SL’S COFFEE JELLY

Once upon a time, one of my best friends Joanna and I created SWEET LIAISON, where we used to make thematic starters and enders made for both eating and entertaining. Too bad, SL’s career was cut short due to other priorities. My business partner had to move up up north for her new family and I too was getting married and will be moving south. Being miles away from the metro, we no longer had the chance to accept bookings. 

Oh, how we miss SL! The adrenaline rush we get during events was incomparable!  And that feeling, when you see guests truly enjoy their food and come back for  a 2^nd, 3^rd, even a  4^th serving , which just shows how much they enjoy our food was absolutely divine.

The birth and the idea of SL somehow came because of this dessert: COFFEE JELLY. It was always a hit during potlucks and I have been asked for this recipe for like a million times already. I am proud to say that it has became one of our best sellers! =)

This post is dedicated to SL, my good friend Joanna, and to her aunt who graciously handed this recipe to us.  And also to all caffeine addicts who just can’t get enough of coffee. This is the perfect way to get your stimulant fix this summer sans the huge expense. (Think Starbucks, Seattle’s best, etc.)

So here it is, out into the world, the much coveted recipe of SL's COFFEE JELLY:

INGREDIENTS you'll be needing: (for about 4-6 servings)

-1 pack of white, unflavored Mr. Gulaman (or any brand of white, unflavored jelly mix), about 4 tbsp/ 24g.

- 4 cups of water

- 2 tbsp. instant coffee powder (of your choice)

- 1 tsp + 1 tbsp of FERNA Cafe Mocha Syrup

- 1 small can of condensed milk, about 168ml/ 218g

- 2 tetra packs of All Purpose Cream, 250ml each

- 1 big bottle of Nata De Coco/White coconut gel, about 24 oz

- coffee bean chocolates (optional; for garnish)

Let's begin by making the jelly: 

In a stockpot, dilute the gelatin powder in about 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. 

Tip: I like my jelly to have a little bite on them, if you’re UNLIKE me who has some jaw problem that affects your chewing, increase the water ratio to 6 cups to make your jelly like m&ms that melts in your mouth; AND go ahead and visit your orthodontist or TMJ specialist. =)

 (Don't worry readers, I wont do any shameless plugging of my clinic on this blog!)

Once boiling, add 2 tbsp of instant coffee powder, 1 tsp of cafe mocha syrup and about 1/3 cup of sugar (add more sugar if you're on the sweeter side). Mix thoroughly to ensure that no jelly lumps are formed. 

Remove from heat and transfer to a large shallow tray; set aside and wait for it to completely set.  

Once set, cut into cubes.

Start draining the syrup from the coconut gel.

Let's go ahead and make the coffee cream. 

In a large bowl, combine 2 tetra packs of All purpose cream (preferably chilled) , 1 small can of condensed milk, and 1 tbsp of cafe mocha syrup. Mix everything well to ensure no lumps have been formed from the cream.

We're almost there! Add the coconut gels and the cubed coffee jellies.

And now the fun part begins! Just mix everything well. =)

Best to serve chilled. And if you're LIKE me who just can't help but garnish every dish I make, go get that coffee bean chocolate, and top it on those jellies to sweetly finish this delicious dessert. 

Now, aren't you ready to be perked up with this? =) 

Happy Eating! =)

The unveiling of "In My Kitchen" to the blog world

Hello everyone!

Finally, I have been persuaded to join the blog bandwagon and create a new blog dedicated to FOOD. I have been getting a lot of requests to create a food blog after I made most of my Facebook friends salivate over almost daily post of food photos that I make in my kitchen, I named that album, (surprise here!) "In My Kitchen". (that album is here. =) )

The persuasion grew stronger after Maangchi, a great friend and creator of www.maangchi.com finally published the cooking video we made a few months back for her Gapshida tour via her website and YouTube.(more of that here.). 

It took me a while before giving in, since making a blog is as hard as learning to play the guitar for me. Yes, I am as computer illiterate as I can get. But I have decided to take baby steps and be open to learning this stuff and realized that this can be of great help to me because of  instead of the usual private messaging each of my friends via Facebook, those interested in the recipes of my daily food posts can navigate them through this blog.

So why, do you ask, I am insanely in love with making great food? I have been a wife for more than a year now, and have lost my dearest mother weeks after our wedding. Adjusting to a new life, being in a new place and being a wife and a motherless daughter all at the same time had been very hard, but cooking saved me and has become an outlet and a passion, and I want to SHARE that PASSION. Cooking has been always a part of my life, like me, my mother was a dentist and a great cook and she's one great power that inspires me to do the things I do now.

A little warning though, I am no great cook. I am a novice by some other cooks' standard; I don't even have a food processor, sophisticated pans, a silpat, an ice cream maker (though I love making homemade ice creams!), and other gadgets that my budget wont allow me to buy as of now; but what I have is a huge passion for food and making people smile.


So please join me in discovering more of that passion through this blog.


P.S. I don't really cook just so I can make food that can multiply your cavities. I just found the rhyming words of "I make people eat so I can fix their teeth" really cute! =)