APPLE CRISP

Another dessert that I love to share to you all. Here are the ingredients for this wonderful dessert:

2 cups peeled, cored and sliced apple
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 tbsps softened butter

Procedure:

Butter q 9x5x3 loaf pan; place sliced apple. In a bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter. Mix until crumbly; sprinkle over apple.

Bake in 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes or until apple is tender and top is brown. Serve with ice cream or top with whipped cream.

PUTO SECO

Ingredients:

1 pkg cornstarch
1 cup flour
1/2 cup margarine
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup white sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Transfer to a cookie mold and bake for about 300F oven or until golden brown.

KITCHEN TIPS

The simplest form of using milk is as beverages. It can be also used as ingredient in cream soups, puddings and custards. This is a very simple kitchen tip that can be very useful in all kitchen or cooking preparations that involves milk.

ORANGE CAKE

This is one of the cakes that I like to do. it because it is fast and the end product is a super cake. Lets to the baking or I may say cooking started. The necessary ingredients are easy to find and almost all the markets have these ingredients. Here are the ingredients:

500 ml cream
3 pcs orange fruit
300 gms sugar
500 ml chocolate
10 grms white chocolate

Boil cream with orange and sugar for about 5 minutes. Strain, then pour on chocolate. Whisk until well blended. Chill for about 10 minutes then pipe in molds and cover with white chocolate.

FRENCH BREAD

Nothing gets better than having a French bread in the morning and a hot coffee as partner of it. For this bread delight, let me share the ingredients and procedure on how to make French bread in an easy.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 pkgs active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 cup warm water
1/2 tbsp cornmeal
1 egg white
1 tsp water

Procedure;

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 1 cup warm water and beat until well blended.

2. On lightly floured board, knead flour until smooth and elastic 8 to 10 minutes. Shape into a ball. Place dough in greased bowl and turn once. Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size.

3. Punch dough down and divide in half. Turn out onto lightly floured surface. Cover and let stand for about 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from long side. Moisten edge with water and seal; taper ends.

4. Grease baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on sheet. Lightly beat egg white with 1 teaspoon water, brush on loaves. Cover with damp cloth. let rise until nearly double in size. Using sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf.

5. Bake in preheated 375F oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. bake in 5 to 10 minutes or more until done. Remove from baking sheet and cool on wire rack.

COOKING AGENDA

I just got home from a cooking seminar. The seminar was hosted by the American Culinary School and we were host in this hotel. The seminar was all about cooking and the events that will be happening in the coming months. Aside from that, there were also planing for the construction of another building in the culinary school so that the school can accommodate more students that are interested in learning cooking.

We also elected the Board of Directors for the foundation and most of us that were elected are bone fide chefs. The culinary school is also be finding around 20 students that can be scholars in the culinary school. This is a program that was started last year and based on the result is good for the culinary school.

There are so many events that are lined up for this year. Every month, there is a sure event for all chefs and we must make sure that all chefs that are members of the association get the right information so that the events will be successful. Actually right now, we are already distributing information sheets to all the chefs nationally. We want the events to be a success.

COOKING LESSON 101

I remembered the first day in our culinary studies in the culinary school. We were just around 15 students per class. The school only accepts 15 students per class in the cooking room because that is the only number that the room can accommodate. We were very close to one another. No wonder until now, we still communicate and get in touch with each other. Now, we are already chefs and own our restaurants.

But some of our classmates were immediately hired abroad because of the skills in cooking. They earn big and they get to travel around the world because of their cooking skills. Me, before I opened my own restaurant, I worked in a hotel in Dubai as a head chef of that hotel. For 3 years, I stayed in that hotel until I decided that my savings is already enough to start my own business. being the head chef of a 5 star hotel is not easy but the pay is good. You have to carefully plan each meal that you will be serving. There are also many occasions that the king would visit the restaurant and as the head chef, you must prepare the most special meal in the hotel.

That is where my cooking skills was molded to the chef that I am right now. I get to read and research many recipes and travel across the world just to find the best dish and recipes. That is why, every time I make a dish, I always write the ingredients and make the recipe as my own. Chefs love to make recipes and so do I. To those who are interested to learn cooking, I would suggest that study in a reputable culinary school. It is a theory and practice rolled into one.

DINING OUT FOR A CHANGE

I was already preparing for the meal for tonight when my mood changed. Instead of eating the food that I prepared, I decided to dine out. I already prepared the crispy pata and the Baguio beans that are going to be the food for tonight. I guess I really needed to try foods outside my kitchen.

I have noticed that I am getting slim and that is quite strange for me because I am a chef and foods are always in front of me. But I also noticed that I sometimes loss my appetite every time I would eat immediately after I prepared the food. To battle that, I would stay away from the kitchen so that my appetite will come back.

Aside from appetite loss, I also wanted to discover new recipes and dishes that I can innovate to make it my own. The restaurants that I visit and dine are all owned by my chef friends. That is why they would welcome me immediately when they saw me entering their restaurant.

BUKO PANDAN

I love desserts and this is my way to relieve myself from the busy work at the restaurant. Buko Pandan dessert is one of my favorite dessert. Here are the ingredients:

12 pcs fresh pandan leaves
4 cups water
3 boxes green unflavored gelatin
3 whole buko meat, grated into slivers
all-purpose cream
condensed milk or sugar

The pandan procedure:

Boil pandan leaves in water. Drain and discard leaves. Mix gelatin and pandan juice in saucepan; boil until completely dissolved. Pour into 9x13 inches baking pan. Let it cool. Put grated buko in mixing bowl and pour all-purpose cream. Slice gelatin into squares and add to buko-cream mixture. Add condensed milk or sugar to taste. The best way to serve buko pandan is by serving it cold.