Soothe Stress, Bake Yourself Happy

When you are stressed , food is not necessarily the answer. Well, not eating it anyway. There's something about baking that I'm finding quite nourishing these days. It's quite a stress-reducing activity. I found baking had a calming effect on me without knowing that was what it was doing. I love chocolate chip cookies, anything with chocolate will do, really! But a traditional favorite comfort cookie loaded with semi-sweet chocolate chips, will take you to a whole new level! These chocolate chip cookies are great...you get a double dose of chocolate. Baking chocolate chip cookies is relaxing for several reasons.

First, there is the aromatherapy: Anytime you combine ingredients such as vanilla extract, cinnamon, chocolate and butter, spread them out on a cookie sheet and insert them into a hot oven, your house filled with a sweet scent that reminds you of childhood, Christmas and other pleasantly nostalgic associations. Second, baking keeps your hands busy, making it nearly impossible to multitask. With your fingers covered in gooey dough, checking your messages is pretty much out of the question. When you are up to your elbows in batter and chocolate, you are more likely inclined to miss phone calls. What's more, although baking doesn't require a huge amount of mental effort, it is very good for focusing the mind because it often relies on very exact measurements, consulting of recipes and coordinating of various mechanical tasks (attaching the proper blade to the mixer, setting up a double boiler to melt some chocolate) require just enough thought to keep you from dwelling too heavily on non-baking concerns. Having complete focus on a recipe and not allowing yourself to be distracted by your thoughts can have a therapeutic affect. It's nice to know that something as simple as baking chocolate chip cookies has such a positive effect on our emotions.

Another reason baking makes me feel good is because I can make things for someone else. It's not just the physical process of baking that can soothe the mind but also the rewards I get when baking for others. It's the selfless nature of spending time creating something for another person that can really affect us in a positive way. We often bake for people as an expression of love, whether to cheer them up, celebrate an occasion or 'just because' and because of this baking takes on a more important meaning than just creating deliciousness - it becomes a means of communicating.

All in all, baking is very therapeutic for me. Sometimes just baking for a loved one for no reason at all is enough to make you feel better, because you're taking care of them. The end result is usually delicious, and sometimes smiles back if I want it to. There is nothing better to lift the spirits than getting complimented on something you have spent your time creating for someone else to enjoy. So, next time you're feeling down, pick up that rolling pin and bake us something gooey and delicious, after all, in many countries, making and giving food is an expression of love. Come on, you know you want to!

Bocas: Like Dying and Going to Pastry Heaven

The last week was one whole week of pigging out with so many reunions happening over the holidays. My reunion with some friends was made sweeter at Bocas Modern Patisserie. We were very fortunate to try out French pastries at a patisserie shop owned by a French chef. I discovered Bocas in Instagram when one of the people I followed posted a mouth watering cake. Of course who would not want to know which place that cake was from when it’s very instagrammable?

What I love about Bocas is they go with everything unusual, something that the Cebuanos haven’t tried before. It is the newest slice of heaven in town. The interior design of the shop is great, evoking a predominantly industrial-like vibe (although the place is quiet small), providing a charming set-up. The ambiance gave me a feeling like I was in a different country. The designs are very nice, picturesque, featuring its own intricate details. Basically, their concept is classic French pastry presented in stylish and contemporary forms, using modern techniques and textures, showcased in a modern looking chiller.

It is an intimate shop where folks can enjoy their dessert choices while pairing it with a selection of coffee, tea, homemade soda and sparkling wine, to name a few. The place is a good dating spot for couples looking for a bit of privacy and coziness. The place is also perfect for a little "me time" while having dessert and coffee (be sure to bring a good book with you). It felt like France came to Cebu.

After tasting their desserts, my view of desserts changed. I took my first bite and it felt like I died and went to dessert heaven. It just melted in my mouth and had just the right touch of sweetness. They don't taste like the cakes and pastries we can readily buy in most shops. They're almost beyond what I tasted before, a fusion of the classic and contemporary. Dessert fanatics can expect classic French pastries with a twist as it is uniquely presented in a modern and stylish fashion. You will surely crave for their scrumptious desserts served French style.

Modern techniques and textures showcased in a modern looking chiller.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Chocolate Genoise, Coconut Mousse, Caramel Mousse

Chou Chantilly

Croquantine Chocolate Biscuit Chocolate Cream Mousse & Glaze

Eclair, French Vanilla Cream Fondant

Malagos Cacao

Yule Log

There's nothing like a touch of sweetness in one’s life for an added dose of flavor. At Bocas Modern Patisserie, desserts aren’t just the cherry on top of one’s day, but rather it is the highlight.

