Kulinarya Theme December - Homemade Gifts

Thanks to Joy and Maribel, Decembers Kulinarya theme is Homemade Food Gifts. There is nothing like a gift that comes from the heart. Food is the perfect gift. You know you are special, when you receive something homemade. All that time and effort to make it look good and taste even better.

Ube Halaya is very special to me. Its one of many desserts that remind me of my Lola (grandma). She used to make it for me when I would visit on weekends.  Ube is also something my mum makes a lot for summer. We eat it by the spoonful or put it in Halo Halo. The more you make, the more you can put on your Halo Halo.

Since Ube is like a jam, I didn’t know how I would present it as a gift. While walking through the supermarket, I found some mini shortcrust pastry shells. Hmmmm ok so I kind of cheated. I just didn’t have time to make my own pastry shells. I call these Ube Halaya Tarts. They look so cute and taste even better. 

This simple dessert only requires a few ingredients and some elbow grease. So below is Mama Eugenio's version of Ube Halaya.

Ube Halaya (Purple Jam)

1 packet of grated purple yam
1 can of condensed milk

500ml coconut milk

1 tablespoon of butter

1. Grease a pie pan or pyrex baking dish with some butter.

2. Put the condensed milk, purple yam and coconut milk in a pot on medium heat. Using a whisk mix the ingredients until well combined. Make sure you try to get all the lumps out.

3. Continuously stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick. This could take around 10 minutes.

4. When the mixture is thick, take it off the heat and add the butter. Stir through before pouring the mixture into your prepared baking dish.

5. Set aside to cool. When the Ube is cool enough, use a piping bag with a star tip to put the ube into the mini shortcrust pastry shells. Cover the rest of the ube with cling wrap and put it in the fridge. These tarts are best piped before serving. 

The mini shortcrust pastry shells are available at Woolworths or any major supermarket. If you have time, I would suggest making your own pastry shells.

I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all the Kulinarya Cooking Club members for all their contributions this year. It has been fantastic and I have learnt so much from you all. Have a safe Christmas everyone. Cheers to what is ahead for 2011...

Kulinarya Cooking Club was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to hear from you!

Olive – http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline – http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette – http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/  

Asha – http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/

Malou – http://www.skiptomalou.net/

Cherrie – http://www.sweetcherriepie.com

Acdee – http://acdee.blogspot.com/

Valerie – http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl – http://crispywaffle.com/

Divina – http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Anna – http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/

Dahlia – http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/

Joy – http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

Maribel – http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/

Tressa

Jen – http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/

Pia – http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/

Malaka – http://thegrandinternational.com

Mimi – http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com

Erika – http://ivoryhut.com/

Kat – http://twitter.com/alanokat

Lala – http://thislittlepiggywenttothemarket.blogspot.com/

Selfie – http://eats.sefiebee.com/

Connie Veneracion frm http://homecookingrocks.com/

Oggi from http://oggi-icandothat.blogspot.com/

Katrina Kostik from http://lardonmyfrench.blogspot.com/

Rochelle Ryan from http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/

Marica – http://cuppycreme.blogspot.com

Diona – http://titaflips.blogspot.com/

Rowena - http://saraplicious.blogspot.com

Theodore – http://chefbyday.wordpress.com/

Gianna – http://the-empty-fridge.blogspot.com/

Mireille – http://dirtyicecreaminyourlunchbox.blogspot.com/

Marishka – http://rishka.multiply.com/

Annapet – http://moonglowgardens.wordpress.com/

Boyet – http://reelandgrill.blogspot.com/

Adora – http://www.adorasbox.net

Marvin – www.eatmarvin.com

And ofcourse Trisha from Sugarlace and Trissa from Trissalicious