Birthday Treat@Kulinarya

When Jenn, Tressa and Maribel came up with this month's theme of Birthday Treats for Kulinarya Cooking Club, I imagined a buffet table filled with my favorites - a tangy adobo stew made with lots of garlic; a whole roast pig, lechon, with its wafer-thin, crispy skin; lumpiang ubod, fresh spring rolls made with hearts of palm; pancit palabok, rice noodles with a rich prawn gravy. I could go on and on!

For today's challenge, I decided to make Mango Tartlets, a favorite dessert from our family's buffet table. My easy version used pre-baked tartlets and a coconut custard (Martha Stewart's custard recipe), topped with diced Philippine mangoes that I caramelized with sugar, butter and Grand Marnier. What a treat (and it's not even my birthday)!

MANGO TARTLETS

12 pre-baked tartlets

for the custard:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole milk

1 3/4 cups coconut milk

4 large egg yolks

for the topping:

2 mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

In a medium saucepan (off heat), whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually whisk in milk, making sure to dissolve cornstarch. Whisk in coconut milk and egg yolks.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes, or until just boiling. Reduce heat to low, cook for another minute, making sure to whisk well. Remove pan from heat.

Pour custard into tartlets, smooth top with spatula.

In the meantime, pour sugar in a pan and let caramelize over medium-low heat. When sugar has turned into a golden brown syrup, add butter, Grand Marnier and mix well. Add diced mangoes and mix until all of the fruit is coated well.

Spoon mangoes over filled tartlets and chill in refrigerator for about 4 hours. To serve, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Check out my fellow KCC members and their favorite treats here.

Kulinarya 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.