
My Mom Friday

You can also go directly to these sites:

UNICEF Philippines
World Vision
Philippine Red Cross
American Red Cross

Thank you very much and God bless you. Have a great weekend.