You know it’s the season of ham when you go to the supermarket and several stands from commercial makers have been set up. In our house, it doesn’t seem to be Christmas without a leg to carve for breakfast prior to the main event—the Christmas Media Noche—where another leg emerges just for the party.
My brother Bong and I have varying tastes when it comes to food. It has happened a few times that the restaurant I suggest is not to his liking, and vice-versa. He brags about a certain dish, which, when I try it, I can’t understand what the big fuss is all about. He does the same about some dishes I rave about. But, we have something in common: We both love authentic French food. Having both lived in Paris for years, we were exposed to this wonderful, rich, fattening and most creative cuisine.
AHA chef instructor Philip Goulding gives a brief demonstration on the application of sous vide vacuum cooking.
Many of my fellow diners have had to patiently listen—often in mid-morsel—while I belabored the fact that I love the spicy dish but couldn’t handle how it set my mouth on fire. On a week I spent in the ancient city of Lahore in Pakistan, I had many occasions to explain this point—in between hasty gulps of water.
Now that the Christmas season is in full swing, lots of candy canes are for sale in supermarkets and, sometimes, even in bookstores. Having outgrown my childhood fondness for these colorful, peppermint treats, I’ve found other uses for them that are more suitable for grown-ups. Here are some suggestions to make the most of this season’s candy canes.
Christmas is a time for good food, and, of course, great ham. For celebrity moms Barbie Almalbis-Honasan, Suzi Entrata-Abrera and Danica Sotto-Pingris, the Noche Buena ham is festive food that delights both kids and adults in their families.
When this diner walked into a Japanese restaurant in the Mall of Asia (MOA) on Diokno Boulevard recently, little did we know that the restaurant belongs to the same chain where we had a good lunch in Cebu three weeks ago. As such, both specialize in Yakiniku (grilled meat), cooked on a griddle over charcoal.
Well, there’s no getting away from the season of giving. So, if you’re looking for a perfect holiday gift for your foodie friends, grab these lip-smacking food books and they will thank you no end.
In a previous column, I suggested that Capiz is only 45 minutes away by plane and that perhaps one can fly there in the morning, enjoy the local dishes in this seafood capital of the country, the diwal and oysters, for instance, and then go back on the last flight.
With 10 days left till Christmas, here are my holiday finds to enjoy or to give as gifts.
