POP CULTURE: Beat the heat with these homemade healthy pops with flavors (left to right) like Spirulina, Baguio strawberries, and freshly-squeezed oranges. Sugarleaf owner Angelo Songco (rightmost) comes up with new flavors each week.
Bring up popsicles and I revert to my nine-year old self fussing over his Twin Popsies. These were (are - they're still around) bright orange sheets of ice the color of road construction cones that tasted of sugar, syrup, and maybe a drop or two of citrus. In short, sheer magic for the blistering hot summer of '93. Nineteen years later and I still love popsicles though time has made me a little more choosy.
So when Angelo Songco who owns healthy-leaning cafe Sugarleaf came out with his own line of homemade pops, it seemed that nine-year old me and his yuppie, slightly jaded counterpart could finally agree on something. So far there are three flavors - a glowing blue Spirulina that's mildly tastes of sea, Mountain Province-picked strawberries, and orange, awfully reminiscent of the kiyat-kiyat I had snacked on earlier that day.
Each tastes fresh in a way usual frozen desserts don't, and though not as creamy or sweet, they're pretty satisfying too. Try them or other kooky flavors at a Sugarleaf near you.
Sugarleaf
Ground Floor, Health Cube Building, 226 Wilson Street, West Greenhills, San Juan City
Tel. 385 0387
Ground Floor, MEDICard Lifestyle Center, 51 Paseo de Roxas corner Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue, Makati City
Tel. 891 7323
From left to right: Razorback rocks the house as opening act to Canadian chef Chuck Hughes. Among the dishes Chuck prepared was grilled Canadian scallops.
Watch out, this fun-loving Canadian chef is out on a mission, and he doesn’t mind getting down and dirty. The star of the hit cooking show Chuck’s Day Off is known for his no fuss, straightforward cooking style. Chef Chuck Hughes signature comfort food had reached all new heights when he was invited to a cooking showdown in Iron Chef America's renowned cooking stadium. The Canadian inspired dishes he created for the judges did more than just hit the spot, it reigned supreme in the Iron Chef's Canadian lobster battle agains Iron Chef Bobby Flay.
Recently Chuck spent his day off with his Philippine audience at Greenbelt 3. Also known as the rocker chef from Canada, the organizers of the event together with Asia Food Channel (AFC) made sure his day off in the Philippines rocked in more ways than one. Alongside Chef Chuck’s live cooking demo, the audience would be rocking to the beats of the legendary band Razorback! Luckily enough, Ryan and I were able get ringside seats to the cooking event slash rock concert.
Razorback worked the crowd and even got Chuck rocking on the sidelines while waiting for his cue. Chuck must be PInoy at heart because he couldn't resist belting out a song or two. Go Chuck!
When Chuck offered to answer any question we throw, hurl or scream at him, a girl quickly stood up and asked “when’s your day-off”? He turned towards her and answered, “oh you’ll have to ask my manager”. Loved that he was so game. Not that I’m competitive, but I just had to scream out “I want you on your week-off!”, then he looks at me and jokingly says we could go check out a restaurant in Greenbelt 5. Score! This made me wish I baked a kalamansi meringue pie for him. How could I not get along with a guy who loved arugula, bacon, oysters, and lemon meringue pie so much he had them inked on his arm?
Salmon Says: Chuck's second recipe was for mouthwatering smoked salmon
His mission: to share recipes inspired by ingredients from Canada. Items that made it to his menu for the day were the pan-grilled scallops, home smoked salmon with greens tossed in apple vinaigrette, and a tapioca dessert.
Tossing aside his set recipe cards, he wings it on the spot depending on what he feels like throwing in. Like he says, “why not”? His easy going personality and the way he naturally plays up to the crowd easily won him hearts across the board - mine included. There were so many "Chuck moments" throughout the event but the one that that left a lasting impression on me was when he was preparing a salad dressing and he accidentally put too much maple syrup into the bowl. Most would re-adjust the recipe, his solution – to raise the bowl precariously over his head pouring the excess maple syrup into his mouth! Well, that works too.
Inspired by Chuck Hughes’ love of bacon and maple syrup (I’m not sure he has it tattooed on his arm yet, but I think it’s pretty safe to assume he loves maple syrup), I present to you... (drum roll please)
CHOCOLATE CHIP BACON COOKIES
(Chef Chuck this one's for you!)
Ingredients for Cookies:
1 1/3 cup softened butter (please use good butter, at Anchor would be good)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
3 ½ cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chunks (I just feel like chucks are more rustic not that it tastes any different)
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F (or 190 degrees C).
2. Prepare the butter mixture:
Beat butter then add white sugar and brown sugar.
Keep beating till slightly fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time. Make sure it’s mixed well.
Set aside.
3. Prepare the dry mixture:
With a spatula, mix flour, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl. Or you can sift it if you feel like using a bit of elbow grease.
