A sweet and Happy New Year to all the readers of this website! Thank you for making 2005 such a phenomenal year for me. Dessert really does come first. More sweet things to appear here in the new year. It’s normal to sleep away the first half of the first day of every new year. With all the ruckus and revelry that goes on the night before, people really need the time to catch up on sleep, rest their punished eardrums, and clean their nostrils of all the soot. People in the Philippines, you know what I mean. A brunch on the first day of a new year is a delightful thing to do. Wysgal said it best when she wrote “…what better way to delineate periods of life than with the natural marker that is the New Year?” My first meal of every new year is sweet and over the top (OTT). It’s my way of bidding goodbye to the past holiday that has seen me gorging on food that is oh-so-bad but oh-so-good. Come January 2, it’s back to my punishing gym workouts, my 5 kilometer runs, which ...

I haven’t a clue as to why we Filipinos call date bars food for the gods (fftg). As far as the rest of the world is concerned, the food for (or of!) the gods is chocolate. Still, it can’t be denied that a good food for the gods is sheer heaven. It must be the way the brown sugar and butter mix and mingle, tickle the nose and luxuriate on the tongue. The addition of dates assures a subtle moistness while corn syrup and molasses assure chew. I suddenly received a rush of requests for a good fftg recipe. I’m not sure why, although I’ve been writing about it all month – it’s a steady offering in the repertoire of almost all the home bakers I’ve featured here. Unlike other things I’ve baked, the two fftg recipes I’ve tried have been winners. The recipe I share here is of the ‘dump and mix’ sort. Just use a whisk or a sturdy spatula to incorporate everything – a mixer will ruin the texture of this bar cookie. My own food for the gods ...

Breakfast in Baguio Baguio: A Food Trip in Pictures My Favorite Starbucks Branch (is in Baguio) Baguio Food Trip: My favorite things Baguio Food Trip: Coffee at PNKY What's To Eat: Christmas in Baguio Baguio Food Trip: My favorite things Baguio Food Trip: Coffee at PNKY Baguio Food Shots

Eggnog is something that I make for myself once a year. I’ve never tasted commercial eggnog, so I can only hope that what I churn out resembles something close to what it’s supposed to be. The beverage’s short list of ingredients reads like a prescription for a holiday heart attack: eggs, cream, whole milk, sugar, and one’s alcohol (usually rum or brandy) of choice. Still, there’s something so comforting about imbibing such richness, not to mention the spicy aroma given off by the commingling cinnamon and nutmeg. There are countless recipes for eggnog which include lower-fat versions. Eggnog is also used as an ingredient in all sorts of cakes, ice cream, cookies, and even in lattes. I find it all so deliciously fascinating, frankly. If I’m going to make something just once a year, I make sure to use only the best ingredients for it. I make a special trip to the store to buy a new carton of eggs and some imported cream. I wimp out however, and use low-fat and not full-fat fresh milk. I also use a few tablespoons of my vanilla sugar (white sugar in which I’ve steeped ...

As the waiter sets down my hot chocolate, I can’t help but notice that the cup looks so familiar – the off-white with the green trim around the rim. My lolo (grandfather) had the exact same cups which I’d use whenever I’d visit him in Pampanga. That was years ago. I stare transfixed at the heavy mug, feeling a wave of déjà vu. Noting my fascination with the cup, my Bin leaned over and said, “You know, my lolo used to have the same cups too.” Unbelievable. Having just arrived in Baguio, we stop for breakfast at Star Café. An old restaurant that’s been around since 1940, it’s a typical Filipino panaderia (bakery): the bread is stacked out front as soon as it comes out from the oven at the back, there’s an old TV set blaring away whatever the owners feel like watching that morning as they scurry around filling orders, and people come in to buy a roll or two, or if time permits, sit down for coffee and pandesal (bread roll) along with the morning daily. ...

I’m going to be gone for a few days, so to keep you company, I offer these Christmas snapshots. These are little food scenes that I came upon during the holidays, all of which give me joy this season. I don’t know if this would classify as ‘chestnuts roasting on an open fire,’ but when I see chestnuts, I know that Christmas is near -- or here. Here in the Philippines, chestnuts are sold at supermarkets and open markets cooking in a gigantic steel pot. The nuts are stirred frequently with a large wooden paddle, so as to distribute the heat among the little stones. It is these pebble-like rocks which ensure that the chestnuts cook evenly. There is no smell like freshly-roasted chestnuts still hot from the pot, steaming in the brown paper bag that the vendor hands to me. And here those same chestnuts are again, this time arranged in a fancy glass platter, awaiting their debut on the Christmas table. What would Christmas be without cookies? Here are two of the ...

I actually posted this about two months ago, but decided to bring it back up again. In this time of holiday merriment, leche flan is something that people are eating (and will be eating!) a lot of. I also think that the golden color is so apropos for the season. Enjoy! More Christmas photos to come. I wasn’t too happy with my first leche flan, so when my friend gave me another dozen duck eggs last week, I knew it was a sign to make another one. I found my previous leche flan lacking in body (obviously, I’d have to use something richer than full cream milk) and too watery for my taste (a sign of overbaking). This time, I used condensed milk, and I omitted the water from the caramel that was used to line the bottom of the pan, opting instead to just melt the sugar straight over the stove top. Result? A flan as creamy as a caress with a texture that quivers with a whisper. brazen bronze golden godde...

As I write this, I feel the combined weight of too many holiday meals resting in my stomach, settling on my thighs, my upper arms, and all the problem spots women have when it comes to their bodies. This is the heavy –literally (!) and I daresay, unavoidable result of gorging that is incessant at this time of the year. I feel that the only thing I lack now is a pig’s nose and utter a guttural “oink!” So when the owners of a new Japanese restaurant invited me over, I was a bit wary about inflicting even more damage to my already beleaguered stomach. It’s easy however, to work around Japanese food since it can be relatively light. I just needed to stay away from my favorite katsudon (fried pork cutlets over rice). Sakae (sa-KAH-eh) Sushi is a franchise from Singapore. It has a delightful almost amusing tagline on its signage: “Good food, great sushi.” Jaded diners may groan about yet another Japanese restaurant, but a look into Sakae will quiet all quibbles. ...