Puto Flan with Caramel Sauce

Filipino Style Recipe: Puto Flan with Caramel Sauce is a Filipino favorite mid-afternoon snack (meryenda) made of puto bread with leche flan then drizzle with caramel sauce.

Puto Flan
Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour or all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon yellow food color

Leche Flan:
4 egg yolks
1 big can (300 grams) condensed milk
2 teaspoon lemon juice

Procedures:
Part 1 (Leche Flan)
1. In a bowl, combine mixture then whisk until well blended.
2. Grease moulds then pour leche flan mixture 1/2 inch full.
3. Place into steamer then cover with cheesecloth, steam over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Part 2 (Puto)
1. In a separate bowl, combine wet mixture until blended
2. In another bowl, combine wet mixture until blended
3. Combine both mixture then add food color. Mix until no lumps and smooth.
4. Strain mixture using clean cheesecloth then pour over leche flan until almost full.
5. Place into steamer then cover with cheesecloth, steam over low heat for another 10 minutes.
6. Top each puto with leche flan then steam for another 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a puto comes out clean.
7. Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Caramel Sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoon butter, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoon all purpose cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Procedures:
1. In a pan over medium heat, put the sugar and wait until it starts to melt. Do not stir the unmelted portion as this will cause the sugar to harden. The sugar will turn to thick amber colored liquid. You may now start stirring careful not to burn the sugar.
2. Stir the butter until completely melted.
3. slowly drizzle thhe all purpose cream . The mixture will bubble rapidly, continuously stir until the cream is evenly incorporated.The mixture will thicken once cooled.
4. Remove from heat and stir half of the salt. You may add the other half depending on your preference to the saltiness of your salted caramel. Allow to cool before drizzling to puto flan.

Note: Put in a bottle and cover tightly if not yet to be used. You may store this in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Puto Ube

Filipino Style Recipe: Puto Ube is another variety of popular Filipino steamed mini rice cake. It is often eaten for breakfast served with hot coffee or sometimes during meryenda (mid-afternoon snack). Some like to eat it with dinuguan “a pork blood stew”.

Ingredients:
340g plain flour
250g white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder

125ml evaporated milk
250ml water
2 raw eggs
250g butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon ube flavour
1/8 teaspoon violet food powder(optional)
cheddar cheese for toppings, cut into thin slices

Procedures:
Part 1
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.

Part 2
2. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients then sift.
3. Pour in the water and evaporated milk and stir well. Mix in the eggs, ube flavour, violet food powder and butter. Do not over mix.

Part 3
1. In a steamer, boil water then wrap the over with a towel.
2. Grease mini muffin pans then pour the mixture into molds 3/4 full. Top with cheese.
3. Steam over medium heat for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
4. Let it cool slightly before removing from the muffin pans.

Puto Leche

Filipino Style Recipe: A Philippine favorite meryenda (mid-afternoon snack) made of puto bread with leche flan.

Ingredients:
2 cups cake flour or all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon yellow food color

Leche Flan:
4 egg yolks
1 big can (300 grams) condensed milk
2 teaspoon lemon juice

Procedures:
Part 1 (Leche Flan)
1. In a bowl, combine mixture then whisk until well blended.
2. Grease moulds then pour leche flan mixture 1/2 inch full.
3. Place into steamer then cover with cheesecloth, steam over low heat for 10 minutes.
4. Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Part 2 (Puto)
1. In a separate bowl, combine wet mixture until blended
2. In another bowl, combine wet mixture until blended
3. Combine both mixture then add food color. Mix until no lumps and smooth.
4. Strain mixture using clean cheesecloth then pour over leche flan until almost full.
5. Place into steamer then cover with cheesecloth, steam over low heat for another 10 minutes.
6. Top each puto with leche flan then steam for another 5 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a puto comes out clean.
7. Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Puto Pao

Filipino Style Recipe: Puto pao is another Filipino delicacy that usually served during meryenda(mid-afternoon snack). Puto Pao is similar to plain puto stuffed with filling same as siopao. There are several versions of puto pao, in this recipe we will make asado for the filling.

Estimated time of preparation: 20 minutes
Estimated time of cooking: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients:
Batter:
500 grams all purpose flour
250 grams white sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
2-1/2 cups water
1 cup powdered milk
3 pieces whole eggs
3 tablespoons butter

Filling:
500 grams ground pork or beef
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 piece laurel leaf
1 piece star anise
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Toppings:
1/2 cheddar cheese, sliced
4 salted eggs, sliced

Procedures:
Part 1
1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder then pour water, powdered milk and stir well.
2. Add eggs and butter then mix until well blended. Set aside.

Part 2
1. In a pan, heat oil and saute garlic then add ground meat and stir cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and cook until tender and the sauce thickened.
3. Discard anise and laurel. Set aside.

Part 3
1. In a muffin cups, pour a little amount of batter then add a tablespoon of filling.
2. Cover the filling with another amount of batter until cup is half full.
3. Top with salted egg and cheese then steam for 10-15 minutes or until done.(puto pao is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.)

Puto Bumbong

Filipino Style Recipe: puto bumbong is another Filipino delicacy that is usually served during Christmas season. This dish is commonly sold along the streets during Simbang gabi. Puto bumbong is a purple colored glutinous rice cake steamed in a small bamboo tube then flavored with butter or margarine then served with freshly grated coconut and sugar(muscovado or panutsa).

Ingredients:
1 cup glutinous rice(malagkit)
1/2 cup purple-brown sticky rice(pirurutong)
salt
butter or margarine
freshly grated coconut
sugar(mascuvado or panutsa)
wilted banana leaves

Procedures:
1. Soak glutinous rice and purple-brown sticky rice in salted water overnight.
2. Drain and slowly grind using a grinder until grainy.
3. Wrap and squeeze the rice mixture in a cotton or muslin cloth. Then press it using heavy object to remove excess water.
4. In a large bowl, place the rice mixture and rub by hand until its texture becomes fine-grained.

Cooking Procedures:
1. Fill the bamboo tube with rice mixture and steam both side for 10 minutes or until color turns to dark purple.
2. Remove the bamboo tube from the steamer and shake out to remove the steamed rice mixture.
3. Transfer the steamed rice to banana leaves then spread with butter on top. Serve with freshly grated coconut and sugar.

Notes:
1. You may also used violet food coloring instead of pirurutong.

Puto Bread

A Philippine favorite. Sprinkle with grated cheese on top, and enjoy hot or cold.

Note:
This recipe involves baking the little cakes with the muffin tin standing in a tray of hot water – so not suitable to try with kids.

Ingredients:
340g plain flour
250g white sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
125ml evaporated milk
250ml water
2 eggs
250g margarine or butter, softened

Procedures:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
2. Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Pour in the water and evaporated milk and stir well. Mix in the eggs and butter or margarine.
3. Pour the mixture into muffin tins lined with baking cups. Find a baking tray that your muffin tins will comfortably fit in. Pull the oven rack out a little – approx 1/4 out of the oven – and place the baking tray (with the muffin tin inside it) on the rack. Very carefully pour about 1L of hot tap water into the baking tray. Then very slowly and carefully slide the rack completely into the oven.
4. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Be very careful not to burn your hands with hot water or steam when you remove the muffins from the oven. Top with grated cheese.

(Thank you to Mercy Grace Nadayag for sharing)