CHRISTMAS FRUIT CAKE

It's Christmas time once again and I'm busy baking cakes, including the traditional fruit cake -- so fruity, chewy, moist and so yummy good.

Fruit cake originated in ancient Rome. The name 'fruit cake' can be traced to the Latin word 'fructus' and the French word 'fruit' or 'fruig' which means 'fruit'. During Roman times, the recipe included raisins, pomegranate seeds and pine nuts mixed with barley mash and formed into a ring-shape dessert. During the Middle Ages, honey, spices and preserved fruits were added.

Fruit cakes soon spread to Europe. In the 1400's the British people started baking fruit cakes regularly with dried fruits coming in from the Mediterranean. They loved the fruit cake so much that it became a part of their afternoon tea. 

In the 1490's Pope Innocent finally granted permission to use butter and milk in Germany making the fruit cake even so much tastier. Before that it was forbidden by the church to use butter and milk for penance.

In the 16th century, candied glazed fruit was created because of the cheap sugar that arrived in Europe from the colonies. This made the fruit cake more affordable and more popular. The earliest form of fruit cake was introduced to us Filipinos by the Spaniards but it was more of the ring shape pudding like dessert called 'tarta de fruta', that the Spaniards learned from Roman tradition.

Fruit cake, as we know today, came to the Philippines in the 1890's with the coming of the American soldiers. Traditional American fruit cakes were rich in fruits and nuts and drenched in rum or brandy. 

By the early 19th century, the typical fruit cake recipe included citrus peel, pineapples, plums, dates, pears and cherries. It also included various nuts like cashew, almonds or pistachio.

Traditionally, the fruit and nut ingredients are soaked in rum or brandy 2-3 weeks before baking time. I don't take alcohol so in place of brandy I use apple juice and vanilla extract. They give a very strong fruit flavor without the alcohol.

Here is my recipe for a very simple home-made fruit cake.

Ingredients:

2 c all-purpose flour

1 c dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp milk powder

1/2 block butter

1 tsp cinnamon powder or ground nutmeg

1/2 c corn syrup

4 tsp baking powder

2 tsp vinegar

2 Tbsp oil

Soak 2-3 weeks before baking :

1/2 c apple juice mixed with 2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 c mixed glazed fruits, raisins, cherries,etc

1/4 c mixed nuts

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl combine flour. sugar, milk powder, baking powder, nutmeg or cinnamon powder.

2. In a separate sauce pan, simmer together over low heat soaked glazed fruits, nuts, butter, corn syrup, oil and vinegar.

3. Add the flour mixture into the dried fruit mixture. Mix well.

4. Spread over oiled pan. Bake until done. Remove from pan. Prepare a separate 1/2 c apple juice and vanilla mixture. Brush top of the cake while still hot. Keep brushing for a few days. Serve.

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KUTSINTA

As a child, my playmates and I used to sing 'puto-kutsinta, malutong, masarap malata! (a nursery rhyme sung in praise of delicious puto and kutsinta.  Kutsinta is an all time favorite Filipino snack or breakfast food originally made from rice flour, sugar, lye water, and achuete (annato) seeds for coloring, served with grated fresh coconut.

The word 'Kutsinta' comes from the Chinese word 'Kueh Tsin Tao'. The word 'Kueh' in Hokkien language means a little cake or cookie for snack, more often steamed than baked. Hokkien originated from a dialect in Southern Fujian, China where most of our early Chinese ancestors came from.

The earliest date known for direct Chinese trade with the Philippines was around the 9th century (at the turn of the Sung and Tang dynasty). Since then kutsinta in its early form has been around. Serving it with grated coconut is a Filipino adaptation later on.

Another Chinese snack that the Chinese merchants introduced at that time was 'kueh putu' (steamed rice cake) which later became our favorite 'puto'. Thus, we have the popular 'puto-kutsinta' snacks served together. 

Ancient trade with the Chinese was always carried out wholesale with incredibly low price (bagsak presyo!). None of the trading ships came with the aim to conquer or declare war. Instead the Chinese simply harmlessly traded beautiful jars, ceramics and silk with a big friendly smile. 

And for the hungry customers they introduced their delicious noodle soups (mami, lomi,etc) pansit canton, bihon, sotanghon, pritong tokwa, lumpia, hopia, tikoy, siopao and many, many other things--including puto and kutsinta.

Here is my recipe of kutsinta:

2 c flour

1 c sugar

3 c water 

2 tsp lihia (lye water) 

1 tsp achuete water (annato seeds or powder soaked in water)

1-2 tsp vanilla

grated fresh coconut

Procedure:

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together flour and sugar.

2. Slowly pour water, mix well to avoid lumps. Add lye water, achuete water and vanilla. Mix.

3. Pour in molds. Steam for 10 minutes. Serve with grated fresh coconut.


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BINAGOONGANG SANTOL

                                             

During santol season, I make this  condiment made from grated flesh of santol fruit cooked in thick coconut milk mixed with my veggie 'bagoong'.

