t1219reggie_1 — CECILLE Chang’s Massaman Curry

We continue our survey of food finds that boost one’s pounds in the pigging-out season that is Christmas.

Papi Dolciato Gran Cuvee Frizzante is sparkling wine made from pale yellow moscato grapes. A product from Veneto, Italy, it is a good bottle of sweet wine: delicate, with sudden bursts of fruit.

Serving it very cold brings out the best in Papi: Fizzed just right, it has the perfect balance of fruity, floral and sweet.

Papi can be enjoyed any time of the day and can be paired with anything, from appetizer to dessert. It goes well with fish, crabs, spicy food, charcuterie, desserts, coconut-cream desserts, and fruits.

All my friends who’ve tried it immediately bought a box or two. My friend Sofia Co said that, for the first time, the young ones joined the oldies for a drink. It goes down like juice!

Call 0917-5094465.

Silk Road is chef Cecille Chang’s avant-garde bistro that serves innovative Thai dishes. Combining traditional cuisine with modern elements is the current trend in Bangkok, and Cecille is never far behind.

“Most dishes served at Silk Road are my own creations and cannot be found in any cookbook,” she says.

Her Thai Ravioli is to die for; it is perfect for the holiday season when most of the offerings are just too rich. It consists of sesame beef and shiitake mushrooms wrapped in freshly steamed rice paper, served with lime-garlic sauce. Chewy, meaty, sweet, lightly spiced with hints of lime, spiked with garlic, yummy.

I equally love her Lamb Shank Massaman Curry, slow-cooked for eight hours, served with crispy noodles, sweet potato chips and shallots. The bone is rich, aromatic and flavorful, especially once the fried noodles start to absorb the sauce.

If you want your dish to be the talk of the party, order these two Thai treats for your next potluck or go visit Cecille at Silk Road, BGC; tel. 8241678, 0923-4218294.

Sake Nama chocolate

Satchi Nama is chocolate truffle made of good-quality cream and chocolate from Japan. It has a new delectable variant, Sake. The sake blends merrily with the chocolate, resulting in a quite unique taste that is creamier, deeper, and with a nice earthy finish that makes you want to have another piece.

Another new flavor is Yuzu Vodka, the yuzu giving the chocolate a tart spike.

Fresh Nama chocolates come in weekly. Call 0915-7882105.

Roselyn Tiangco of Kitchen’s Best is the baker of my favorite purple yam (ube) sans rival. She now makes coffee toffee: four thick layers of airy, crisp merengue, layered generously with coffee buttercream, sprinkled with homemade toffee brittle, and drizzled lightly on top with chocolate. Imagine how good that is.

A new take on a classic is worth a try. Call 0917-8966248 or 4784870.

Dimpy’s Banana Walnut Muffin is another winner from the maker of frozen Brazo. It is banana-walnut muffin: sweet, overripe bananas mashed with cinnamon and spice, folded with walnuts; the batter poured into molds and perfectly baked.

Even days after, it remains moist and gooey in the center. Call 8438086.

Villa del Conte is by my favorite chocolate maker from Padua, Italy—Enrico Nazzareno Cattapan.

New flavors include milk chocolate with milk cream and coconut bits (delicious, very light hint of coconut, nothing that overpowers) and milk chocolate with white cream and biscuit filling. Both are delicious but then again, I haven’t tried a dome or a praline stick that Enrico makes that doesn’t taste good!

Call 8932575.

Mindoro Jumbonissa consists of giant sausages that weigh ¼ kilo each. Coming from Mindoro, they’re slightly sweet, made from a combination of pork and chicken blended with special spices. The kids like it.

Due to the sausage’s size, it is best sliced at an angle 1/3-inch thick and pan-fried, till slightly caramelized. It is served with vinegar laced with pounded garlic, chopped onions, chilies and a pinch of salt and pepper. Don’t forget the sinangag and fried egg. Call 0918-9235879.

Christmas ham

During the Christmas party of my son Diego’s football team, I brought a leg of Purefoods Spiral Ham. Everyone loved it and it was very simple to make. I am sharing the recipe with you. Merry Christmas!

1 Purefoods spiral ham

1 liter pineapple juice

Soak ham, top side down in pineapple juice overnight.

Preheat oven to 350.

Uncover baked ham and expose on a rack for 1 hour.

Remove ham and brush top side with Dijon mustard, a little of the sauce and sprinkle generously with brown sugar (approximately 2/3 cup).

Bake ham for another 30 minutes or until the sugar dissolves and forms a crust.

Serve with sauce.

Sauce:

Pineapple juice used to soak ham

2/3 c sugar

½ c raisins