I rarely bake at home. As I am more of a hot kitchen cook than a baker, Christmastime is the only time of the year when the baker in me works overtime and prepares its annual, limited edition fruit cakes.
Don't get me wrong, baking is something that I enjoy doing, but, working on fruit cakes every year goes against my stand on food innovations and trendy cooking. It is, for a fact, such an old traditional baked product that, to me, gets a little too boring for my taste.
I grew up witnessing the preparation of fruit cakes by my mother. Since elementary grade, I have joined her in the procurement of the ingredients necessary to create this product. It is such a joy going to our old reliable supplier in Chinatown and bringing home with us the candied fruits and packaging materials needed for my mom's cakes. Mom (whom I secretly call the Fruit Cake lady), would set aside weekends to create these treats which were reserved for our family and close friends. As traditional as fruit cakes can be, the loaf format is always made and about a hundred cakes will be given away. My role as the able assistant would be to monitor the oven, wrap the finished products, write on the cards and ensure that each and everyone on the list gets their share.
Eventually, I took over the baking. Though Mom and I would still do our annual Chinatown visit for the raw materials, I was left to do the baking since Mom had just become too busy (and lazy!)to work on it. Trusting my baking skills, making the cakes were a challenge given that we had a small, home-type oven which can only fit a maximum of 10 loaves at one time. A days' yield would sometimes only total a maximum of 60 cakes given the small oven.
Up until now, we still have that small oven. Somehow, we continue to keep the same oven, as it is only maximized during Christmastime. Using the same recipe, I have reformatted the fruit cakes, making it in round formats, minis and bars, but, at the end of the day, it still goes back to the basic loaf format as Mom used to make. I have proposed several other products to Mom in place of the fruit cake, you know, maybe some coffee streusel bars or rugelach, or probably a chocolate rum cake -just so we could provide variety and something new to our recipients, but no, Mom wouldn't oblige. She insists that our fruit cakes are most awaited and there can be no other food gift coming from us except that.
I really do not know whether her friends and relatives are just being polite, but what I do know is, this year, it is fruit cake that we will give once again. I am amazed that it has reached Canada, Hongkong and the US. Despite my protests, we have had orders from a few friends and relatives. If I am lucky, maybe next year, it'll be an all new product altogether. Maybe.
Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sweet Cebu
I managed to get out of town this week for an official business trip. The destination - Cebu which is one of my favorite food spots. I have lost count on how many times I have gone to Cebu, however, It has never failed to excite me with its innumerable culinary offerings.
The trip to Cebu is just an hour away by plane. As I am always a light packer and traveler (I was only going to stay there overnight), I didn't check in my luggage. With just one duffel bag in tow plus my overused body bag, I was at the airport an hour prior to departure. Check in was a breeze and we boarded at designated time. The plane taxis through the runway, proceeding to its position prior to take off. We wait for a few more minutes, and some more. The captain then announced that there was a technical problem, with I can't really fathom - hydraulics of some sort, and so, we deplaned and went back to the airport, and waited for further announcements. Well, in as much as I wanted to leave at 9:05, we finally left Manila at around 1 PM. I barely made it to our event, but was somehow saved since our gracious host and organizer conveniently moved my presentation towards the end of the program. My lesson: never fly the same day of your event, even if all these airlines claim that they will fly you on time.
Fortunately, the following day proved to be my reward. After a brief meeting with a local culinary expert, I grabbed the chance to go and visit a few of my favorite places. Of course, my Cebu visit will not be complete without a stop at CNT lechon, which sells at Php280 per kilo, definitely a bargain compared to Manila Lechon prices. Do not ask for lechon sauce - you know, the typical thick sweet soy-liver sauce we are familiar with in Manila, because they will definitely frown at you for your ignorance, as Cebu lechon is more salty than its Manila counterparts, thus there is no need for sauce. It is slow-roasted and stuffed with a variety of herbs and spices which gives its meat, particularly around the trunk area a flavorful aroma of anise, tanglad, garlic and salt.
