Favorite Finds — No comments
9
Aug 10

Wanted: Nearby Kitchenophile Rehab


Most foodies I know are not scared of using their kitchens. They’re not shy about dressing it up either. Invite them inside a home store and I’d bet top dollar they’ll head straight to the kitchen section. Even if they planned on buying bathroom curtains that day, they’ll come home with new pans, casserole dishes, even spatulas that they don’t really need. If there’s a name for this affliction, whatever it is, I’m suffering from it too!

So deciding to take control of it, I sat down one afternoon and made myself a list. I divided it into three categories:

1 Must-Have
2 Lust-After
3 Gotta-Get-These-Coz-They’ll-Soon-Be-Gone-Forever

The ones that you absolutely need in the kitchen fall under the Must-Have’s. Tools like the Microplane zester, the immersion blender, the heavy-duty stand mixer. You’ll use them over and over. If you attach a particular high-end brand to the item even if there’s a cheaper alternative, move that to the middle category.

The second group contains kitchen items that are great to have but not essential for everyday cooking or food preps. Examples are the ice cream maker, Staub cast iron cocottes, copper cookware. I noticed that I tend to put in this list those that I think will prettify my kitchen counter or are pricier cousins of the must-have’s. I figured without help from anyone, it’ll probably take me a while before I finish crossing out all the items here.  Also, I’m aiming to consider buying one from this section only as a reward for getting myself at least five of the essentials.

The last group includes pieces from the first or second category but with restricted availability. The limited edition’s. Since they’re only available for a period of time, you won’t snag them anywhere once the season is over. Like the sauce dishes above.

They belong to the Pistahan Collection at Gourdo’s, one of my favorite kitchen stores here in Manila. They’re made to look like sapin-sapin, the multi-layered, multi-flavored rice sweet native to our shores. The dishes look fabulous on top of a banana leaf-covered buffet table. Definitely cries, ‘Fiesta!’ Today, they take on a different mood atop a charcoal hot mat, since I’m feeling a wee bit like Picasso. I’ll fill them up later with different compound butters.

With a huge grin painted on my face, I reached for the list I’ve made to cross out the sauce dishes. Did the third category really help control my affliction or did it just worsen it?  As it turns out, contrary to my initial assumptions, the Pistahan Collection is a permanent feature in the store so it’s not going away soon.

Hi. My name is Karima and I’m an addict.

xxx

Arctic Flavors / Glass Obsession Series / Recipes — No comments
26
Jul 10

Frosty Fruity Antidote to Rising Humidity


Right. We’ve officially entered monsoon season. Three-week intervals of torrential rains. The sun doesn’t have a chance to glare anymore. And when the skies aren’t weeping, the overcast gives rise to torturous humidity. Today, it’s 91%. Approaching Dante’s inferno.

So what do you do? Take cold showers, eat chilled salads, drink lots of water and let shards of cool granita melt away the mugginess.

A Sicillian invention, granita is perfect for those clammy, oppressive afternoons. Especially right after the rains when the soil begins to breathe and releases its sticky, earthy sudor into the air.

Similar to sorbet and a cinch to prepare, it usually takes on the flavor of fruit. Although in caffeine-soaked Italy, coffee proves to be popular as well. So just your preferred liquid, some sugar syrup if needed, a freezer and a fork, you’re already fully equipped to create some jewel-toned ice crystals.

You can make different-flavored batches, freeze them in ice cube trays then pop into ziplocked freezer bags for storing. When you get one of those unannounced visits from friends or family, pulse a few in a food processor and spoon into martini glasses. Voila! A quick and elegant dessert.

Or, you can serve them (especially citrus-perfumed ones) as palate-cleansers in between courses. You will not lack in compliments after guests have had spoonfuls of this refreshing entremet.

So next time the hydrometer hits the roof, I know exactly what to reach for. I’m planning to make three batches this week that will include one coffee and one mint. Did one today using peaches…that will for sure take Dante to Paradiso.

xxx

Karima

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Food Trips / Street Eats — 1 comment
19
Jul 10

Blissfully Lost in Gastronomy


Vietnam… the sound of it releases familiar smells in the air. Cilantro. Basil. Lime. Fish sauce. Coffee. Freshly-made baguette…

Before boarding my flights to Saigon and Hanoi, I had read a lot about Vietnam as a culinary destination. Friends also have gone there and come back to share with us popular Vietnamese products. Travel blogs have lauded it. Anthony Bourdain fell in love with it.

So I decided to go have a look.

First night. Hanoi. The street scene in the Old Quarter is absolute chaos. Every corner is dotted with eateries. Dozens and dozens of diners park themselves on low tables and stools, ignoring the noise of the million mopeds passing by and the rubbish beneath their feet. Why?

This is why. Street food here is phenomenal! Imagine a big bowl of the freshest beef strips, rice noodles, cucumber, cilantro, basil, garlic chips and peanuts you can find and top that off with the most flavorful, steaming broth straight from the pot next to you. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Pho — Vietnam’s national dish. I couldn’t get enough of this soup. One month after my visit, I could still (vividly) remember how it tasted like.

