the brunch host - elephant group leaders

allan’s eggs benedict

the brunch spread

My favourite photographer sent me a message, let ‘s have a pre-valentine brunch at his place, he will be cooking…Allan Tuazon and his wife, Irene are hosting with Pam, Dexter, and Jenn. The Elephant group since we are all as big as baby elephants, I just wrote baby so guess our sizes. I was assigned to bring dessert and I just finally realized that a crepe cake would be the best to bring from Mara de la Rama, simply divine but I wanted to bring one more and Mara recommended her flourless chocolate cake. Excited and hungry, got to Allan’s place with the best tasting desserts, I was first and Allan was busy in the kitchen….we had double cooked tapa, eggs Benedict on whole wheat pandesal instead of English muffins, Vegetable and Mushroom Omelette, Adobo rice and Freshly squeezed orange juice, he even had Carabao Milk Leche Flan, grabe pang elepante talaga ang meal naman, Ang sarap….specially with friends. See and savour the pictures…..

I don’t wish to judge people….I know alot of you would say that this is not true, yes there were times I would and later on find out I was wrong but we all do the same thing you just don’t express it as much as I do. I went through one gruelling experience the last few days, events were judgement was never done only a lot of explanations. I came out of it as better person but it really breaks my heart that people would go through certain lengths just to make others feel bad…we ask the question why? Why are there people who wish the worst for you… Being a teacher, my mission is to learn, to share and to make great and pleasing relationships….what happens on the way I was not ready for….we go through life with a lot of unanswered questions…I have lost two sets of parents who loved me for what was there and as a person, they have fully accepted what came about from me. We tend to work on our lives due to what is real and what is suppose to. I enjoy my job because it brings out the best in me…everything else that comes along I accept…

I love ensaymada! This is one baked creation that I can’t live without, it has been a constant favourite of mine since I was born….I have tried quite a number made by different bakers from far North Pagudpud to Davao and some have been unforgettable. Cunanan’s, Hizon’s, Kamias, Abreu’s of Sunny Bakeshop, Jill Sandique’s, there’s even one in Bel Air that is no longer available since the baker passed away. Then suddenly, a week ago on our free to taste area of the school office, there came miracle, a glorious, tasty, melts in the mouth ensaymada as big as my face..Pasteleria Mallorca’s version on a pink and gold box reminisce of the look of 60’s. I tasted and tasted until I finished almost half of it, then everyone in the office started saying, Si Chef Junjun ang umubos ha…

Then I asked the office to order for me…..that’s when the problem started, lost in translation was what truly happened. I asked one of the office staff to order for me…after a few minutes they informed me that the minimum number of orders is 4, so I said go and just let me know what time I can pick it up, a staff came and said chef, 4 po ang minimum order, ilan po ba ang order ninyo, of course 4 no question asked, right….No one informed me anything that whole day, then I just realized at 6 pm, where was the ensaymada…Lost in Translation talaga …what the staff should have told me was, the ensaymada will be available at 4pm…ay naku, I pleaded with Glady if she can talk to them so I can pick it up tomorrow morning….Glady is one person who can move mountains and that’s exactly what she did, I can pick up the ensaymada at 9am and I did, got myself since it was Sunday, Apol wasn’t around. It was very important for me to serve it to Ate Ampy who is an ensaymada addict like me. The best one ever, with liquid, rich butter oozing out of its bottom and tons of queso de bola grated on top…mega delicious, flaky and with bread film.

Call Pasteleria Mallorca at 3732789. It’s Ph 270 a piece, 4 pieces is minimum order. Worth it, freeze the others and toast before eating.

