September executive meal @ Ma-yi, City Sports Club Cebu

Dining at the Club has had an epiphany. Especially with Chef Brian Bersonda's ascension as Executive Chef while still helming the kitchen of Ma-yi, our fine dining food outlet at the Club's upper ground floor.  While the dress code stands for diners, this is no reason to abstain from enjoying the indulgences to be had at Ma-yi.  Consider the dress code  part of the ritual of embarking on a gastronomic journey---right in your own Club!  

We're all familiar with the themed executive meals at Ma-yi.  It's one of the options provided to members in the coupon that comes with the newsletter. While many of us jump at the opportunity of stuffing ourselves at the cornucopia of options at the La Veranda buffet, it's high time we change the scenery just a little bit, and use that coupon for lunch or dinner at Ma-yi.

This month, Ma-yi's theme is pasta.  OK, you get it.  It's going to be a slew of dishes bathed in tomato sauce.  That's what I thought when I was told the theme.  Luckily I was wearing a dark shirt.  Bolognese spatter shouldn't be a problem to clean up.  Lunch started as expected:  a piece of bread with a scraping of flavored butter.  That wasn't a ripple on my sea of expectations.

First course was a Farmer's Vegetable Soup.  Simple, straightforward name.  But soups are tricky.  They're hard to get right on the taste meter.  A good one means time and effort was put into the broth and it's got to be seasoned bit by bit until you get the taste just right.  Plus everyone's got a preference, some like it salty, some don't, some like to pepper the bowl black.  My personal requirement for a good bowl is that it's one I'd like to have when I'm sick:  saturated with nutrients and broth that packs a punch of flavor.  I'd say the Farmer's Vegetable Soup was close to perfect.  The temperature was on pitch.  (And on meeting the chef, I wasn't surprised to see a thermometer sticking out of his sleeve pocket.) The broth was clean, yet sharp with the flavor of herbs, and finished with a vaguely sweet aftertaste. I later found that Chef Brian takes his aromatics very seriously and heavily relies on them to bring flavors to the fore sans the salt.  The soup also fared well in the color category and the torn bits of pasta  added a rustic feel, like the type of soup one would be offered at a farmer's table in the hinterlands of Italy.  

The belly warmer was followed by a Peach, Prosciutto and Mesclun Salad with Mango-Capsicum Vinaigrette; a delightfully balanced salad option with just the right combination of salty, sweet, crunchy, and herby.  The mango-capsicum vinaigrette provided the acidity, holding the prosciutto bits and the sweetness of the peach at bay.  The capsicum wasn't merely for a pop of color, it contributed to the depth of flavor in the salad.   For those worried with portions, set your worries aside.  The portions for each dish are enough to tickle your palate with flights of fanciful flavors but not too much to overwhelm the sensibilities.  In other words, before the flavors get boring, you're served with another plate.

So far, our culinary journey has centered on a boot-shaped island surrounded by four seas.  Chef Brian still gave us Italy, which we expect from a pasta theme, yet he managed to stretch the concept.  He knew we'd expect Italian so he gave us Italian soup, salad, (and later on an Italian dolci for dessert), then offered a detour for the taste buds at the main course where he instead prepared a more Asian-inspired pasta dish, the Prawns and Papardelle in Indonesian Red Curry Sauce.  Now this is the dish that you as the host should offer to your dinner companion who strongly advocated tempura for dinner.  Kudos for the shrimp---it wasn't overdone, and its delicate seafood flavor melded nicely with the curry sauce-coated papardelle.  Chef Brian did say that Tuscany tops the list of his foodie destinations and the papardelle definitely represented his tendré for their cuisine.  Although usually served with game, the papardelle was beautiful with the Indonesian Red Curry and by beautiful, I don't just mean firm with enough elasticity.  When I said it was "coated," I meant infused by the flavor but not submerged in it.  A bite will give you a nice hit of curry, a subtle coating of cream, and a tingling of heat in the back of the tongue.  Like I said, beautiful.

Another main course option is the Beef and Asparagus Involtini with Fettucine e Porcini, a transitional dish if we're going by the (Italian) seasons as asparagus dishes are spring while porcini heralds the autumnal climes.  The pasta in this second dish got the same treatment, al dente and flavorful.  It stands out for its lack of artificial flavoring.  You'll definitely feel the fifth basic taste in this dish what with the amount of porcini mushrooms in it!   Green asparagus came wrapped in slivers of beef and the crunch of the former complemented the bouncy texture of the mushrooms and pasta.