A Perfect Sunday Lunch

I enjoy food, there's no doubt about that! I am also quick to compliment anybody,  relative or friend, who can cook and whip up an excellent, mean dish. I don't claim to be a good cook myself and even admit that I am only a mediocre cook, but an expert "eater."

I, however, come from a family who are experts at cooking. My family loves Caldereta. It is a dish that has been adapted from the Spanish during their Philippine occupancy from 1521 to 1898 and us Filipino’s did not waste any of our time making our own version. Caldereta is goat meat stewed with vegetables that may include tomatoes, potatoes, olives, bell peppers and hot peppers. As special at it may seem, preparing something like this takes some time, for the meat to tenderize, and patience. But it is all worth the wait.

Preparing this Filipino goat meat stew does not need to be so complicated. Before you know it, this will be your favorite dish to prepare.

You will need:

2 tbsps  Cooking Oil (for sauteing)
2 tbsps  Garlic (crushed)
1/4 cup  Onion (sliced)
500 grams Goat Meat (preferably short ribs, cut up)
2 cups Water   
3/4 cup  Potato (cut into chunks)
3/4 cup Carrots (cut into chunks)
3/4 cup Saba (cut into chunks)
1 pc Laurel leaf
1/2 tsps Salt   
1/4 tsp Black Pepper   
1 pc Siling Labuyo (sliced, optional)
1/2 cup Green Peas (cooked or frozen)
1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper    (cut into strips)
1/4 cup Green Bell Pepper (cut into strips)
1 pouch (200 grams) Tomato Sauce

The secret in preparing a good Caldereta is all in the meat. Using high quality meat can make or break the outcome of your dish. Since goat meat is not readily available in the market, beef can be used as an alternative and you can make "Bakareta" instead.

The trick in cooking Caldereta is browning the meat and making use of the part that caramelizes at the bottom of the pot to enhance the flavor of the broth. This will leave you with a broth that's richly flavored, providing a great taste to your Caldereta. Immediately add cooking oil after the meat is removed. Saute garlic and onions. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours or until meat is tender.

Add Tomato Sauce, potato, carrots, laurel leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and turn down heat to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add green peas, saba and bell peppers. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve hot over a HUGE bed of rice. The fact that Caldereta tastes way better when reheated the next day, makes it a great and time saving party alternative.

I would love to put more words for this dish but Caldereta is now being served at the dining table. The tantalizing aroma is calling out to me “come and indulge!” What the heck! It is the weekend, after all!

Right, off I go now... but before that let me remind you to put some extra cups of rice in the rice cooker. Happy eating!

Breakfast Heaven: Chewy, Crispy, Gooey, Reddish, Sticky Mess!

I was craving for big, fat, stubby chorizo last week --- another one on my food memories, one that's sure to last me a lifetime (what is it with food that brings back so many good memories of childhood?). My Mama Lily used to make the best chorizos, I kid you not! I haven’t tasted any other chorizo in the world close to the ones she used to make.

Her chorizo are stubby links of sausages that's sweet and has just a wee bit of spice into it. She used lots of garlic and paprika giving it a bit of the spicy kick.

Basic chorizo recipe (although this does not give justice to the kind Mama Lily made):

You will need:

    1 kg ground pork
    1 1/2 tsp iodized salt
    1 1/2 tsp vinegar
    2 tsp bread crumbs
    1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    2 tsp all purpose seasoning (eg Knorr Aromat)
    2 tsp paprika
    3 tsp garlic, minced
    250 g (0.55 lb) brown sugar
    sausage wrapper (optional)

    Prepare the sausage wrapper. If you’re going to use sausage casing, prepare it by soaking it in cold water for about 30 minutes for it to soften. After which, you have to run water through it to remove excess salt. Don’t forget to check for leaks. On the other hand, if you don’t want to use a sausage wrapper, you can also roll the chorizo into balls.
   
    Season ground meat with salt, pepper, all-purpose seasoning,paprika and brown sugar. Add minced garlic and vinegar. Mix well.

    Stuff your casing or wrapper with your meat mixture. Form links as desired.
  

These "native" chorizos have a different way of cooking and eating. Place the chubby, stubby links in a pan and pour enough water to come about halfway up the sides of the links.  Simmer over medium-to-high heat, turning the sausages until all the water evaporates, about 5 to 10 minutes, and keep an eye on “air pockets”, which you will need to prick with a toothpick to release the air. Beware of the fat that shoots out of those pockets, though.