My nephew, JL had great tasting strawberry shortcake in Baguio, he said, the real one, shortcake from the Southern part of the United States so guess what I did after three days, I served him the same thing. With sweet strawberries and aerosol Elle et Vire whipped cream, it was heavenly and truly the way he wanted it….I had my share but wasn’t very happy with the biscuit so I have been testing some recipes for the past few days…hope you enjoy….happy v! Visit Yummy magazine website and see my happy V menu…

Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients:
All purpose flour: 1 ½ cups
Salt: ¼ tsp
Sugar: 1 ½ tbsps
Baking powder: ½ tbsp
Unsalted butter: 1/2 cup, cubed and cold.
Heavy cream: 1 cup

Procedure:
Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, use a whisk to dry mix it. Cut in or rub in butter into the flour mixture and continue until coarse meal, never let the butter melt. Add heavy cream and toss with fork until moisted, shape into a log and cut into triangles.
Slice strawberries, add some sugar, toss until some liquid is seen. Slice your shortcakes and fill with sliced strawberries. Top with whipped cream and cover with shortcake…Eat immediately.

The great things of having the Gavino kids being not too young or old, their uncle can hang along with them and I think they enjoy the company of an aging, comical and trendy tito, Chefie…hehehe but the best part is that now they are grown and working they treat you out and give you amazing gifts. Before Christmas, I mentioned that I really like this cooler that I see the Top Chef contestant use during their out of kitchen functions and then forgot about it. Christmas Eve 2009 came and arrived, just after midnite, JL comes pulling something with him and there it was, the Coleman’s Ultimate Extreme 6 day Cooler, will keep ice at 90 degrees for 6 days, can fit 72 cans of drinks as well as 50 quarts of whatever you want…it has wheels to move as you carry one of the sides…I love it..and I was overjoyed and cried when I got it. I cooked for this kids and made their baptisms and birthdays extra special…now it’s pay back time. I enjoy being with them and the people they love…watch Pinoy, gigil, gigil movies…eewww, just last night we got to see, “ ginawa mo kasing SYOTA ang bestfriend mo, ginawa mong SYOTA ako….
But the real joy is knowing how important I am to them, and whatever happens they love me just the way I am…

sa Rhode Island, napakalamig!

thanksgiving dinner namin sa princeton

Masarap talaga magbakasyon, sobrang sarap….pero para sa akin mas buo ang bakasyon kapag may pag-aaral din, yun ang pahinga sa akin, ang matuto ng ibang kaalaman na makakatulong sa ginagawa ko. Bawat taon lagi kung ginagawa ang pagpunta sa America para makita ko ang aking kapatid na si Edgardo.. di naman siya nakakauwi at ito rin ang oras na makapagdala ako ng mga pagkaing galing sa atin, tuyong danggit, pusit, ensaymada , ang polvoron ni Ate Cynthia at marami pang iba. Nalaman ko di kailangan ng napakadaming damit pagpupunta sa America kasi makakabili ka dun ng sandamukal.

Akala ko mas matatandaan ako ng aking mga guro kasi hinggit lang naman sa isang taon ako wala pero di sila sigurado kung sino ako….pero habang tumatagal ang panahon naiisip nila ako sa dami ba naming tinuturuan nila, pano nila ako makikilala….pag nasa Amerika ako, nalilimutan ko lahat ng mga problema dito sa Pilipinas, sobrang alaga ako duon sa Amerika. Pinagluluto ako ni Ate Myrla ang pinapasaya ni Joel, ang aking pamangkin na napaka talas at talino katulad ko…hahahah. Nakapagbakasyon din kami sa Boston nung Thanksgiving weekend, napaka ganda doon, iba din ang Newport, Rhode Island kung saan ang mga bahay ay sin laki ng mall ditto..makikita ninyo sa mga litrato.

