MRS. HOWARD?S MAKES cinnamon rolls that are nice and chewy, oozing with syrup and have a ?bread-y? bite to them.

The key to enjoying cinnamon rolls, when reheated, is to pop them for a minute or two in a toaster oven. Reheating in a microwave will toughen the rolls as they cool.

If you like crab stick, their Kani Sandwich on homemade Swirled Herb-and-Onion Buns is worth a try.

Both cinnamon rolls and swirl buns come in four sizes (tel. 0917-5325897). The buns are great any which way you decide to consume them and both could be kept frozen for a long period before reheating and serving.

?Sardinas-style bangus?

Do you have a recipe for sardinas-style bangus, the one in olive oil? I am trying to perfect my recipe and maybe you could give me tips on how you make them. I wish to give and sell them for the holidays. With the cost of things these days, I think it is more meaningful and economical to make something from my kitchen than buying gifts from a store.

PS: Do you have a bottle supplier?

GLADYS

I hope this recipe helps. I?ve played around with this many times and the results are always fantastic.

I add fennel to give it a nice subtle hint of anise; whole garlic (how could one go wrong with garlic); lots of whole shallots, soy sauce to give it a nice amber hue; red and green peppercorns to represent the colors of Christmas and, of course, for flavor.

The combination of rum and brandy, I found out, brings about a twist in taste, giving it character.

Of course, it is entirely up to you if you wish to add all these ingredients. But just once, maybe you should try it. It is interesting!

Other things I?ve done might be of interest to you.

Rice bran oil instead of olive oil. For slow and long periods of cooking, I like the way how it keeps its color and taste. It is great for deep frying, too (495? F smoking point). Research shows it is rich in vitamin E, high in oryzanol and monounsaturated fatty acid and contains zero transfatty acids.

Sometimes, I combine rice bran and olive olive for taste?50/50 ratio. For rice bran oil, go to Bigasan at Trinoma and Market Market or Benzon Tan (tel. 0916-3304223).

I was surprised to find out, when I taught a similar recipe in class that many of my students just piled the fish directly on their cookers, layer after layer. Doing this makes the fish very difficult to handle, separate and kept whole once cooked.

What I do is make racks using small barbecue sticks, measured to fit into my perfect cooker: 3 racks, to make 3 layers, tied together leaving a clearance of 1? inches for the fish to fit in to (Refer to photo on page D4.)

So what is a perfect cooker? It is a pressurized airtight mechanism I use primarily to cook a whole pot of rice in less than eight minutes, to soften my meat and make my stews, especially when in class, given time constraint.

I do a lot of direct cooking. By switching the dial to steam, I brown the meat, then sauté onions and garlic, add liquid and put on the lid.

I then switch the dial to my preferred setting and once time?s up, remove the lid, return the dial back to steam and continue to simmer until the stew is ready. This way, I never lose out on flavor and have less to clean up. This cooker (call Judy Uy at 0918-9292929) works like a charm.

For bottles, order from Resty Ocampo of San Miguel (tel. 0917-8050870). He serves you with a smile.

?Bangus? in oil

1 k bangus, about 4 inches long, your choice to keep the head or not.

4-6 pc dried chilies

2 tbsp sugar

? c soy sauce

2 bay leaves (laurel)

5 whole cloves

1 c each of whole garlic cloves; carrots, thinly sliced into discs; whole shallots, peeled; 1 c fennel, chopped; pickle relish

1 tbsp salt

? c brandy and ? c rum, or 1 c brandy or 1 c rum

1 tbsp each of whole green and pink or black peppercorns

1 L rice bran or olive oil, plus, minus

Clean bangus. Do not scale.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Put bangus on racks. Lay rack on perfect or pressure cooker.

Pour rest of the ingredients, then pour more oil, fish should be submerged in an inch of oil.

Cook for 45 minutes-1 hour on pressure cooker or turn to maximum setting on perfect cooker.

Classes

Get discounts for my Thanksgiving and Holiday Cooking Class Promos.

I will be teaching in Davao and will be conducting my Mindanao Culinary Heritage Tour in February 2010 (tel. 9289296, 9273008, 6474744, 0908-2372346).

E-mail the author at raspiras@inquirer. com.ph