Add oil and fry until golden brown. Serve the chorizo over steaming hot rice and toss it around to allow the caramelized-casing-goodness of the chorizo marry with the rice.

So, after days of searching for the perfect "native" chorizo, I finally found the kind I was craving for (similar, but not quite like Mama Lily's, but close enough) at the local grocery. It was breakfast for dinner once again! Steaming hot rice, eggs sunny-side-up. Chubby, stubby sausages charred to a crisp.



 
The result? Chewy, crispy, gooey, reddish, sticky mess! Yum! Dinner was what I called a chorizo style breakfast heaven!

Lunch break at work today and I have no idea what to eat for lunch. So I asked myself what the best thing I ever ate was? It seemed easy enough, until I realized I have no ready answer. I closed my eyes and reached far back into my memories, willing something — anything — to rise to the surface. I made a deal with myself, the first one I remember most probably is the best, or at the very least, one of the best.

All of a sudden, I am a kid again, finding myself stepping into Ta Eve's kitchen, being nourished with a meal cooked with lots of love.... pochero!!! Oh. Sweet. Heaven. It was always perfect. It was chunks of beef shanks — bone marrow in, fat, meat, litid (tendon) gently boiled for hours until the meat is so tender it just falls off the bone if you so much as nudge it with your fork. It sits serenely, in individual soup bowls, like a king in clear broth so tasty (and somewhat greasy), needing little else than plain white rice (admittedly and decadently, heaps of it.)

Ta Eve's pochero would make you want to save every bit of your appetite to savor every last bite of it. It is sublime and simple, the way this dish has been made. There is no great manner upon which it must be enjoyed to the hilt either; in fact, it seems all so natural and ordinary. The basic rules of enjoying good soup apply — you sip the broth steaming hot just right. You “ooh” and “aah” and smile at the sheer pleasure of a good meal that is, in your heart blessing the cook and whoever came up with such perfection. Nothing like a comforting bowl of soup... this was a HOME RUN!

Then you reach that point when you know you must already start enjoying it with and on rice, so you spoon some more of the broth over the grains (adding a dash of Kikkoman), taking some meat that's just FALLING OFF the bone, pushing that beautiful, perfect spoonful past your lips and into your mouth. Simply put, the Ta Eve's pochero was like this bad boy every young girl is told to stay away from but can’t. 

It was, hands down, the best thing I ever ate. “Heartwarming” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when you talk about Ta Eve's pochero. However, a meal like this shared with family really is all that’s needed for a heartwarming meal.

To this day, we still do Pochero Sundays, however enjoying it with a less wanton than I used to. See, the reality is that I should not be mindlessly eating copious amounts of bone marrow and fat as often as I want to. These are special treats, to be had only once in a while. Only teenagers can afford to do that.

Thankfully the original recipe was handed down from generation to generation and we are still able to maintain the taste (and smell) that brings back a lot of wonderful memories. I am glad we are able to do that. Some things change, but really, some things are so good they just have to stay the same.

Of Eggs and Milk: Leche Flan ni Charing

Let me start by assuring you that my Lola Charing's Leche Flan is the smoothest, creamiest, most melt-in-your-mouth Leche Flan you’ll ever have the pleasure of trying. As opposed to Creme Brulee (a custard with a hard caramel topping), Leche Flan or Creme Caramel, is a dessert made from milk and eggs with a soft caramel topping. This egg-milk mixture is then placed in a llanera, an oval-shaped tin pan, to steam. Custard cups or ceramic ramekins are now used for convenience.

This custard dessert is in the menu of most restaurants because of its shelf life and is convenient to prepare. In our household, my Leche Flan is the top dessert of all time. It really is so rich and heavenly; everyone in our family would always request for me to make Leche Flan, whenever an occasion calls for it. In our family, everyday is an occasion and Leche Flan is how far my kitchen skills go.

To make the perfect leche flan, you will need a lot of practice and patience. It takes some luck (and practice, of course!) to make it just right so that the flan will hold its shape when removed from the mould, still turning out creamy and firm.

To quote a friend "Your Leche Flan is the best I've tasted. 10 thumbs up!"