Pero sa tatlong linggo na nanduon ako, ganito ang gawain ko. Napaka swerte ko nga eh, kasi sa tatlong kurso ng kinuha ko, lahat ay may dalawa o isang Pilipino na kasama ko….marami din di kanais nais na hindi naman gumagalaw…ako, para sa akin lahat gusto ko gawin kasi para sa akin din lahat ng ito….so ano nangyayari sa buhay ng isang panadero na kusinero din sa malamig na lugar katulad ng Manhattan New York….ang kapatid ko po ay nakatira mga di kumukulang na dalawang oras papunta sa Manhattan, mga alas singko ng umaga ako ay gising na at naliligo, dapat alas 6 ay nanduon na ako sa ibaba ng bahay ….alam ninyo napaka lamig minsan napapaisip ako kung bakit kailangan ko ito gawin, hehehe….pagkatapos ng isa’t kalahating oras e nasa Path Train Station po kami sa Journal Square, dun po kami nag paparada at kumukuha ng tren……tapos sa Ground Zero na katabi ng Path Train stop ay malalakad ako kasi ito na po ang ehersisyo ko….mga walong bloke po ang nilalakad ko, ang sarap maglakad kapag malamig, lakad lang ako ng lakad, tapos malapit sa FCI ay isang Starbucks at duon ako nag aalmusal at kape….mahal pero wala naman po akong magagawa…..siempre dollar pa rin po..papasok ako bago mag alas 8 kasi magbibihis pa ako at minsan napakadaming tao sa men’s locker, mabait naman po sila, at masaya, ang ganda ng mga kwentong kusina, iba’t ibang lahi, edad pero isa lang ang gusto gawin. Mga apat na oras po ng tuloy tuloy na baking at luto ako….masarap ang tanghalian, kung ano kasya sa plato, sige lang….may dalawang Pinay doon na ng pro class na taga Manila nagkwentuhan din kami… Tatlong linggong wala akong ginawa kundi gumawa ng tinapay para sa restaurant ng eskwela at siempre para din sa ibang klase, wala talagang sayang sa paaralan na ito. Nakakatuwa na pag may Pinoy, ramdam mo talaga agad sa paglakad ko sa Soho, o isang salesman o woman alam mo talaga…pero minsan yung iba ayaw ka tignan parang nahihiya, minsan nga sa paglalakad ko naririnig ko ang sariling wika natin, hehehe, basta may outlet o buffet restaurant maraming Pinoy, isa pa pala, sa simbahan….may Pilipino. Ang pinakamasarap talaga ay pag uwi ko na makita ko ulit ang Ate ko….na sinurpresa ko na bilhin ang bag na matagal na niyang gusto…tama na yun sa akin….Dito sa Amerika, natatandaan ko kung gaano kasaya si Mama at makita si Papa na nagmamadali umuwi pero nalulumbay ako kasi wala na sila…malungkot pero dapat pa rin ituloy ang buhay…di ba? Ang ganda ganda ng mga natatandaan ko sa Amerika kasama ang Mama at Papa ko….

Ang una ko sinulat sa blog na ito ay tungkol sa kung bakit ako naging kusinero…minsan talagang hinahanap ko lang sila….from Mechado to Mama’ s Favorita Tinapa Spread……I hope you enjoy making this as you remember the most important people in your life….

Mama’s Tinapa Spread
Ingredient:
¼ cup chopped onions
1 tsp calamansi juice
250 gms tinapang bangus flakes
½ tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tbsp capers, finely chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
1 cup all purpose cream
Procedure:
Put all ingredients in a blender. Puree for 3 minutes until of spreadable consistency, if it is too thick, add more cream. Don’t forget to season with salt and black pepper.
Note: this doesn’t last long- a week the most. Best to serve with sunflower crackers or melba toast, if you want to make it as a sandwich, go ahead…sarap…Make sure to use bangus since other fishes are not as tender and fine.

After two international trips, I bought quite a number of chocolates. Yabang ko….but when you know longer want to have lunch with Paul, Ben, Giorgio, Salvadore or my other would be friends, I turn to food. I got some great artisanal chocolates from the States as well as Italian made from Hongkong, and let me discuss them with you since, I have only tried quite a few, I am taking my time…..