Lastly, a dessert of fresh fruit topped with a citrus granita was served as a palate cleanser and as a refreshing close to the meal.  Granitas, as explained by Chef Brian, have to have a certain proportion of ingredients that would result in the perfect crystalline form: like flavored snow in the mouth.  Then in the bottom, you'll find cubed pineapples and watermelons with slivers of basil, which gave the otherwise just tangy and sweet combo an extra sensory boost of pungent spicy-clove aroma.  The fact that it's dessert minus the guilt (note: no heavy cream in this one), helped to induct the dish into the winners' circle.

Chow.com: How to Taste Dark Chocolate

How to Taste Dark Chocolate Become a connoisseur with these tips By Davina Baum

How do you eat dark chocolate? Well, put it in your mouth and chew, of course. It's creamy, sweet, bitter, and probably very enjoyable. But what if you want to get more out of your dark chocolate experience? Learn to tell the differences between the growing number of varieties? Like tasting wine, you'll have to apply a little more thought and awareness. You must learn to recognize things like snap, aroma, texture, and finish.

Chocolate is an incredibly complex product, but tasting can be broken down into a few components. Brad Kintzer, chief chocolate maker at TCHO, says that one of the most important things is taking your time. He brings a rather Jedi Master approach: "Pretend like you've never tasted chocolate before," he says. "Monitor the experience from the time you break open the wrapper."

Source link: http://www.chow.com/stories/12243?tag=chow_carousel_slide_wrapper;carousel_slide_3

Critic's Log: Cake Couture by Trina

PRODUCT PROMOTION

Cake Couture by Trina

Because there's always room for cake!

APPETITE

Cebu Sensations - Issue

By Kristina S. Tabon

Word Count  568

Photography by Marini Esguerra, M.D.

At her web site's profile, Trina Ang-Kokseng wrote that "sky's the limit for your imagination!"  She didn't mean "hers", she meant her client's imagination.  A quick browse through three of her online pages bear witness to exactly how the clients pulled all stops. In those pages, we find all manner of cakes available.  Everything from traditionally elegant multiple-tiered cakes for weddings to cleverly topped cupcakes and celebration cakes.  There were shoes, guns, gorillas, sexy girls, Louis Vuitton bags, Macbooks---you'll get the picture if you check out her web site at http://www.cakecouturebytrina.com/

Fancy an exotic Asian tropical theme?  Dress up your cake in bamboo, why don't you?  You want swags, Cornelli Lace, and candy clay?  She'll dream up something with all of the above.  How about a can of coke sitting atop a mound of ice in a red cooler?  Done and done.  

Trina calls what she does cake couture and for all intents and purposes she has every right to call it that.  The term "couture" is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the design and manufacture of fashionable clothes to a client's specific requirements and measurements, yet in Old French according to Webster's, "cousture" means "sewing."  So couture as a term refers to clothes and fashion in general.  For those who know their fashion history, "haute couture" is a term regulated by the French government.  (I'm not kidding.  Google it.) The term has evolved, however, and is usually a colloquialism for "haute couture" , and from there, has gone on to mean something into which exquisite care has been observed in its making and is typically handmade.  Trina's creations definitely fit that definition.  There is nothing careless about her pearl borders, her intricate basketweave and latticework, or her sculpted forms.

Being subject to her clients' whimsical ideas means she can't rely on moulds which requires her to sculpt most of the gorgeous embellishments by hand.  She's quite the crafty girl with candy clay!  Her cupcake toppers are exquisite little things that you'll think twice about eating because it's sooo pretty.  Trina credits her clients' imaginations with the end-products:  gargantuan cakes that took more than twenty-four hours to make (with only one assistant! who does the kneading); but really, there's serious skill in this woman's hands.  She injects not only technical know-how, but also a very balanced rhythm in her designs, which doesn't come as a surprise given that she studied at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies in San Juan, Metro Manila, and cleverly supplemented that with multiple courses at the Wilton School of Cake Decorating in Chicago.  Trina was also an apprentice of internationally renowned cake decorator, Colette Peters.

In June 17 of this year, Trina opened a store from where clients can make orders.   It's located in the ground floor of the Banilad Town Centre south arcade, just in front of Rai rai ken.  On Saturdays and Sundays, there's Cupcake Madness where  her quaint little store sells cupcakes in three wondrous flavors:  red velvet, choco madness, and peppermint party.  In the supporting roles are the lemon meringue, chocolate cream, vanilla, and cookies 'n cream.  Pre-orders for the cupcakes are welcome.  

