FOR PILI NUT LOVERS

Maiba naman tayo. Let's talk about cooking. Remember Fely Jacob's request for recipe for pandecillos and pili tart? .... and Ed Canela's post of the recipe provided by his friend from ADB, not just for the two but for numerous other pili delicacies?

I'm heeding the advice of Ed to post the memorable, worthwhile emails into our blog for easier retrieval. So, I'm creating a new label for our archives entitled "Cooking". Cooking ng ina mo! (That's the name of a restaurant. And what's the name of a competitor who opened a resto a few meters away - "Cooking ng ina mo rin!"

Here are the recipes. At the end of this, I'm re-posting Fely Jacob's kilometric but entertaining email for everyone to relish.

I grabbed the pili nut pictures from http://lafang-mikemina.com. Thanks!

PILI RECIPES

PILI CHOCOLATE CRUNCH Ingredients: ½ kilo pili nut 1 kg. chocolate premium Procedure: 1. Toast the pili nut in an oven at low temperature. 2. Cool and set aside. 3. Melt the chocolate bar in a double boiler. 4. Distribute the nuts in moulders. 5. Pour the melted chocolate while hot to coat the nuts. 6. Place the mixture inside the freezer for a few minutes or until the moulder becomes cloudy. 7. Unmold 8. Wrap using chocolate wrapper. 9. Pack and store.

POLVORON Ingredients: 1 kilo flour 2 bar fresh butter 1 cup toasted pili nut (pounded) 2 ½ cup refined sugar ½ kilo skimmed milk Procedure: 1. Toast the until golden brown 2. Melt butter and set aside. 3. Combine sugar and skimmed milk into flour and mix until well blended. 4. Add the melted butter and pili and mix well. 5. Mould the mixture and wrap in colored cellophane. 6. Pack and store.

PILI BUTTER SPREAD Ingredients: 1 kilo pilinut - toasted 2 cups sugar 2 cups toasted flour ¾ cups corn oil Procedure: 1. Toast the pili until golden brown. 2. Mix the first three ingredients. 3. Grind and add the corn oil gradually. 4. Pack in sterilized bottles. 5. Seal

PILI TART Ingredients: Crust Filling 1 kilo ordinary flour ½ kilo ground pili 2 bars fresh butter 1 can condensed milk 1 cup sugar 1 cup sugar 1 cup cold water Packaging Material: Colored cellophane P.E. Plastic Procedure: 1. Measure ingredients needed for crust and filling. 2. In a bowl combine sugar and flour, with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in fresh butter until it is the size of small peas. 3. Add cold water a little at a time, moving to the side the pieces of dough as they hold together. 4. Form into balls. Roll each ball into 1/8 inch thick. 5. Press dough to shape of tart. Prick sides and bottom. 6. Bake for 20 minutes. 7. In another bowl, combine condensed milk and sugar. Mix well. 8. Fill up baked crust tart top with sliced pili. 9. Bake until golden brown. 10. Let cool before wrapping, pack.

CRISPY PILI Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut ¼ cup sugar 4 tbsp. karo syrup ¼ cup water oil for frying Procedure: 1. Blanch the pilinut and remove seed coats. 2. Combine sugar, syrup and water. Stir until dissolved. 3. Soak pilinut syrup for 10 minutes. 4. Drain. Fly until golden brown. 5. Let it cool down on a piece of cheese cloth. 6. Pack in P.E. plastic or jars of desired size and seal. 7. Store in a cool dry place.

SPICE GREASELESS PILINUT Ingredients: 2 cups pilinut 1 cup water salt powdered pepper garlic powder Procedure: 1. Boil pilinut in water until soft. 2. Add salt, garlic and pepper when most of the water has evaporated. 3. Cook over medium heat until nearly dry. 4. Dry further in a mechanical dryer or in oven at 50 degrees Fahrenheit until pili become crispy. 5. Cool and pack.

PILI EMPANADITAS Ingredients: Crust Filling 3 cups flour ¼ kilo pilinut 1 cup margarine or butter 1 small can condensed milk 4 tbsp. sugar ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup cold water ? Combine and cook until thick. Procedure: 1. Prepare and measure all the needed ingredients. 2. Sift together the flour and sugar. 3. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or blending fork until pieces are size of small pass. 4. Sprinkle water, one tbsp. at a time over part of mixture. Gently mix with fork, push to one side of bowl. 5. Sprinkle next tbsp. water over dry part, mix lightly, push to moistened part at one side. Repeat until all are moistened. 6. Gather up with fingers, form into balls. 7. Flatten slightly and add the filling. 8. Seal edges. 9. Bake in an oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-40 minutes until golden brown.

PILI KISSES Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut-roasted 2 pcs. egg white ½ cup refined sugar or confectioner sugar ¼ tsp. cream of tartar Procedure: 1. Grind the pilinut. 2. Separate the eggwhite from the yolk. 3. Beat eggwhite till fluffy. 4. Mix cream of tartar. 5. Continue beating until mixture form bubbles or foam. 6. Add sugar gradually while beating the mixture. Beat until stiff foam is formed. 7. Add the ground pilinut and fold the mixture. 8. Place small cones in baking sheet. 9. Bake for 40 minutes at 135 degree Fahrenheit. 10. Cool and pack.

