AHA chef instructor Philip Goulding gives a brief demonstration on the application of sous vide vacuum cooking.
The Mindanao floods and their rising death toll (957 as of this writing) and their terrible damage to property and resources may have dampened the Christmas cheer. But paradoxically, it is compelling people to return to the simplicity of Christmas and elicited another form of downpour—a downpour of charity and giving.
No matter how much I think I already know about cooking, I always learn something new whenever I attend a cooking demonstration. More so if the one doing the presentation is someone like Dorothy Ferreria, a cooking teacher and excellent baker with many years of kitchen experience behind her.
Physical therapist-turned-chocolatier Raul Matias shook up the local confection scene with his Eurasian fusion gourmet chocolates. Most of his discoveries are borne out of curiosity such as his latest, Harold’s Cheese Bar, dark chocolate with blue cheese, from Malagos Farm in Davao. The subtle sweetness of the chocolate is tinged with bits of Blue Pepato cheese that is at once piquant and spicy.
Here’s Part 2 of My Christmas Finds. But before the list, I am sharing two holidays recipes—My 2012 Dalandan-Glazed Christmas Ham and my delicious Salad of Mixed Greens with Dried Fruits, Katuray Flowers & Queso de Bola Dressing. From me to you, Merry Christmas!
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.