'Bagoong' is a favorite Filipino condiment originally made with salted fish or shrimp paste. 'Bagoong' originated from the classic Malay condiment called 'Belacan'. Belacan is made from geragao (shrimp) or krill, that has been salted, dried and fermented and is an essential item in Malay cuisine. Malays cannot eat without rice and belacan! Malays also like their belacan fiery hot!

When the first and second wave of our Malay ancestors came 5,000 years ago, they settled in the Ilocos, Tagalog and Bicol regions. They introduced belacan which later became the Ilocanos' 'bagoong iloko' (made from fish) and the Tagalogs' 'bagoong alamang' (made from shrimp). Malays also introduced many exotic fruits, one of them being the santol fruit originating from Peninsular Malaysia.

'Binagoongang santol' (a variation of belacan) originated in the Bicol region. One of the legendary ten Malay datus who first came settled in Bicol and introduced fiery hot belacan. His descendants introduced binagoongang santol. To this day, taking from the Malay legacy, Ilocanos cannot eat rice without bagoong. And Bicolanos cannot eat rice without fiery hot ulam (main dish).

Here is my recipe of binagoongang santol with veggie 'bagoong'.

5-6 pcs santol fruit

1 c thick coconut milk (250 ml coconut cream)

salt, chilis

Procedure:
1. Peel santol. Take out seeds. Grate the banakal (flesh).

2. Cook in coconut milk, adding salt and chilis, until banakal is tender and a bit oily. Remove from heat.

3. Add veggie 'bagoong'. Mix well. Preserve in a jar. Serve.

Veggie ‘Bagoong’

(Salted Black Bean Paste)

1 can salted yellow beans (misi), 180g

or salted black beans (tausi), 180g

1/2 c mashed tofu or tokwa

¼ c tomato paste
2 Tbsp garlic

2 Tbsp leeks, spring onions or onions

1 c dried sea weeds (nori), strips

2 Tbsp sugar

chilis, seasoning

1. Blend or mash yellow or black beans. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic in oil. Add leeks, spring onions or onions. Add tomato paste and a little water. Cook very well. Add blended beans, seaweed strips and mashed tofu or tokwa, chilis, seasoning and sugar. Cook until sauce thickens. Remove from heat. Serve.

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TURONES FILIPINO CON YEMA

This is just my regular turon made even more delicious by drizzling caramel sauce on top. Turon is a favorite Filipino snack food made from sliced saba bananas rolled in sugar, wrapped in spring roll wrapper with slices of ripe langka (jackfruit) strips, then fried...

The name 'turon' is derived from the Spanish word 'turrones' (sweetened nougats) but the concept of frying saba bananas in sugar is traditionally Indonesian, and the concept of wrapping in lumpia wrapper is traditionally Chinese.

When our early Indonesian ancestors came 7,000 years ago, they brought with them their favorite snack food called Pisang Goreng (similar to our maruya) made from fried 'pisang kepok' (saba bananas), rolled in muscovado sugar, then fried in coconut oil.

When the Chinese came in the 11th century, they brought with them their favorite food called 'lumpia' (fried spring rolls made with mongo bean sprouts or toge). Thus, there was a union of the two foods and the sweetened pisang goreng was then cooked with the crunchy Chinese lumpia touch.

When the Spaniards came in the 15th century, they liked the taste of the crunchy pisang goreng, but for an added European taste, they poured caramel sauce (called yema or yemita) on it before serving. 

It was a Spanish tradition to always put caramel sauce on custards, cakes and puddings. They named pisang goreng 'turones filipino con yema'. When the Spaniards left, the name 'turon' stuck but it was still crunchy pisang goreng served plain, without the yema.

For the yema sauce, I use my basic butterscotch sauce featured in Gulay ebook 1. You can use any caramel sauce recipe if you want. My recipe for Turones Filipino con Yema is featured in Gulay ebook 3. 

Basic Butterscotch Sauce:

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 c brown or light brown sugar

1 c water

1/4 c butter

4 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Turon:

5 pcs ripe saba

10 pcs lumpia wrapper

sugar

pieces of langka strips

chopped cashew or peanuts

1. Basic Butterscotch Sauce: Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt thoroughly in a pan. Stir in 1/2 c water mixing until smooth. Set aside.

2. In a separate pan, boil remaining 1/2 c water. Add vanilla. Add cornstarch-sugar mixture, stirring constantly. Cook for one minute. Remove from fire.

3. Add butter. Serve hot or cold.

4. Turon: Peel the bananas. Cut in half. Roll the bananas in sugar. Arrange 2 pieces of halved saba horizontally on lumpia wrapper, ends overlapping. Put pieces of langka strips on top. Roll lumpia wrapper and seal with a little water.

5. Fry until golden brown. Arrange on a platter.

6. Drizzle with basic butter scotch sauce. Sprinkle chopped cashew or peanuts on top. Serve.

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