Chefie’s World

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It has to be spelled with just one “O” since it is French, any other spelling is not. Everybody has an eager fondness, a sudden crush and ultimate liking with this French petits fours….all high end as well as hotel bakeshops are making their versions. My first macaron was from Payard which was 10years ago at that time, I didn’t even know what it was. Since then, I have been trying one wherever I see it. I also have tested countless recipes to get the correct taste, texture as well as lightness. The filling is another story…all these was answered by my recent study trip with Chef Eric Perez. Asian baked goods are very colourful as seen with the striking look of his macarons. He has perfected the making of it that he sells more and more of it around Asia….His flavours starts from the common pistachios or chocolate to the more exquisite, raspberry, melon and others….Totally, divine and the best!

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Finally, they have arrived, after many sleepless months, thinking and dreaming on what ever happened to my balikbayan boxes, it came in yesterday, April 14…my, my, my…..one of the boxes left November 21, 2009 the others a week after I left America. So what happened…well, they had a problem with shipping them before Christmas so it just stayed in New Jersey until first week of February, maybe nobody wanted to send it to America. Then upon arrival here first week of March, it had some more weeks in the Customs warehouse for another round of waiting due to some freight charges problem. My trainers who asked me to buy Al Pacino Scarface shoes and Puma slip ons waited so long for them as well as nephew, Eric for his Nike walking shoes. So here they are…sleepless nights yes, since it has a lot of pastry and baking books, some worth 300 dollars – classic no longer printed and the Spanish dessert books not available here – Torreblanca, Adria, Morato the latest books for desserts…then I have over 20 chocolate molds for a new business I will let you know about soon. Aside from my old clothes and underwear that still smells so good…sarap ng amoy ng galing US….amoy mabangon, one you can’t even describe…basta alam mo lang galing America. I have my old reliable Dr.Martens walking shoes there and my favourite wool sweater that I wear for winter or when it’s just too cold. The boxes came well sealed and nothing happened to them. Masaya na ako….I can sleep now….peacefully after I fix all of these abundance…

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It’s a place not so far from Manila, left Tuesday afternoon with a truck load of food, got to Anilao just in time for darkness. The beauty of the surroundings at night was magnificent….enjoyed the relaxing time to sleep, chat and be with people you just love being with. Cooked a little, barley mushroom soup, and reheated some agachonas. When you are with the right company, there ‘ s nothing much to ask for.

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Weird title for a post right? But I was captivated by Dada’s big Ensaimada….after the blog on the most wanted ensaymada came out, my student and hopefully, friend na rin, Carol Santos suggested I try her friend’s baked creation. So two Sundays ago, she came to school for a lunch buffet and there it was, Ensaimadada’s big, around 4 inch diameter not as big as Pastelleria Mallorca’s….I got hooked, I ate the whole piece before sleeping and I was dreaming of it together with the rich and pungent queso de bola …so wanted to order more. But Carol who I know adores me, said she only makes it when she is free and she has a regular job, so I told her to please let me know when she will be baking again. Middle of the week, I get a text from Carol, that Dada is making this weekend, of course I ordered and it had to be six so I can share with the other parts of my body, hahaha…I kept 4 and gave the 2 pcs to Atty and Jesusa….grabe it tastes better than the first, you know, it has so much butter on it, parang she soaks it like Babas….anyway, if you want to try the best one ever, let me know……

Ensaimadadas
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The system of cooking and baking has to be really organized….that is what baking has taught me. There has to be an organized plan to do everything. This again, I learned recently after a 8 day course with Chef Eric Perez in Bangkok…Macaron Pastry Training Center started some 2 years ago, he wanted to share his more than 20 years of hotel pastry and dessert work to everyone in Asia. I have gone through training with him for the USDA Council of Chefs and he showed me how efficient and well knowledgeable he is of his chosen work…One of the best in the world for me….very well synchronize, everything just flowing, how I wish I could continue going through training with him. At least it is not as far as America and not as expensive. I was very fortunate that I we were only two in most of the classes so I got him with all the attention that I needed.
Bangkok was especially very warm and hot, I would walk everyday for the first 4 days since early morning is not as horrible as the afternoons when the heat was boiling. I learned so much. Wish you can join me when I come back.

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It’s middle of March and I am still writing about events that happened middle of February but I have to share this with all my readers. I had all these for breakfast last Valentine’s day and each is a representation of the comfort food I truly enjoy. My pork barbecue with java rice and Reyes atchara from Alex III, cereals with my lactose free skim milk and pinipig suman from Rosalie’s of Marilao, Bulacan that my student Nanette gives me….sarap….and I can finish that in 20 – 30 minutes. I always have a very heavy breakfast since I have the whole day to burn it. Now that I also work out almost everyday, I know and feel it will be gone as I daily work activities….but you know, my food pyramid is inverted, if I eat this for breakfast, I can skip lunch but will eat a full and heavy dinner. So that’s another reason why I sleep later than late.

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Every year I finished my part of our professional course with plated desserts, this culminates all of the pastry and baking principles that I have taught to them for the past 8 months. This batch was fulfilling because I have never seen beautiful desserts like these….maybe because they have a good teacher or better yet, teachers…hahaha…but I am so so proud remove the intrigues and gossips, this job, this vocation is really worth it.

See the pictures and savour then salivate…..

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the crepe cake and flourless chocolate cake

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the brunch host – elephant group leaders

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allan’s eggs benedict

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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…..

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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…

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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.