She takes orders by phone or by email.

Please contact 0917-6224464, 0922-8087788, or cakecouture@ymail.com for inquiries and/or search "cake couture by trina" at Multiply or Facebook.  Also call the landline at (032) 316-2181.

CRITIC’S LOG: Ampao nasad

CRITIC'S LOG

Ampao nasad

Or "ampao again."  Not that ampao isn't a worthy topic to discuss.  It's among those categories of things seldom explored because it's always there.  It's about time we take a moment to ponder on the simple pleasures like the crunch of a mouthful of ampao.

APPETITE

Cebu Sensations - column

By Kristina S. Tabon

Photos by Marini & Brian Esguerra

Word count  602

Care for a crunchy treat?  Like a sweet sticky chewy rice crispy? If by that definition alone "ampao" came to mind, you're right.  I hoarded a small bundle while city-bound after a visit to the holy site at Simala, Sibonga, where an image of Mother Mary was reported to have shed tears of blood.  Now the Holy Mother may not be directly related to the story about this famous Carcar delicacy, but it is true that many a pilgrim's journey may often be accompanied by a rice crispy or two.  I must say that obliterating five packs of ampao is the best way to kill time on the 40-kilometer drive back to Cebu City.

As far as I know, no one's a stranger to ampao.  They're peddled by street hawkers at every jeepney stop and introduced to tourists the moment they get off the plane.   At Myrna's, a pack can be had for PhP20.00 while aggressive vendors at the Carcar Plaza sell them at PhP25.00.  Now you won't really feel like shelling out if they're shoving ampao at your face while you're buying chicharon, so if you don't mind a short walk just behind Jollibee (still at the Carcar Plaza), you'll find the humble abode of Myrna, who claim to have been the originals for the ampao south of Cebu.  Ampao are ubiquitous white cubes of crispy rice. And rice being our nation's staple food, every corner of the archipelago has its version of rice-based desserts. It is one of those classic Filipino desserts that always always reminds us of our childhood.  My ears used to feel like it popped every time I chewed a piece.  Nevermind that the toasted rice grated at my gums, I'd eat loads of them anyway.

In Cebu, ampao has a definite address. It can only be the right kind of sweet chewy crunchy if it's from Myrna's in Carcar City. Otherwise, the rice would be too dry, too sweet, and horror of horrors---not chewy at all!  It's making is quite the hands-on affair, usually consuming a whole morning. It starts as cooked rice---Myrna's uses Sinandomeng---that goes through a repetitive sun-drying process before the batch is cooked in a wok of sugar syrup.  It's this syrup that holds the rice kernels together.  While in this gooey state, a whole batch is eased unto a tabletop mold where it's pressed flat with a rolling pin.  They do this repeatedly until the rice crispies are packed so closely it's almost airtight.  It's this process that helps keep the ampao fresh for days, which explains why it's a favorite inexpensive baon among travelers.  

At this point, another block of wood is used as a ruler for the cutting process.  They use regular knives to cut the rice into symmetrical blocks and from there, they're packed and sealed, ready for the market.

Such a simple procedure creates this simple delicacy, the ampao.  And often, as in other cuisines and cultures, it's this simpleness, the availability of its crucial ingredients, and the ease of preparation that makes certain food work---across different palates.  I'll even go as far as saying, anyone can make ampao if they really wanted to.  You've got rice in your pantry, some sugar, a bit of calamansi to liven up the syrup, and the forever sunny weather.  All it takes is the will to make it just right, the way Myrna does.

