Chefie’s World

I haven’t been writing any post for the past month, and I just realized that there was no entry for February. If I would not write for a week for the plain reason that I was busy, not being able to write for a month means I am even busier than busy…get it….why should I be complaining when tons of people are losing work and here I am with so much more work for three people to do. So, is this the only reason I have….yup and pure laziness.

I just get bored with the routine having to do the same thing over and over again. Even my programs in school I change when I get totally bored so at times, some students are lucky to get this new recipe for a Lemon Lime Butter Cake with Pistachio Flavored Whipped Cream and Fresh Strawberry or should I be generous to share, the Javier Tapa…wow, I get so hungry at this time of the night.

Tremendous work, aside from the teaching classes which I truly enjoy, I am back to the one art that I also have fun doing, food styling. Quite a practice for me since I have this method that I cook the exact recipe to the letter and then fix it from there to become more artistic…..dealing with a variety of photographers, art directors, set stylists and friends who just come to become a great source of laughter or the latest gossip moving around town. I am truly happy with the friendships I have due to this craft. Hope you get to see my work soon.

I am also back again teaching at the USDA Culinary Theater for three American produce companies, the US Poultry and Egg Council, US Dry Pea and Lentil Council, US Dry Beans Council. In one of my demos, I had a US Embassy guest, so I had to speak English for three hours straight, wow…my nose just flew away, walang nosebleed…..And an interesting question was thrown by one, “ Why do chefs love to get or pinch their salt with their fingers, when they can always use a small spoon? I guess the main answer is being human and being tactile, we always want to feel salt and through that sense, one can measure better….my pinch is different from yours…Do you have a better answer than mine? Share it with me, leave it in the comments part of my blog.

Then I started teaching last Thursday….A new group of a mixture and blend of old and young, serious and not, courteous or just plain innocent….After almost three or four months of taking culinary, they still don’t get it…and I have another question, Why do more and more people now don’t read simple procedures….I have a group that relies on one girl and the whole group call each other “girl” Another group is still some place in time, they are not organize, no one seems to lead the group. Clueless shell reverse group is slow but sure and comes out with great work, I just don’t know if they have any memory of what they just did.

Anyway, it’s 12:32am, I am about to sleep, affected by Francis M’s death especially when I saw Joey de Leon crying his heart out and lastly, can I share, tonight’s episode of Maalala Mo Kaya had an old couple who loved each other until death….made me shed a few tears…..I miss Mama and Papa…

Buy Yummy Magazine March Issue, I really look good even wearing a polo that is 18 years old.

Best Chocolate Cake as of tonight: Rosanna – in La Vista – 9293872
Recipe of the Week:

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Happy New Year to all of you, my readers!

I just got back from a five day vacation in the beautiful island of Batanes. I can not fully describe to you how magical, wonderful and totally heavenly this place is but the pictures I took will try to. I planned this trip three months ago, wanting to go there for as long as I can remember. I always thought of Batanes as the Philippines’ version of Scotland and I was right but the feeling of it being in our country is just too much. We took a Seair flight at 6 am that arrives in Basco after an hour and a half and from the airport, went straight to the best place one should stay in, Fundacion Pacita, owned by the Abad family, this was the late artist Pacita Abad’s studio and is now a high end inn where the view of the South China Sea and the mountains of Tukon, Batanes is at your side the whole time.
I am just too overwhelmed with all the beauty that was in the island, everything was just naturally heaven on earth.
After two hours of resting, we left for an island tour which included, most of the sights in Batan Island; Tukon Radar Station, Ivatan Fortress, Valugan Boulder Beach which was full of big round rocks, Naidi Hills that had a light house, and Rolling Hills. Great sights, greenery, cows grazing and the coldness of the weather was just right. We also had a very good tour guide, Roger and a van with a driver, Homer who gave in to all our request. We also dropped by a fishing village where I slipped and fell and bruised my right hand, first accident of the day…..everything was just right, then it rained, became very windy and cold, so we had dinner at the Fundacion of very fresh steamed parrot fish with chop suey, pako salad ( ferns which is abundant in the island ) and rice. More Batanes posts to follow soon.

It was a thousand days ago that Joseph, our Manila Bulletin coordinator of articles asked me to do a spread on Christmas cakes ranging from easy to a medium difficulty. Of course, since it is the season of giving, I didn’t negate his request. I came out with desserts all kitchen tested, scrumptiously tasted and more. I made for the easy ones; Strawberry Crisp and Pineapple Miracle since most of the layered cake where difficult to do for the first time baker. Then we made Pistachio Cream Cake, Chocolate Tablea Cake, Cranberry Cheesecake, Sticky Mango Pudding and Dulce de Leche Walnut Pie.
I am recreating the recipes that were featured there so that you can do the same in your home before Christmas or New Year. Enjoy and keep baking!

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To all my readers, family, friends and students,

The beauty of the season is to remember that I will always be a part of your life, whether good or bad there was a great experience you had with me. We get to understand more of ourselves by the people we meet, the people we love and those who are not worthy, but to express one’s joy in the food we make will forever be part of that wonderful memory. The last posts share with you the best recipes I have I hope you continue to enjoy visiting me here.