PANDECILLOS Ingredients: Filling ½ kilo ground pili 1 can condensed milk ¼ cup sugar 1 pc. egg yolk ¼ box Dough 8 cups all purpose flour 1 bar fresh butter 6 pcs. egg yolk 1 can evaporated milk 1 ½ cup refined sugar 8 tsp. baking powder Procedure: 1. Combine the needed ingredients for the filling except the cheese. 2. Sift together the flour and baking powder. 3. Blend the melted butter with egg yolk and sugar. Mix well. 4. Add the evaporated milk alternately with the flour mixture. 5. Gather with fingers and form into roll. 6. Spread the filling on top and sprinkle grated cheese. 7. Roll and cut into desired length. 8. Place in a greased pan and bake in oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes.

PASTILLAS DE PILI Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut -roasted 1 cup skimmilk 1/3 cup suagr 1 tbsp. vanilla 1/3 cup water pinch of salt Procedure: 1. Grind the roasted pilinut finely. 2. Mix sugar and skimmilk thoroughly. 3. Add water and mix well. 4. Stir in pilinut and vanilla. 5. Continue mixing until homogenous. 6. Cook on medium heat with constant stirring until such time that the mixture stick as one ball. 7. Spread on greased trays and cut into desired sizes. 8. Roll over sugar and wrap.

SUGAR COATED PILI Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut (roasted) 1 cup sugar (refined) ½ cup water ¼ tsp. flour 2 tsp. margarine Procedure: 1. Mix all ingredients in a cooking pan. 2. Cook over moderate heat and continue mixing until syrup is almost dry. 3. Remove from heat when pilinut are coated with syrup.] 4. Spread on tray. 5. Let cool and pack.

PILINUT CANDY Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut ½ cup sugar 2 tbsp. karo syrup ½ tsp. margarine ½ tsp. baking powder 2 tsp. water Procedure: 1. Remove outer skin of pili. Grind coarsely. 2. Combine sugar, water and syrup in a pan. 3. Cook on medium heat until the sugar us dissolved. 4. Add the ground pilinut. Mix thoroughly. 5. Cook until sticky. 6. Add margarine and mix well. 7. Pour on greased tray. Add baking soda and stir thoroughly. 8. Spread immediately and cut into desired sizes while hot. 9. Cool and wrap.

PILI BAR Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut ½ cup sugar ¼ tsp. vanilla Procedure: 1. Blanch pilinut and remove seed coats. 2. Boil pilinut into soft, then drain. 3. Grind the boiled pili finely. 4. Mix pilinut and sugar thoroughly. 5. Cook over moderate heat until boiling. 6. Remove from fire spread on a wooden board. Continue mixing until the mixture stick as one ball. 7. Knead the mixture while hot by using a rolling pin. 8. Cut desired sizes.

MAZAPAN DE PILI Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut - roasted ¼ cup water 1 tbsp. cheese 1 tsp vanilla 1.4 cup skimmilk 1/3 cup suagr 1 pc egg Procedure: 1. Grind pilinut coarsely or chop using mortar and pestle. 2. Mix sugar and skimmilk very well. 3. Add water equal to the weight of skimmilk and stir thoroughly to a smooth consistency. 4. Stir in pilinut and ¾ parts of total amount of beaten egg. 5. Add cheese and vanilla. 6. Cook on medium heat until sticky. 7. Distribute the mixture on greased paper cups place in muffin pans. 8. Brush beaten eggs on top of each mixture in the cup. 9. Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

PILI BRITTLE Ingredients: 1 cup pilinut 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. margarine 8 tbsp. sugar 4 tspb. Water 4 tbsp. corn syrup Procedure: 1. Dry pilinut under the sun or in a mechanical dryer. Cool and remove seed coats. 2. Combine pilinut, sugar, water and corn syrup in a pan. 3. Cook over medium heat until syrup turns golden brown or when threading occurs. Remove from heat. 4. Add margarine and mix well. 5. Add baking soda and stir thoroughly. 6. Spread on grease wooden board and cut while hot into desired sizes. 7. Wrap in cellophane when cooled..

PILI CAKE Ingredients: 1 kilo pili (chopped) 2 can condensed milk 2 cups refined sugar 4 pcs. egg yolk Procedure: 1. Mix ingredients all together. 2. Cook over moderate heat until thick. 3. Mold. 4. Bake until golden brown. 5. Cool. 6. Wrap in colored cellophane.

"Feast your senses on unique and exquisite delightful treats! Pies, cookies, cinnabuns, tarts, carrot cakes and scones. Freshly baked with Bicol's pride: the PILI NUTS. Everything's coming up Pili! Guaranteed to satisfy your cravings for one-of-a-kind gastronomic experience!"

Mocha pili nut pies - Ps. 350/box Pili Carrot Cakes - Ps. 400/box Pili Cinnabuns - Ps. 150/box Pili Drop Cookies - Ps. 80/box Pili Sultana Scones - Ps. 20/pc Pili Swedish Pilla - Ps. 20/pc Pili Boat Tarts - Ps. 15/pc Pili Coco Jam - Ps. 90/jar Pili Brittle - Ps. 140/jar