Askinosie Chocolates are from Missouri, ordered them while I was in New Jersey and it arrived after four days since it was also Thanksgiving weekend, there was the chocolates in a box that was chilled in the delivery truck, packaging was very innovative, in brown paper with a bit of wax and has the imprint of cacao beans grower responsible for it, I got Davao, beans from the Philippines, particularly Trinitario, 77% dark chocolate cocoa, white chocolate nibble bar, Trinitario, cocoa butter 34%, San Jose Del Tambo, Arriba Nacional, 70%dark chocolate, and San Jose del Tambo, Ecuador nibble bar with crunchy cocoa nibs, 70%dark chocolate. I also was very fortunate that they had these on stock since the other half of what they had wasn’t available. The flavour of their chocolates are very intense, deep and sometimes it reminds me of our Tablea. Their nearest branch to the Philippines is in Singapore – Takashimaya basement were tons of chocolate stores are. Mast Brothers Chocolate from Brooklyn – comes in ornate looking wrappers with a very classical theme – Dark Chocolate Madagascar 72% Cacao, Dark Chocolate + Black Truffle, Sea Salt - -they are more intense and flavourful, I don’t know why….everyone in Dean and DeLucca were talking about this chocolate. Amedei Toscano Brown, Cioccolate Fondente con Mandorle ( Dark Chocolate with Almonds ), Cioccolato Al Latte Bianco con Pistacchi (White Chocolate with Pistachios ), Cioccolato Al Latte Con Nocciole ( Milk Chocolate with Hazelnuts ). All of them are so good, very Asian in thought since it’s just right, available in City Super in Ocean Terminal. De Rubeis Speziale – Bitter Chocolate with Rosemary and Lemon, Bitter Chocolate with Pepper from Sechuan, White Chocolate with Cayenne Pepper, haven’t tasted. La Molina Chocolate with 4 different degrees of cacao content, 60%,70%, 82% and 100%, haven’t tasted but gave some to Gino….forgot to ask how it tasted. Becky Kho my Yummy editor in chief loves this, Swiss Dark Chocolate with Coconut Flakes, very good that texture comes from of course, the coconut, it’s organic, 54% cacao , get this from Whole Foods it’s cheap - $3.50…other chocolates are $8 to $12 each….and my perennial favourite, Scharffenberger, Extra Rich Milk Chocolate, the whole Gavino family loves this…Lastly, La Maison Du Chocolat, Pariguan Chocolat Noir Cacao 69%…oh my…I’m eating it now….very silky, bitter cherry with some red wine flavour…given by Sharlene bought in HK, branch in The Landmark or Prince Building, can’t remember makatabi naman yung mga malls eh….I’m in circus full of chocolates…and l love it…..

Celebrating New Year in Langham Hotel, Kowloon, Hongkong

Of no work, why? The schedule for this year was done this way and I am very happy. Last month was very, very hectic and I had hard time catching up on what my life was all about. So, one resolution I wanted to do before I started teaching again was to clean one of my rooms at home. This room has all my magazines, second hand cookbooks I get from BookSale, old gifts that never got to be used and a whole lot of humongous tupperwares housing my old friends, Paul Smith, Ben Sherman, Giorgio Armani Exchange, Calvin Klein. Strange that I still have a lot of old clothes that I cherish because I love them or maybe due to my inheriting one trait Mommy Luring left me…keeping clothes and a lot of junk, mom was a child of World War 2, I know that most of you have mothers, aunts and relatives who are like this. Another reason is I have clothes for increase and decrease of weight, hehe. So I cleaned up the room, realized that I had quite a number of school bags and shoes. So decided to fix and give some away, guess what Apol is wearing now….even my gardener, LukeLuke looks so smart wearing his Camper slippers, love it…..the other reason for this clean up is I really want to make every look clean and organized and also get to turn on the aircon in this room which I don’t get to use as often. Second reason, is an arrival of three big balikbayan boxes this month, filled with books, old clothes and pastry equipments. There has to be space for these things. Mom used to have a stock room built when one of her containers arrive so I want the room to accept all these new items.