COOL TIP: Make your own ‘cookie mix’ by preparing a few batches of the dry mixture ahead of time.
4. Add the dry mixture into the butter mixture. Mix well.
5. Prepare the cookie batter for baking.
Use an ice cream scooper to make uniform balls of cookie batter, and place it on a cookie sheet. Feel free to use spoons to form balls if an ice cream scooper isn’t available.
Make sure that there is 1.5 to 2 inch allowance in between cookies to make room for it to expand.
Add chocolate chunks on the cookie dough. It depends on how much you want on it.
COOL TIP: If you like your cookies thick, chill the cookie dough before baking it so it doesn’t spread out as much. End result, a thicker cookie for you!
COOLER TIP: Scoop out the cookie batter on the cookie sheet and freeze completely. Then transfer to a Ziploc bag and store in the freezer until you feel like having a freshly baked cookie. For small batches, you can use a toaster oven.
6. Bake cookies.
Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the middle part of the cookie is set and the edges are light brown.
When it’s done, pull the cookies out of the oven. Don’t worry if it still seems soft, it will firm up once it cools.
Leave the cookies on the pan for 2 to 3 more minutes to finish baking.
Place on a cookie rack to cool completely.
Ingredients for the Maple Glaze:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
1. Sift the powdered sugar.
2. Add the maple syrup, mix.
3. Add more syrup in case consistency is too thick.
The consistency should be thick enough for it to hold, but still spreadable.
Shakin' Bacon
Ingredients for the Bacon (a.k.a. the “crowning jewel”):
Bacon (your pick, I used Purefoods honey cured bacon)
Vegetable Oil
1. Trim bacon strips to 2 or 3-inches.
2. Heat non-stick pan.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of oil.
4. Cook strips of bacon till it’s crisp.
5. Once it’s cooked, let it rest on top of tissue.
COOL TIP: If you want your bacon to be flat, then bake it on a cookie sheet and place a pan on top of it so it bakes evenly and flat.
Almost there!
Assembly time:
Take a cookie, and then spread the maple glaze on top.
Gently set a piece of babi love (bacon) on top of the glaze.
I’ll bet you can’t resist taking a photo so let’s make that the third step
EAT! Share if you must.
Chocolate cookie, say hello to maple glaze and to crisp bacon strips.
Chef Kevin Mize (right) serves Cerveza Negra-laced cheesecake at Midnight Mercato
We've always heard of wine and cheese going well together, but how about beer and cheesecake? One man decided to find out, and the result - a rich cheesecake with Cerveza Negra for syrup - is causing a stir at the Midnight Mercato Centrale market. "Beer makes for a great addition to cheesecake," says Chef Kevin Mize, who originally hails from Arkansas and owns of Food Lab, Inc. "Beer, and especially Cerveza Negra has a caramel taste that cooking really brings out. It's really great with many things. I've tried all sorts of combinations and trust me, dark beer stands out."
Beer and dessert? Sounds like a win-win situation!
During the day Mize teaches at the Moderne Culinaire Academy (MCA) in Taguig, but beginning February of this year, he's devoted Friday nights to letting the public sample his homemade desserts. A slice is thick and firm with a rich, tangy taste you'll identify as fresh cream cheese. The Cerveza Negra adds an extra dimension of syrupy sweetness, and the whole concoction will get your taste buds buzzing. I had to sit down on the sidewalk and manage every forkful with careful appreciation.
As a crust person, I'd like to see more graham and bite, but otherwise it's a potent find; one best saved for last as you pile on all the savory, grilled meats sold at the weekend market. Apparently you can have your cheesecake and eat it too.
Sizzling hot: Kate Upton as fast food femme fatale in Carl Jr.'s latest commercial.
Oh and there's a burger in the ad too.
Just as I was starting to feel good about skipping meat this Friday here comes Kate Upton. The 19-year old Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition 2012 cover girl stars in a tantalizingly slow minute-long Carl's Jr.and Hardee's drive-in commercial where she loses herself (and some articles of clothing) while savoring their new Southwest Patty Melt Thickburger.
See Kate as she lustily unwraps her burger. See Kate as the camera wanders up and down her body, beads of sweat collecting between the folds of her polkadot dress. Watch as she smacks her glossy lips between bites of a charbroiled beef patty with sliced jalapeños, onions, pepper-Jack cheese, and all of it bathed in a spicy Santa Fe sauce. Grilled sourdough bread is used for the buns.
Buns...
Ahem. Yes. Anyway. Check out the video.
In the meantime I'm having tofu and steamed broccoli for dinner. Life isn't fair.
Fish be with you: Irresistible fish tacos at Hermanos are simple yet satisfying.
