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I love anything “cute” and on a skewer, just like this Tyler Florence chicken satay with peanut sauce… This is another simple dish that I’ve made a couple of times already because it’s quick, simple and delicous!  If you want the recipe, you can check Food Network and search “chicken satay” under Tyler florence.

This is the simplest recipe of any fish I’ve prepared so far!  I like watching Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Anne Burrel.  She is so much fun and energetic,  she really shares her restaurant knowledge with the viewers.  Now, back to the fish, Anne prepared Sole Meuniere this week and it’s really simple and inspired me to prepare this rockfish in a similar way.  We paired our rockfish with home made tartar sauce.  My husband prepared the sauce and he used Ina Garten’s recipe.

Tartar sauce recipe: Ina’s Recipe

 

This is just another version of the first creme brulee I made 2 weeks ago.  Instead of Vanilla Bean, it’s coffee this time! I really prefer the coffee flavor over the vanilla, since it’s more intense and there’s a “kick” on every bite of it’s creamy goodness!

Ingredients:

8 egg yolks
1/2 cup superfine sugar
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
6 teaspoon instant coffee granules or powder
tablespoon raw sugar to finish

Direction:

1. Use a fork to mix together the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring almost to a boil.Gradually stir into the egg yolk mixture.

2. Strain the custard back into the saucepan and stir in the coffee and keep stirring until the coffee has dissolved completely.

3. Arrange 6 ovenproof ramekins in a roasting pan. Pour the custard into the dishes,then pour water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 20-30 minutes until the custard is set with a slight softness at the center.

4. Leave the dishes to cool in the water, then chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. About 25 minutes before serving, sprinkle the tops of the desserts with the sugar and caramelized with a blowtorch. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve.

Imagine how happy and surprised I was when last week I did our weekly grocery and I saw the pork hocks/legs, totally surprised because I shopped in an  American market and rarely  you will see this kind of meat cut!  Usually I prepare Crispy Pata when I go once a month to the Filipino store/market in Tukwila(Seafood city) where I get other Filipino products (magnolia quickmelt cheese,nagaraya,chippy,ug uban pa) and produce ( like ampalaya,japanese eggplant). Once in a while I do crave Filipino comfort food and once I do, nothing can stop me!  So this morning I was not sure what to do with the “pata”, maybe patatim or crispy pata! We had humba ( braised pork in pineapple juice)  last week so I wasn’t really up for that savory sauce this week!  Bring on the Crispy Skin!!

Ingredients:
Pork Pata (hocks)
Canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
Onions,black peppercorn,bay leaves,salt

Procedure:

• Rinse hocks and put in a big pot with cold water. The meat should be covered completely with water.
• Bring to a boil, remove any particles/scum that stick to the meat.
• Put chopped Onions, peppercorn, bay leaves and lots of salt! This will flavor the meat while simmering.
• Simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours till tender . On low heat, I did mine for almost 3 hours. But you don’t want to over cook it because you want the whole thing intact!
• Drained meat and put in a colander, let it air dry for 30 minutes.  If you’re not in a hurry you can put the meat in the ref or freezer for couple of hours. I did both, after draining I dry it then put it in the ref!
• Prepare your deep fryer or Wok. Heat the oil,deep fry the meat! maybe 10-15 minutes..You gotta be careful coz splattering is inevitable!LOL..that’s why I prefer the fryer! Drain on paper towels! Enjoy the fruits of your labor! lol