Tuesday, May 24, 2011

KCC May Challenge: Pansy Macapuno Pie


Macapuno Pie --- Photos by Trevor Joyce 

It has been forever since I posted something in my blog and just insanely crazy busy still. I can’t really wait till things get back to normal. Normal means at least all my clothes are out of the suitcases and boxes… well at least just a couple more weeks. Well having said that, busy or not, I need to have a post for this month’s Kulinarya Cooking Challenge. Thanks to Sefie and Connie who came up with this month’s theme: Flowers
Oh-oh… very challenging! I have been searching for different Filipino dishes with flowers but I was stumped. Then the other day, my husband said that we have a lot of pansies in our garden. He also said that they were edible and should use it in my salads and garnish! So there’s my answer— Pansy! But with what??? I just don’t want to make a salad dish since it seems not so Filipino at a glance :)
Pansy has a very very mild mint flavor and has so many different colors. Really good for garnish in desserts and in cocktails. So here’s what I came up…
Ingredients: (By the way this a “Macapuno Pie in Hurry” since I just have to write this post and make this pie in between my food prep for my next event)
  • 12 oz. jar macapuno balls (sweetened)
  • 12 oz. jar macapuno strings (sweetened)
  • 1 can evaporated milk
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • pansies
  • 2 store bought graham cracker crust
Procedure:
  • In a non-stick pan, combine the macapuno balls, macapuno strings and evaporated milk. Simmer.
  • Add egg yolks and blend. Simmer for few minutes.
  • Dissolve cornstarch into the mixture and stir constantly until mixture is thick.
  • Remove from fire and pour into the crust.
  • Top with pansy. Sprinkle granulated sugar on the flower.
  • Bake pie at 350F until golden brown.