Just because you can't eat meat, it doesn't mean you can't have a little fun. Every week of Lent I'll be sharing a different meat-free find from the different restaurants in Manila starting with last time's adorable watermelon steak by Pipino. Mexican food seems to have gotten a second wind in the local dining scene. Recent entries like Órale!, Chihuaha, and Achiote are leaving a new generation of foodies smitten.
Then there's Hermanos Taco Shop on the very edge where Quezon City and San Juan meet. Run by San Franciscan chef Rene Rodriguez and the Mora clan, the quaint tacqueria plies sumptuous burritos, sirloin carne assada smothered with fries, and more chimichangas than...well...a chimichanga party.
Or a cooking show with Deadpool.
But it's Hermanos' fish tacos (P150) - wicked golden-fried dory crescents - that haunt me to this day. Drizzled with lime sauce, stuffed with cabbage, and tucked in soft tortilla blankets, they're the house best-sellers and with good reason. It's crisp and tender with wild Mexican flavors that'll make you sit back and say Holy cow.
Well, holy fish to be specific.
Have it with chips and salsa. Have it with horchata, that weird, wonderful rice, milk, and cinnamon drink that's a staple during Mexican holidays. It doesn't matter. This fish taco could very well make a believer out of you.
In an attempt to make a major sacrifice last year, I gave up meat, sweets, and alcohol. It was at times unsuccessful---I was handling food reviews for the magazine I used to work for, and during a trip to Beijing, a visit to Da Dong for its famous Peking duck left me weak in the knees. I succumbed to the gluttony of the evening and ate the best duck I've ever encountered so far.
It still haunts my dreams, waddling along my taste buds with a trail of bamboo steam in its wake.
No, not that duck.
Crisp and airy, the skin of the duck was conspicuously absent of the white layer of fat seen in most Peking duck preparations, but every bite was pure fat. You could feel the warm grease coating your tongue, brightened by the sauce and scallions.
There were other things, too: orange soup served inside a hollowed-out fruit, tender greens, fish. But the things I remember most were the items I took photos of. That should say something about having a camera at hand all the time, which I ironically stopped doing when I went to grad school and had to shoot with DSLRs constantly. Hey, camera fatigue happens sometimes. I regret that now, but I'm making up for lost time.
The things we ate at Da Dong (aside from double portions of Peking duck):
1. A beautifully arranged century egg appetizer
2. Grilled unagi (probably the fattiest I'd eaten, but I prefer mine done Japanese-style).
3. Braised mushrooms with foie gras (this was excellent).
So here I am, reminiscing about sumptuous dinners from the past, while snacking on veggie chips and garlic hummus from Trader Joe's. I might have slipped up a couple of times last Lent, but I'm determined to stick it out this year and not have meat, sweets, alcohol.. and sleeping in on weekdays. It's going to be a tough couple of months ahead, but for me, Lent this year is about giving thanks for a whole lot of things. And living in New York (and being lucky enough to be doing a lot of things, hence the lack of Forkplay updates on my part) is right on top of that list.
Pipino's irresistible watermelon with asparagus, taro miso mash, and pickled mushrooms
will have you smitten for summer and beyond
As a rule, I don't grill my fruits.It's just one of those things - like walking with wet socks or eating a whole jar of mayonnaise with a spoon. I'd rather not, thank you very much. Fruits by all accounts are meant to be served chilled, preferably in bite-sized juicy chunks, or, in the case of watermelon, sliced into big wedges you dive your whole face in. That's what makes watermelon, well, a watermelon.
Last week however, vegan snack shack Pipino in sleepy Teachers Village came out with a 5-course Valentine's meal that included, among other things, watermelon steak. This was unheard of in my dining vocabulary, though New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman would have you think otherwise.
Says Bittman:
"Watermelon is not a vegetable, obviously, but it’s so wonderful when grilled [...] Grill a watermelon slice, and it dries out and sobers up, losing its sloppy sweetness, and it takes surprisingly well to savory accompaniments. Add a slice of good melting cheese, a hard roll, a few pickles and a lettuce leaf, and look out: watermelon burgers."
Pipino's new watermelon steak is just that: A thick, red wedge that's actually pretty to look at. On biting, it does't give too quickly, and releases nearly that same smoky flavor you'd associate with your favorite T-bone. Here it's served with asparagus and pickled mushrooms that adds welcome zing. A clump of taro miso mash satisfied my need for carbs.
Will it fly with diners? For vegans it's a no-brainer. But as a regular guy who can appreciate a fine slab of rib-eye, it's definitely still worth trying. Just don't expect to be filled up in a way only honest to goodness, proteiny meat can. Have it if you're coming to grips with your Lenten fast or curious to sample creative vegan cooking. It's definitely a notch higher than masquerading gluten and tofu as animal parts, and you get to love fruit in a whole different way. Now if someone could start cooking watermelon burgers...
Pipino
39 Malingap Street, teachers Village, Quezon City
Contact (63) 2 4411773
Visit www.pipinovegetarian.com
