Recipes from San Miguel Great Food Club's Flavors of Christmas 2011

At a recent event sponsored by San Miguel, called The Flavors of Christmas, I was able to get quite a few recipes from 2 chefs who were there. I've selected those I particularly like and am posting them here.

Chef Ed Quimson - Christmas Ham, Roast Jumbo Chicken with Green Grapes and Cranberry Jelly

Lori Baltazar (food blogger at Dessert Comes First) - Chocnut-Queso de Bola Cheesecake, Brownie-in-a-Cookie Cookie

I'm sharing these recipes with you. I myself will try Chef Ed's special sauce on the Purefoods Fiesta Ham that I am saving for Noche Buena.


CHRISTMAS HAM

Ingredients:
1 whole Purefoods Fiesta Ham

For the sauce:
1.5 liter pineapple juice
2 bottles San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen
3 pcs bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tbsp. cinnamon powder
1/2 tbsp rock salt (add another 1/2 tbsp if necessary)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup whole peppercorns
8 pcs whole cloves

For the glaze:
1 cup crushed pineapple
3 cups sugar

For garnish:
1 kilo grapes
4 pcs apples
4 pcs oranges
1 kilo powdered sugar

Procedure:
To make the sauce: combine all sauce ingredients in a large pot together with the fiesta ham. Cook and boil for 30 minutes. Remove the ham and reduce the liquid for 30 minutes over high heat.

To make the glaze: Place ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pack the glaze on top of the fiesta ham and iron.

Place ham in a platter and garnish with fruits and dust with powdered sugar. Serve together with the reduced sauce on the side.


ROAST JUMBO CHICKEN WITH GREEN GRAPES AND CRANBERRY JELLY

Ingredients:
1 whole Magnolia jumbo chicken
2 tsp rock salt
Cracked black pepper

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup liquid seasoning
1 cup white wine
2 cups chicken stock
3 pcs bay leaf
1/2 cup Magnolia Nutri-Oil
1/2 cup Magnolia Gold Butter
50 grams garlic, minced
300 grams white onions, chopped
700 grams green grapes
1 can cranberry jelly

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 375F.

Rub chicken with rock salt and pepper and set in a roasting pan.

In a bowl, mix together soy sauce, liquid seasoning, white wine, stock and bay leaf. Pour into the roasting pan.

Roast chicken for 1 hour and 30 minutes until done. Reserve the pan drippings.

In a saucepot, place oil and butter and saute the garlic and onions until wilted. Add 1/4 of the grapes, cranberry jelly, and the drippings of the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Place liquid in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended sauce back into the pot and add half of the remaining grapes and reduce for 30 minutes. Add remaining grapes into the sauce right before serving.

CHOCNUT-QUESO DE BOLA CHEESECAKE


Ingredients:

Crust:
1-1/2 cup Marie biscuits, crushed
1/2 cup Nissin Vanilla Wafers, crushed
1/2 cup Magnolia Gold Butter, salted, melted
2 tbsp. white sugar

Cheesecake:
3 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 bars Magnolia Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pc. egg
1-1/2 cup Magnolia All-Purpose Cream

ChocNut Cream:
14 10-gram bars Chocnut, grated or mashed, and stirred into
2 tbsp. Magnolia All-Purpose Cream, warmed

1/4 cup Magnolia Queso de Bola, finely grated
Chopped ChocNut for garnish
Grated Magnolia Queso de Bola for garnish

Procedure:

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350F or preheat a toaster oven for 15 minutes.

Line a 9-inch springform pan or a similar pan with a detachable bottom with aluminum foil and then grease with shortening or cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients for crust and incorporate thoroughly using a rubber spatula. Mixture is ready when crust begins to clump together. Pour crust mixture into springform pan and using your hands or a large measuring cup, press into pan's bottom and up pan sides. Crust should be firm.

Place pan on a baking sheet (to catch any butter spills) or on tray insert if using the toaster oven. Bake until crust is fragrant, about 12 minutes, and golden brown. Set aside. Turn oven/toaster oven off.

Make cheesecake:
Pour gelatin powder into a microwaveable glass measuring cup. Add cold water and let mixture sit for 5 minutes to bloom. Microwave on lowest heat just until mixture is warm to the touch but not hot. Do not allow it to boil. Stir until gelatin has fully dissolved. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth, about 405 minutes. Turn mixer off and using a rubber spatula, scrape sides of mixing bowl to ensure batter is thoroughly mixed. Batter should be silken in appearance and lump-free. With mixer on low speed, add the egg and then the cream. Turn mixer off and scrape sides of mixing bowl again to ensure batter is thoroughly mixed. Stir in gelatin mixture.

Divide cheesecake batter into 2 large mixing bowls. Stir ChocNut cream mixture into one bowl. Stir in grated Queso de Bola into the other bowl. Pour Queso de Bola batter into prepared crust. Freeze for about 15 minutes or until mixture has just begun to set. Do not wait until queso layer has completely solidified otherwise top layer (ChocNut layer) will slide off. Add the remaining ChocNut batter over the queso layer and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, garnish top of cheesecake with chunks of ChocNut and grated Magnolia Queso de Bola.

Makes one 9-inch cheesecake.

BROWNIE-IN-A-COOKIE COOKIE

Ingredients:

Brownies:
1 box San Miguel Mix n Bake Brownie Mix, baked beforehand, cooled, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes, and frozen (you might not use all the brownies)

Cookies:
2-1/2 cup Baron All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 cup Magnolia Gold Butter, salted
1-1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 pcs eggs

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with Glad Cook n Bake bake paper. Set aside. Into a mixing bowl, sift flour and baking soda. Add a pinch of salt. Set aside.

In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter, both sugars, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Turn mixer off and using a rubber spatula, scrape sides of mixing bowl to ensure batter is thoroughly mixed. On medium speed, add eggs. Fold in flour-baking soda mixture then carefully fold in brownie chunks. Brownies might crumble or leave chocolate streaks in the batter. This is okay.

Grease a 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice cream scoop with shortening or spray with cooking spray. Scoop batter onto the prepared baking sheet leaving a 2-inch gap between cookies. Wet your hands and gently flatten each cookie mount to approximately a 1/2-inch thickness.

Bake cookies, one baking sheet at a time, for 12 minutes or just until cookies are golden and sides have firmed up. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Makes 15 large cookies depending on size of scoop.