Lately, I have been taking the time to see my dear, dear friends….Liane who I am with eating every week, Tricia who even at provincial Alabang I still had merienda with, Jaybee the brother I always wanted who took the time to invite me and have lunch with Ysa, his wife in their new Thai restaurant, Tina, who I always plan to have dinner with and watch a movie but never materialized until Tracey, a barkada from Singapore was here last week….love the food in Angel’s Kitchen in Greenhills. Daming outing……Just thought of this, when people invite you at home, I get the feeling of ultimate connection since it is very personal and an extension of what they are.

I have also been testing a lot of recipes for new courses in the school….some didn’t work as well as I wanted to so repeat, repeat and repeat….I can see all the products coming out of the face of my yayas. They cannot even pronounce what they are eating….wanted to ask you which I heard from my classmates as I was eavesdropping…would you eat something that you can’t pronounce. Let me know.
By the way, here is a great recipe for a simple salad dressing I learned ages ago, you can use it for lettuce, or blanched vegetable sticks, even fish or squid sticks…

PESTO DRESSING
Ingredients:
1 cup basil leaves, leaves only
2 pcs garlic cloves
1 tbsp honey
4-5 tbsps apple cider vinegar
¼ cup canola oil
10 strokes ground pepper
pinch salt

Procedure:
Blanch basil leaves in warm water and ice immediately. Squeeze dry. This will keep your dressing forever green.
Dump everything in blender. Blenderize for 3 minutes. No emulsion needed just shake before pouring into salad. Toss well.

Suggestion: Put some freshly grated parmesan into your salad. It will wow you…eeehwww.

The pictures here were taken the day after I arrived in Princeton, New Jersey. The last colors of autumn taken middle of November. Beautiful…..since after a week it was so so so so cold…winter just came with out warning. Four clothes layered on top of each other, walking 7 blocks every weekday from the Path Station to FCI on Broadway. Maybe it was the main reason I lost weight in the US.

The weird thing about the pictures in my last post is that there is no form of explanation to what it was. The first picture are the lighted trees fronting Time Warner Building on Columbus Circle. I bought Truffle Salt in the William Sonoma branch inside which I got for free but that’s another story. Next picture is the gigantic red Christmas balls fronting a building on 5th Avenue and last, are the trees in my brother’s house a day before I left, snowing! Everytime I visit America during winter, the day before I leave it always snows…..first snow so it is very pretty…..

It was a whirlwind and tumultuous when I got back, after a day of rest, I started teaching again a bunch of eager, excited group of students…..with diverse personalities. Even I was in school for 12 hours, I enjoyed it since I was in the new kitchens of our annex building….sarap magturo doon. To the point that I even asked Apol to go and get my stainless high chair from home so that it becomes the instructor’s chair there.

Next day, I had the privilege to tour, one of my idol chefs from the States. Chef Robert Danhi, a CIA chef instructor who I met during one of my USDA tours. Brought him and his wife to Antonio’s Grill in Tagaytay, CACS / Cafe Ysabel and King Crab for dinner. Tried my very best to entertain them even with the hardships of Christmas season. But I was very happy I got to drop them to the airport for their flight to Hongkong….I love bringing people to the airport…..

The next days were a bit more confusing since right after Christmas, the whole Gavino family and moi left for Macau….that’s a longer post to write about.

A tremendous amount of activities has been happening to your chefie the past few months since I again took a momentary break of blogging. I was in New York for three weeks last November studying breads and pastries, then was away again right after Christmas to spend some good quality time with my family in Macau and Hongkong. Will write about all these for the next weeks to come, but here are some pictures to give you, my readers, a preview….

May the new year make us more sensitive and courteous on how we treat other people. May we give ourselves 30 seconds to think and feel a response before reacting so as not to regret what was done. May we understand the importance of our name and reputation since in the end this is the most important…..take care and read again soon.