By the way for our Noche Buena we are having the following:

Smoked Salmon with Capers Mustard Sauce
Russian Salad as requested by the Gavino Children

Roast Turkey with my Relleno Stuffing
Giblet Port Gravy
Dried Cranberry Mush

Callos

Royal Lapu-Lapu

Christmas Ham from the Cruzes

Mushroom Risotto

Simple….yup but there’s another meal to follow……………..

I was in Davao since last Thursday to do a cooking/baking demonstration for Gaisano Mall of Davao. This was requested two months ago and it has finally materialized. You know it usually is before or after Chrismas am I in Davao…I love it…I really like going there except for…………Getting back to the real reason I was there, Friday was just for preparation of the recipe, ingredients and tasting portions to feed at least 250 people who would go and watch. The grocery has been having a display and promotion of Western American products and part of this was my demonstration. I did Rye Pecan Bread, Fruit and Oatmeal Cookies, Fig and Walnut Bars and Honey Corn Muffins, all with products coming from WUSATA which stands for Western United States Agricultural Trade Associations. Although the stage was quite high, I think I was effective in presenting new ingredients to be made in to popular or common baked goodies, variations were also talked about during the events. Since the mall had a midnight sale, we had quite a number of participants and wonderers ( wondering what was going on ) but still wanted a sample of whatever I was presenting. I was helped by four graduates of our Intensive Cooking and Baking Program in Davao who were very efficient, quick and industrious, super sipag, I didn’t have to detail them with the work they had to do. Also, the witches or should I say girls of CACS Davao were there…Tita Butz, Agnes the Witch, Jovie, Yaya Cita came to advertise and market the school. A fulfilling and tiring event just a few days away from the season of plenty. Enjoy the recipes!

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December 20, 2008

I received a text from ironchef jabes if it would be good for him to give my cell number to a kapuso researcher looking for a chef who makes healthy desserts. Of course, during the season of plenty, I obliged and got myself to confirm a shoot without asking permission from the school about it. This was a Sunday and the filming would be the next day. I only had four hours to research – healthy dessert for a talent who wants to eat less this Christmas season. I decided to use the desserts that I taught in a class two dozen full moons ago and it really did give me an idea to be a bit more creative.

It appeared last night and all I can say is I look just like Santa without the white beard but with no neck too. I was so fat on television….I felt blotted but anyway, I enjoyed making the variation para naman hindi siya corny….the main dessert shown was my Mango Fruit Snow but I actually made two more good tasting desserts with less calories, good for you ingredients and very textural so theirs a play in the mouth as they say.

Mango Fruit Snow is a light dessert with a mango gelatine base where meringues was folded in to make it appealing, its like ice cream for people with no teeth. Decorated with strawberries, kiwis and more mango. I am not using too much sugar but a bit of Splenda.

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With over three months of preparation, this dinner for 350 persons sit down plated 8 course for the benefit of my student’s movie Ploning was one of my most exciting events to do. The whole school with batch 18 MWF AM class and some from the PM class were part of the three day preparation and actual dinner.

A few weeks before the dinner, I volunteered myself to Gino that I could do the chocolate pralines for the dinner and he obliged, giving me full responsibility with it. With Toto in command and heading the catering team, I knew that it would just flow through with all his experience in big functions here and in Davao, he was the right choice. But he did give me another responsibility which was creating the dessert from what was given by Chef Gene. I tested three different cakes with a variation of amounts with regard to black pepper. Oh by the way the dessert would be three components….a flourless black pepper chocolate cake, tomato ice cream with balsamic cream and poached pears with coffee mascarpone stuffing….it would be good together and individually, one blending just right with the other. I was also assigned to be the leader in plating this dessert which I eagerly said yes to.

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I am in three food magazines this month, isn’t that a great Xmas gift to have? I am totally elated for these, with all the hard work that I had to do during the whole month of October after arriving from America, all the results are finally showing up. In Food Magazine, my USDA class was featured since it was a poultry class, a new take on what to serve this Christmas season is seen. I didn’t like my picture since it showed a very ugly profile, one with my bald spot together with my triple chin but the food looked great. Also, only one of the recipes is yours truly, all the others were part of my training from foreign chefs which is part of being a USDA chef-trainer. Chef Richard Reuben’s Turkey roll, Chef Andy Gold’s Duck Pate and Chef Pang’s Stuffed Turkey plus my Barbecue Cornish Hen were what I did. My most exciting magazine spread was the Potluck Party section in Yummy magazine, this was a very tiring shoot since had to do the food and take care of the photo session in Ate Cynthia’s house but all disappears when I saw the article, it had great looking pictures, appetizing dishes and gorgeous students. Enjoyed all the emotions showing in the picture especially my shot on the desserts, were you not craving for that mango meringue….Lastly, this one I haven’t seen yet but have a whole post about it….Flavors’ December issue has my Strawberry – Pistachio Cream Cake on the cover and 5 other cakes inside….one of my best dessert compilation is here. It made my week to be featured in three magazines this month. It has really enforced the beauty of what I love to do….Try to get the magazines, it has all of my best recipes compiled during the last 15 years….you know what made me feel so bad? On a visit to a bookstore, I saw an interesting book made by a school and when opened it I saw my Foccacia bread recipe on it, complete as original, no changes in amounts, ingredients nor procedure and the author stated that the recipe belongs to their family. It’s just so devastating that it happened while I was feeling the effects of the three magazine features. Har, har, it’s fine just goes to show how small the world really is….. Enjoy!

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?