Mango-Coconut Crepe a.k.a. Darar in 2012

Among the desserts I made, this crepe with fillings of caramelized young coconut and fresh ripe mango is my personal favorite because of its simplicity and tropical taste. The dish is also called Darar of Halal food that is mainly created for our Islam brothers and sisters.

Cherish your own delectable wrap with each bite

To give a little aromatic flick, I added cinnamon. If you don't have young coconut, you can also use old meat grated, provided, it is sweetened and still has the moisture factor. Additionally, it is important to use all-purpose flour for a smoother texture of the wrap.

Darar

Ingredients:

Crepe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1cup cornstarch
60ml vegetable oil
2pcs eggs
6 cups water

Filling:
1 pc young coconut, grated
1 cup brown sugar
2 pcs ripe mango, thinly sliced
1 pinch cinnamon powder

Optional:
food color of choice
honey

Methods:
In a bowl, put flour, oil, cornstarch, and egg. Slowly add in water and whisk mixture until runny consistency is achieved. Mix in food color. Strain the mixture. Create a crepe in a flat pan over low heat. In another pan, sweeten coconut with sugar and cinnamon. Using the crepe, roll in the caramelized coconut and sliced mango. Serve with honey.

Yema de Color

For this upcoming New Year's Eve, I prepared this yema sweets in three different color as our dessert - red, green, and white.This is popular among Filipinos especially kids, they really love this. My 5-year old niece was begging for more this afternoon. "Uncle, I want another one , please."

I made this so decadent with sprinkles of nuts and raisins tidbits, something to chew after bites. Thanks for the blogger of Malli's Mints and Mimosas as the inspiration to this sweets. Because of that, her Holiday Mithruffles taught me that it is in fact the version of our yema served in different way. Usually, ours is wrapped in plastic like candy.

Here, however, i divided the mixture of milk, sugar and butter into three parts. I incorporated one type of food coloring to each portion so I had my green and red balls while I still had my delicious plain-looking yema. Enjoy!

Yema de color

Ingredients:
1L fresh milk
1 and 1/4 cup white sugar
4T Butter
3/4 cup peanuts, chopped
3/4 cup raisins, chopped

Optional:
1/2 tsp food color (red or green)

Methods:

In a pot, put fresh milk and sugar. Stir. Bring to boil. Reduce to low heat. Add in food color of choice. Keep stirring until solid forms using a ladle to avoid the burning or charring at the bottom of the pan. Add butter. Stir again until solid separates from the side of the pot. Turn off fire. Mix in 1/2 cup peanuts and 1/2 cup raisins. Let it cool. Form balls and roll them over peanuts or raisins. Serve.

Tropical fruits in action: Avocado and Banana

In tropical countries, you can utilize fruits as a finishing dish to your treat (may be) to battle the waves of a climate change. A gulp of fruits like avocado and banana will simply give you coolness down to your heated bodies.

You can use fresh or condensed milk. To serve, you can top it with plain crackers and ripe jackfruit (much much better if lightly sweetened).

Mashed Avocado and Banana

Ingredients:
1pc avocado, peeled and pitted
1pc ripe banana
2T milk powder
1 1/2tsp sugar (brown or white)

Instructions:
Mash avocado and banana using fork (in case food processor is not available), at least leave a couple of fruit chunks. Stir in milk powder and sugar. Add few amount of water. To chill the mixture, add crushed ice or put it in chiller for 20mins.