Chefie’s World

I had a lunch date with Trica at Astralis the new satellite restaurant of Manila Diamond Hotel. It was planned the night before since there was nothing that important to do except for searching for corned beef spice. Tricia has been a friend for so long, after being a student for two main programs she asked me to be multi-task person for her wedding with a pastry chef who I also adore, William. I am even their son’s god father…how close can I get….the restaurant was utterly clean in interior, in smell and so with the other senses I have.

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Was in the Gavino’s, just loitering at the family room, watching TV when I saw on a cooking show, a chef making his bechamel sauce on a non stick pan with a stainless whisk ….there goes your chemically flavored white sauce… I can’t understand how a teaching chef who owns a cooking school can do this without taking into consideration the teflon that can be part of his salt and pepper.
Yes, I know how it could be a stress filled and tension mounting a TV show can be but you have a staff that can take care of that and you must have someone who is very detailed in stuffs like this.
Training under pastry chef makes you look at all the important minute steps involved in the whole cooking process that becomes part of you. Pastry or baking actually trains a person to become more organized and patient in the whole process of cooking. This has trained me as a chef and it has made me a better cook, thanks to Jill, Mark and Maryanne….as humble as I should be I still call myself a cook because the continuing education is still there and I guess, a chef can never be called a chef because of education or a statement of experience or should I say garnishing. A chef for me, hard to define, has influenced the cuisine of a country and how the people eat….

Just some thoughts….last night got to watch an American show where an artisan chocolatier is now procuring his cocoa beans from the Philippines, this excited me tremendously, finally a company has given proper stature to the good tasting, in-depth flavor and cocoa butter content of our beans. I have been researching from where but I doubt if I will ever be able to find out. Things like this take awhile….remember that we only recently found out that the vanilla bean we have been purchasing from specialty food store that we import from other countries actually is grown and dried in Bukidnon.
Work is coming up this Friday and it won’t stop till the middle of December, a new batch to teach and another 27 personalities to take care of….give me luck and pray for me………..LALA! By the way, I don’t feel Christmas at all, do you?

One of the best food you should buy in Baguio is bottled purple yam or “Ube”, there are three food establishments there who make superior quality ones….I know some people who just love and adore its flavor and some who wouldn’t care to have it. I have an uncle who enjoys every scoop of ube ice cream, an aunt who gives us “ halayang ube “ every November 1, I don’t really know why, same reason why we have certain food on particular occasions in our lives….I love ube macapuno cake of Red Ribbon, there were times that I would finish a whole piece in one sitting then throw up because I was so full.
It has a taste that’s different from all. Anyway, I got three brands of ube jam that’s the modern name for haleyang ube in a bottle, Good Shepherd’s, Tantamco’s and PKNY’s.
The one from PKNY’s is supplied to them by a lady named Saning according to the waitress but I am not really sure. Well, after a week of staying in Manila, here are the results of my tastings, who won? No one! I enjoyed all three, thanks to Apple who I would share each bottle of ube every time I would open one. Ok, PKNY’s has whole pieces of ube still present and the taste was very evident, not too sweet but the texture was gummy, maybe it was overworked from all the mixing that happened. A bit more cream or evaporated milk might have changed this problem. Tantamco’s was very sweet but had a very strong caramelized sugar taste which greatly covered the ube taste, but I could say “parang may arnibal” in the mixture…..would go well with a halo halo with just monggo, kaong and nata de coco and tons of shaved ice. The creamiest one was from Good Shepherd’s and wasn’t as sweet but had a vanilla and floral taste, maybe they added some artificial flavoring in the mixture because it was very evident. Each had a distinct difference which I loved so I can’t give you a winner….I would love though to add some pandan or macapuno into the blend just for a deeper taste profile.
But I only realized that the ube cake of one bakeshop really has such an intense ube flavor since it uses the ice cream as an icing….and I remembered that one of my first, best and honored cooking teachers taught me that one too. Haven’t made ube jam or haleyang ube from scratch but once I make, it will be printed here…..