The Best Pork and Beans Ever

Here's a little story about this bean dish....it will always remain a memory. I remember this "bechuelas" dish as a little girl, somewhere between the age of 5-10. Every summer, my cousins and I would take swimming lessons at the local YMCA, which is near Mamang's house (Mamang's our maternal grandmother, btw). Swimming day would mean a treat (more like a meal, really!) after our lessons. We would all troop down to my grandmother's house where she would welcome all about 7-10 of us and nourish our little tired and worn bodies (we had an "Army Seargeant" for a swimming coach, you would think he was training us for the Olympics).

No one will ever forget Mamang's pork and beans. They were the best beans and we would eagerly wait in line for our share. Through the years, we have kept the recipe of this ultra-savory bean dish. She has passed on to eternity, but the memory has never faded. Every so often I like to surprise my mom (especially) with this dish.

Mamang's Homemade Pork and Beans

White kidney beans
Pork belly slices
Large onion chopped
Whole head of garlic
Tomato sauce'
Cheese cubes

1. Soak your beans in water overnight. Drain and rinse
2. In a large pot, boil your beans, pork, and garlic until both pork and beans are tender.
3. Add chopped onion and tomato sauce.
4. Simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Boil for another few minutes and add the cheese.

Long and slow cooking is the secret to good beans. It might look like a lot of work, but it's all done in stages. Once it's put together in the pot, you can forget about it until it's time to eat.. the taste is worth it and Mamang's legacy lives on.

Mango Tango: Cupcakes That Are Like Gifts of Gold

Mangoes are my and my mom's favorite fruit. I'm crazy about mangoes, green or ripe. I'll eat them because I crave them. As soon as summer comes every year, I just need to have my daily fix of mangoes. Not one bit of the mango (except the skin and the seed of course!) go to waste when it's cut up and served on the table to eat. I even used to snack on green mangoes dipped in a vinegar-soy sauce-salt mixture (Yum!)

When I came across Mango cupcakes on G.Licious, I knew I just had to get them for Mother's Day, and to my surprise these cupcakes were really delicious and moist. These cupcakes brim with the golden fruit, from the cake to the creamy and luscious buttercream, offering the fragrant mango scent I was looking for. Topped with a sliver of fresh tangy mango, gives a wonderful texture contrast waking up your senses.

Taking a bite of this mango-overload of a cuppie put a huge smile on this gal's face. It let me appreciate the simplicity of a baked goodie that used a single ingredient to create it's flavor. These cupcakes are just deliciously sinful. Overall, I was pretty happy... mango-liciousness achieved!

Cravings Satisfied at Pino!

Our whole team agreed to have lunch out of the office at least once a month. I have always loved Filipino dishes and for this month, the restaurant of our choice was Pino!, located on Wilson St. in Lahug, Cebu City. In Cebuano, the word "pino" is used as an adjective to mean fine or refined. As a restaurant, Pino!, signifies the owners' dedication to serve the best Filipino cuisine in the classiest way possible.

The moment we entered the place, I knew we were up for something good. From the Colonial-period interior design to their combination of Filipino and Spanish dishes with an Oyster Bar and dessert buffet with bottomless iced tea at an affordable price of P299... I wasn't disappointed.

Recommended dishes at Pino Filipino Cuisine Restaurant:

Calamares are slices of fresh squid dipped in Japanese batter and deep fried for a very crispy result.

Chicken Relleno is a boneless chicken stuffed with a mix of pork, ham, sausages, relish and cheese.

Kalderetang Baka is a classic Filipino dish of chunks of beef ribs simmered in garlic, onions, tomato sauce and bay leaves. Cubes of potatoes, carrots and bell peppers are added to enhance the color of the dish.

Halaan is a clam broth cooked with ginger and tomatoes.

Bam-i is a noodle dish of Cebuanos. It is a concotion of egg noodles and vermicelli noodles with strips of pork, seafoods and vegetables.

Paella Negra calls for squid ink in white rice with olive oil, garlic, paprika, green peppers and seafood broth. The dish's dark color comes from squid ink which also enhances its seafood flavor.

Bistek Tagalog is the Filipino beef steak. These are thin slices of tender beef, simmered in a marinade of soy sauce, calamansi (Philippine lemon), and pepper.

Brazo de Mercedes cubes are meringue cubes with a faint flavor of native lime and a filling of egg yolk-based pastry cream.

Maja Blanca con Mais is a soft cake of steamed coconut cream with corn.

At the end of our lunch break, I finally had my cravings fully satisfied. So delicious I wanted to go back the next day for another round of an eat all you can buffet that's distinctly Cebuano in taste, full of flavor, sinfully irresistible... the kind that reminds you of food prepared at home by Grandma.