Sunday Brunch

This is left-over Lechon Kawali (my sister made) in a light spicy sweet sauce, Basmati Tomato Carrot Pilaf and Pickled Green Mangoes.

Kasalan 2007

I was invited to give a short talk and demo on "Cooking for two" at the recently held Kasalan Roadshow at the Lim Ket Kai Mall Atrium. I created a three course meal of Tuscan Bread Salad (not in photo), Pappardelle alla Pepolino and Lavender Creme Brulee. Here are some of the snapshots.

More pictures at Seaside

Seaside, Oregon

Before valentine's day 2007 I tagged along with my cousins and went to Seaside, Oregon for the weekend. The roadtrip was quite long from Puyallup, Wa. We stayed in a condo-style resort with a great view of the beach. However when we got there the weather was just bad. It just rained on and off. The resort was facing the Pacific Ocean so you can just imagine how strong the wind was blowing, too. But there are other activities you can do at Seaside. And that is, checking out the souvenir shops and other attractions. I even had a picture with Elvis!

Duchesse Sweet Potatoes

This is how versatile our local sweet potato or kamote can be. Run it through a foodmill or a tamis, add butter and milk or half and half as you would making a mashed potato. Add a dash of freshly grated nutmeg ( from Sur La Table in Seattle). Making it with a foodmill makes the texture so light and fluffy. With a pastry bag and star tip I piped them like Duchess Potatoes, sprinkled brown sugar on top and torched it as you would a creme brulee.

Pappardelle

I made fresh pasta and cut them into Pappardelle size. The prep is for a demo at the Atrium of the Lim Ket Kai Mall, Cagayan de Oro on July 14, 2007. A group of friends invited me to give a short talk on "Cooking for Two". I thought I'd make something interest to show the audience so I'm going to do 3 dishes.

On the menu: Tuscan Bread Salad, Pappardelle alla Pepolino and a dessert of Lavender Creme brulee. Pepolino is a wild variety of thyme found in Tuscany, but for this demo regular fresh thyme is just excellent. It's lemony and licorice. I got organic dried lavender flowers from a curio-shop at Seaside, Oregon to infuse the creme brulee. Nothing beats the real thing when you're cooking and baking. The smell of lavender is just incredibly soothing and very enticing. The rest of the prep will be done the day before the event.

Snap shots of the Inn at Essex

The Inn at Essex is where all our production classes are held. It has two restaurants: The Tavern (casual bistro-style service) and Butler's (fine-dining service). The Inn can also accommodate huge functions at the Atrium and The Morrell Ballroom at the Governor's Mansion. Smaller function rooms are located the Governor's.

At the back of the Inn there's a stone garden, a tennis court, a gazebo and the herb garden where you'll find a scarecrow dressed as a lady chef watching over the herbs. Almost all of the herbs we use for service come from there.

Church Street, Burlington, VT

There are a lot of trendy cafes, bars and shops at Church Street. It's the most happening place in Burlington. When in Vermont don't forget to check the place out.

Booooooooo!!!!!!

Halloween 2007 - I joined the pumpkin carving contest at school and won second place. Not bad for a first-timer!

Apple-picking at Chapin Orchard, Vermont, USA

This photo was taken last Sept. 30,2006 at the Chapin Orchard in Vermont. We went apple-picking. As future chefs we had to know where our produce is sourced and the methods they use to produce them. In this farm they don't use toxic chemicals. You can pick and eat all the apples you want right off the trees. These kids are also my original batchmates-AOS Sept 2006.

Deliciousness!!!!

A sample of Chef Gavin Kaysen's dishes at El Bizcocho.