I am home tonight not doing anything but watching my TV series that I get every week, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters and Dirty Sexy Money ( the modern Falcon Crest ). Yes, I am a mini series junkie, I used to watch and get the betamax episodes of Dallas, Knots Landing and Falcon Crest and I am doing it again. It seems that my life is going on a rewind with these new series just like what is happening to fashion and I guess, to all our lives. I don’t know. I just enjoy digesting all these series because it talks so much about life or should I say because it’s something to talk about when I’m in a gathering. Hahaha….I’m also reading a great book about wine, “ The Billionaire’s Vinegar” which I started reading when I was on the plane going home to Manila but never got to finish it and now, restarting it again. Before this I read a book about designer stuffs entitled “Deluxe”, it goes through the insides of companies, the whole set up system. It was a joy to read, exciting…..

It has been hell of a week, after Baguio, Apple, my driver didn’t go to work due to a false sore eyes problem, he said that it was so red so I was the scared one, I told him not to go to work for around 5 days because if I got sick they would have a bigger problem. Then Shiny got sick, well Shiny is my car, he is kinda old already 7 years and that’s old for car age, have to sell him soon but he moves just fine….had him fixed and he was well, gets me everywhere I have to go and not as flashy as others…hehehe….and I was back to driving for myself which was awesome since I had a feeling a forgot that certain skill.

What I loved the most was staying in the Gavino’s house…you know that this house always has food around and I was welcome to be there. I can do whatever I wanted and it has the biggest kitchen ever….haha…just like our old place, there was food for everyone at anytime of the day, Mama can feed 50 people. We had food in the freezer and sometimes I would ask friends to come over just to finish it.

Anyway, great finds this week…..there are tons of good books in the second hand store – Book Sale, even they had Cook’s Illustrated at 30 pesos which is really really cheap. If you got the cash or the plastic, Fully Booked has over a dozen new books worth looking into, Shirley Corriher’s Bakewise ( the sequel to the Cookwise ), Jacques Torres’ new book on Chocolates and a lot more. I purchased too much that I don’t have time to even read them but good when I have to do research….Ate in Zuni with Liane, food is really good and reasonable but come to think of it we were both hungry so have to eat there again…no pictures, forgot as Dina would say, I’m in denial….Had dessert in Pia Y Damaso, her Passion Fruit Pie was heavenly although the crust was a bit tough but enjoyed the orange chocolate mousse….My dinner by the way is comfort food, Savory Chicken with the fried saba and yang chow fried rice with guava juice….sarap..

So the chef is human too just like all of you….while watching Private Practice, a discussion made me think and it was on what we dream to be or to have, sometimes it doesn’t really seem to happen, so the best thing to do is just to let it go and dream something else…I have a feeling it’s true for some….let’s learn from that…..

PS. To my readers who leave messages with aliases, I would really appreciate if you could mention your real names….

To Bertie…thanks…yes, I always treasure the wonderful childhood we have….our eating binges in Baguio…there was a reason for that…maybe for you to eat more egg or just to have a break away from your mom. The blog keeps us together….I don’t have to make you realize how important you are to me…..

To Biena ……..continue the baking….make mistakes since you do better with the mistakes….joke….but try to read the recipe twice…..and continue fulfilling your dreams…

To all my readers…………friends, cousins, students, love ones, whoever you are….my heart is with you…..a good writer once told me that my blog contained so much of myself, she felt like I was talking while she was reading it, that’s the way it is suppose to be …….with a double chin…..hehhehhe…look at the new Yummy November edition, I look Jaba, the hunt (don’t know if this is right ) in a colorful Paul Smith shirt……harharhar……, as usual…yaya…..