Event-Food Feature: Great Adobo Challenge 2010

The 2010 Great Adobo Challenge
Where: Marco Polo Plaza Hotel
Written by: Kristina Tabon and Marini Esguerra
Word Count: 953
Sometimes I can see steam rising from asphalt roads in the scorching
midday heat. Water is a dream and iced water is . . . well, in Pluto,
something that never was. Such was the day when I braved the heat and
traffic to drive to Marco Polo Plaza Hotel. They were staging the
first-ever 2010 Great Adobo Challenge and I was admittedly curious if
anyone could live up to the "adobo of my dreams." Café Marco was the
inimitable stage of this lovely affair and the adobo specials were to
be had during their lunch and buffet dinners. To make dining even
more fun, diners get to rate their favorites while earning a chance to
win an overnight stay in Manila for dinner at the guest chefs'
restaurants or a round trip ticket for two to Hong Kong.
In the quest for the best adobo 'there is no try'. I will hunt it
down, I will find it, and eat without sharing. Adobo is the holy grail
of Filipino cuisine. It's the one soul-food that embodies the spirit
of the Pinoy. It's what we eat with steaming hot rice, with ice cold
coke on a Sunday brunch with the family. It's the ultimate "Lola's
Secret Recipe." I wanted some of that mouth-watering, tangy, sweet,
aromatic, unexplainably heavenly soul-food.
On March 29 to May 2, 2010, the Marco Polo Plaza challenged four of
the greatest Pinoy Chefs to open the armory and make the most
inspiring adobo humanly possible, and they did not disappoint. Fairy
Godmother made my adobo dreams come true! There it was, my dream
adobo, served on a pristine, white, unassuming plate in stark contrast
to the gleaming glutinous mound of rice. Tasting it was one of the
highlights of the month! Four gloriously talented chefs prepared
several varieties of the dish, each one better than the last, although
come voting time, I abstained. Don't get angry, I was genuinely
confused. I couldn't decide which adobo was better.
The 'Adobong Sugpo sa Taba ng Talangka' was cooked to perfection by
Chef Glenda Barretto. I can see why the Filipino Restaurant Via Mare
is very successful and world-renowned. She represented East
Philippines (Samar) and has secured her niche in the culinary world
when her creations were monumental hits at the Philippine Expo 1992 in
Seville, Spain, the World Expo in 1998 in Lisbon, Portugal, and in
2005, at the World Expo in Aichi, Japan. This formidable woman also
wields the power of the pen as she is a columnist of the Philippine
Star and has authored four cookbooks.
Next to the heavenly sugpo was the creation of Chef Myrna Segismundo,
called the 'Mushroom Adobo Terrine,' but to me it was 'Ingenious,
Yummy Adobo.' Chef Myrna gave my soul-food a modern approach. She is
the Managing Director of TV Food Chefs and is an advocate of the
preservation of traditional Filipino cooking. Also a food writer,
Chef Myrna produces TV Food Chefs with ABS-CBN. Having once been
chairman of the Chefs on Parade (a national culinary competition for
pros and students), she is no stranger to bright lights and
showmanship. On her belt are two cookbooks: The Party Cookbook and
the Philppine Cuisine. Chef Myrna represented Batangas for the Great
Adobo Challenge.
Then there was 'Tinupig Adobo' by Chef Danny de la Cuesta. This
talented food expert from Northern Luzon has two loves: fashion and
food. For both his loves he received tutelage and training overseas—at
FIT in New York for fashion and then at the Le Corden Bleu Ecole de
Cuisine et de Patisserie, in London, with Chef Jean Claude Boucheret
as a mentor. We could go on about where Chef Danny has been but this
is about his sumptuous adobo creation. His version was a twice-cooked
pork and chicken adobo in green mango grilled in banana leaf. Veeeery
nice. And the banana leaf was clever. As a take-away item, one could
microwave the dish for dinner and the banana leaf kept in every drop
of sauce. Marco Polo Plaza's PR Team had the nifty idea of providing
the conference attendees with bags of take-away, so I may have had my
fill at lunch and then relived the gustatory experience at supper.
Brilliant!
Chef Nancy Reyes-Lumen made adobo without the guilt, but with all the
flavor, having carved off every bit of fat from the meat. The name
'Liposuction'd Adobo' spoke for itself, but a taste of it was enough
to give me the warm fuzzies. She said her clan—the Aling Asyang Reyes
Clan—lives to eat. Chef Nancy is another one of those people whom the
Almighty bestowed ten talents: she writes (cookbooks and columns),
critiques, hosts TV shows, does broadcast radio, and shares everything
in her noggin through SMS daily food tips with Smart Telecomm. Like
the other chefs for the Adobo Challenge, she helps to promote our
native cuisine to the rest of the world, but she also works locally to
increase the dietary standards and food literacy in the Philippines.
I can imagine wanting to live one more day just to have that amazing
adobo. With every bite, it felt like global warming was a distant
reality, there were no power fluctuations, and the dolphins were
safe. Happiness really is directly proportional to a full stomach
because that afternoon, I headed out and the world was a better place,
everyone was happy, the sky was the perfect shade of blue with wispy
cotton clouds, and the birds were chirping in the golden sunlight.
When I left Marco Polo Plaza I had the silly smile of someone who
found peace.