Next stop was Leona's Bakeshop, known for its Guava Chiffon Cake. I go there primarily for Angel cake which is my mom's favorite, and it is only there that I find it commercially available. I remember a family friend who gives it to us during the yuletide season but her version is sweeter than Leona's. To me, that of Leona's is just right with its light and airy texture, it somehow reminds me of cotton candy, really.
I never really liked guava, in fact, I particularly dislike Sinigang na Isda sa Bayabas. However, Leona's guava cake is one for the books. Chiffon cake based, it is frosted lightly with guava laced cream and though, just upon opening the box, you find the off odor of the local pink guava eminent, a bite will send you to heaven as its spongy texture and light sweetness covers your mouth. And as cheap as Php280 for a whole cake, what more can you ask for?
A friend on the other hand went out to get danggit of all forms, shapes and sizes at the palengke. Since the sellers know that a big percentage of those who purchase bring it back to Manila, they conveniently package and seal it. A kilo of dangit (unsalted) is at Php360.
As we head for the airport, with more than just my bag in tow, I do a balancing act of carrying my cakes and danggit through the X-ray machines and the ticket lines. Thankfully, my flight leaves as scheduled this time.
The trip to Cebu is just an hour away by plane. As I am always a light packer and traveler (I was only going to stay there overnight), I didn't check in my luggage. With just one duffel bag in tow plus my overused body bag, I was at the airport an hour prior to departure. Check in was a breeze and we boarded at designated time. The plane taxis through the runway, proceeding to its position prior to take off. We wait for a few more minutes, and some more. The captain then announced that there was a technical problem, with I can't really fathom - hydraulics of some sort, and so, we deplaned and went back to the airport, and waited for further announcements. Well, in as much as I wanted to leave at 9:05, we finally left Manila at around 1 PM. I barely made it to our event, but was somehow saved since our gracious host and organizer conveniently moved my presentation towards the end of the program. My lesson: never fly the same day of your event, even if all these airlines claim that they will fly you on time.
Fortunately, the following day proved to be my reward. After a brief meeting with a local culinary expert, I grabbed the chance to go and visit a few of my favorite places. Of course, my Cebu visit will not be complete without a stop at CNT lechon, which sells at Php280 per kilo, definitely a bargain compared to Manila Lechon prices. Do not ask for lechon sauce - you know, the typical thick sweet soy-liver sauce we are familiar with in Manila, because they will definitely frown at you for your ignorance, as Cebu lechon is more salty than its Manila counterparts, thus there is no need for sauce. It is slow-roasted and stuffed with a variety of herbs and spices which gives its meat, particularly around the trunk area a flavorful aroma of anise, tanglad, garlic and salt.
Next stop was Leona's Bakeshop, known for its Guava Chiffon Cake. I go there primarily for Angel cake which is my mom's favorite, and it is only there that I find it commercially available. I remember a family friend who gives it to us during the yuletide season but her version is sweeter than Leona's. To me, that of Leona's is just right with its light and airy texture, it somehow reminds me of cotton candy, really.
I never really liked guava, in fact, I particularly dislike Sinigang na Isda sa Bayabas. However, Leona's guava cake is one for the books. Chiffon cake based, it is frosted lightly with guava laced cream and though, just upon opening the box, you find the off odor of the local pink guava eminent, a bite will send you to heaven as its spongy texture and light sweetness covers your mouth. And as cheap as Php280 for a whole cake, what more can you ask for?
A friend on the other hand went out to get danggit of all forms, shapes and sizes at the palengke. Since the sellers know that a big percentage of those who purchase bring it back to Manila, they conveniently package and seal it. A kilo of dangit (unsalted) is at Php360.
As we head for the airport, with more than just my bag in tow, I do a balancing act of carrying my cakes and danggit through the X-ray machines and the ticket lines. Thankfully, my flight leaves as scheduled this time.
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