November 9, 2008

We ate dinner as a family today….the Gavino and Javier Family – all complete, the 12 of us. Remember the picture in Japan with nephews and nieces plus a set of two couples, that’s Kuya Titong and Ate Cynthia, Kuya Teboy and Ate Althea….we all met in Choi’s Garden, the former Country Waffle in Annapolis. The restaurant looks like a studio right out of the movie, Get Smart with James Bond sidings as well as modern Chinese and super baduy chandelier that sparkles to the max, even the stair railings were glass, what can you say? The food was generally good, my Chinese students told me that the pigeon was good but be careful with the msg which I didn’t feel the effects of after having a 10 course dinner. I enjoyed the shrimp roll which was wrapped in bihon and then fried – hard to eat but great for presentation, the squid and mushroom stir fry was different but excellent in taste and texture, their yang chow had lots of “sahog” and tasty but a bit oily for my tongue and for my face….the second way for the Peking duck, the minced duck meat with lettuce wrap was awesome, never had anything as good as this, had smoky, burnt flavor. Other dishes we had are tried and tested ones that are also offered in some Chinese places like steamed prawns and lapulapu …Food is always the best when you share it with the people you love…I was just happy sharing a Coke with Ate and having my nephew, JL having fun with my Yaya jokes, seeing my eldest niece, Karla who I don’t see as often as I should….This was one of those nights I would not trade for anything other.

Asianong Pastel

I made this dish for a leading condiments company but I have modified it a bit for better flavor and flair….

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I just took a four day vacation with the Gavino family to Baguio City. It was a peaceful, restful and no stress weekend with family and friends, Vlad and Teresa Reyes. JL, Joey and myself left early Friday morning at 3 am and got to the Pine City at 7 am, that was fast since there was no traffic and we took the new Tarlac-Subic Expressway. Got there just in time for breakfast with Kuya Titong, Ate Cynthia and Sarah who got their four days before us. After breakfast, took a long nap since there was very little sleep for us before the trip. After which, picked up Vlad and Teresa in the Victory Liner Stop, they took the premium airconditioned bus that I took last year when I did a demo in Baguio with the whole USDA team. I noticed that the city is really getting polluted with such a big number of jeeps, tricycles and buses going around the city, it was just normal to have a city that smells this way. That’s the reason I love staying in Baguio Country Club since I do feel the old Baguio here with all the pine trees, blooming flowers – they have milflores all over the driveway and all the good comfort stuffs that make it our vacation destination years ago. I realized there is not that much good restaurants to eat here or I was just too lazy to go around….What’s new that I got to see there….here’s a list:

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Before the brouhaha over the Bourdain arrival, I had to do photo shoots for the Christmas edition of two magazines, one I got to take pictures of, the other I totally forgot since so much of myself was part of the whole event. In other words, I just didn’t find the time to remember to get my camera.
For the other magazine, it was six different cakes and desserts that would be part of any Christmas gathering. I envisioned a repertoire of different sweet things that can be made by professionals as well as housewives. I had some real interesting cakes and a spoon dessert I made from scratch which will throw you off your seats. The desserts were; Pistachio Cream Cake with Mixed Berry Topping, Orange and Currant Bundt Cake with Candied Orange Peel, Dulce Manga, Japanese Cheesecake, Caramel Chocolate Meringue Torte and Praline Potato Torte. Are you getting hungry to eat or you just want a recipe?
I tend to be very straightforward again, at times to an advantage but at most time, not….. I have been scolded by a lot of people due to this. Aside from this, one of my recipes in Yummy Magazine, the Popcorn and Shrimp Salad was reviewed by a fellow blogger. Do check it out. And I would like to thank them for just having me in their blog.
The other shoot was a potluck party scene with nine recipes I made and wow, I was so exhausted with that shoot. I had to ask six of my students to be part of the whole look with matching clothes and entertaining personalities. I loved the recipes I made since they all came from the old files I have which was used for my 1990’s catering gigs.
Here are some for you to enjoy, cook or bake and share with friends and family.

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the night before my birthday, after having a feast at Jean-Georges’ in the Trump Plaza at Columbus Circle

Patrick, Thad and myself during my birthday last year in Prune Bistro in Manhattan.

A friend passed away, a close friend I haven’t talked to for some time because I was away and I have been busy. It’s like a dream again. It’s like eight years ago when I lost my mama and papa. My friend was good at his job, so magnificent, organized and ready to face any new project given him. I didn’t know what happened I just lost him…..
But in sadness there is happiness at the end, he is without pain and the beauty of his being is now everlasting….

Thank you, Patrick for sharing with me a part of yourself….for taking care of me and Thad while we were in the States last year, for giving me the courage to do all that you offered me because you believed so much in my ability. I know you are smiling at me right now.