Pho is a humble, nourishing dish. Native to the North of Vietnam, it may have borrowed the technique from the French where onion is charred and added to the broth for a full-bodied flavor. There’s even a theory that the word pho came from the last syllable of pot-au-feu (literally “pot on the fire”), a French beef stew that is cooked in a stockpot for hours. This is a definite must-try.

The following day: tour of the city’s temples, pagodas, museums and gardens. Every so often, we take a break. And what better way to relax than sitting by the roadside, watching the locals go about their day and sipping one of the best coffees in the world!

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Favorite Finds / Glass Obsession Series — No comments
13
Jul 10

Jar for All Seasons


I’ve had a long, beautiful love affair with glass. I still do. The closest of my friends and family know this all too well. When I see glass, I drool.

Clear, colored, smoked, printed — doesn’t matter. I like ‘em all. Well, ok…except ugly ones.

There’s just something so romantic and charmingly old world about glass. The dresser looks uber-stylish when crowded with vintage glass perfume bottles; a simple cake or cheese plate seems more elegant under a clear pastry dome; even the very mundane dishwashing liquid is elevated to supermodel status when decanted into empty olive oil bottles.

Over the years, I have collected different glass items, the largest group of which is my drinkware. I generally prefer drinks presented in their appropriate vessels. Like I wouldn’t want my martini served in a tumbler. No — no no no — no no! There’s my Pyrex collection too — casseroles, mixing bowls, measuring jugs. It’s not so obvious that I like to use my oven, huh?

Then one day I discovered Michael Smith on the telly, a Canadian chef who hosts the cooking show Chef at Home. As the program title suggests, it showcases his very own home with the kitchen as his stage. I fell in love with that pantry of his. Every imaginable spice, liqueur, herb, sauce, grain, nut and chocolate has a place in that room. And each is kept fresh in its own glass mason jar.

Yep, you heard me. GLASS mason jars. They’re my new babies! I can think of a million uses for them: petits pots au chocolat, coddled eggs, pies-in-a-jar, creme brulee, homemade vanilla extract, individual shepherd’s pie, fruit syrups, scented sugars, butterscotch sauce… Right. Drool alert. Excuse me while I fetch a towel!

xx

Karima

Kids in the Kitchen / Recipes — 2 comments
4
Jul 10

Little Pots of Love


I grew up loving flan. My mum has a PhD in making this caramel-doused dessert. I remember the impatience that accompanied every baking session. Barely had the pan come out of the oven when my brothers and I launched a strike at the still-hot custard, not able to wait a minute longer for it to cool down.

I like custards in general – whether delicate and cozy inside ramekins, luscious underneath a sugary crackle or sitting proudly on a pool of amber syrup.

Now with a child of my own, I shared this predilection with my son by baking some petits pots de creme. They fall right in between a rich creme brulee and a sturdy flan. The difference among the three is essentially the cream-milk-egg ratio. Creme Brulee is made with heavy cream and egg yolks. Pot de Creme has half milk, half cream plus egg yolks. Flan, also known as Creme Caramel, has more milk than cream, whole eggs and egg yolks.

Now asked whether he preferred vanilla or chocolate, my son replied, “Both!” So we worked on two. Why not? I’m not about to go stingy with sharing the love.

xxx

Karima

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Breakfast Sweets Series / Recipes — 4 comments
1
Jul 10

Belge du Jour


Lately I have been missing my friends and reminiscing about the many mornings we spent at Le Pain Quotidien, our favorite hangout in Jumeirah Beach Residence. Those were times when we just wanted to take it easy, wash down our worries with gigantic bowls of cafe au lait while looking nonchalantly fabulous under the Arabian sun. Truly, undeniably veritable belles du jour.

Snapping myself back to the present, I thought I’d recreate those LPQ moments by spending a good amount of time in the kitchen and baking myself a Belgian treat. I’m leaning towards something sugary these days so I scoured the web and bumped into craquelin. It is basically a brioche that caters to your sweet tooth.

Happy with my choice of bakery, I hastily got down to business. That was last night. This morning, with the dough rising inside the oven, butter softening in the kitchen counter, coffee brewing in the French press… I grabbed a few minutes to put on a sundress and slap on some lippy. I haven’t forgotten to look fab for my petit dejeuner!

xxx

Karima

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Arctic Flavors / Recipes — 2 comments
27
Jun 10

How Do You Like ‘Em Mangoes


If you come from a tropical country, you probably like mangoes.  Unless you have a severe allergy to it…

Unripe and still green, it teams up well with chopped tomatoes and onions to make a refreshing accompaniment to grilled pork chops.  It even makes a great pickle when marinated in a solution of beer, salt, shallots and sugar.

Ripe and fully perfumed, it serves as the star to many many desserts like the ever popular Mango Float, a Tiramisu-like layered dessert of graham crackers, cream and slices of succulent mango.

This is our take on the Mango-Sago dessert which, in its simplest form, is a chilled sago pudding served with mango slices, coconut milk and syrup.  Our version features a rich homemade vanilla ice cream, loaded with chunks of ripe mango, swirled with mango syrup and topped with sago ‘caviar.’  Here’s hoping no one has allergies to any of that!

xx

Karima

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Messages / Recipes — No comments
24
Jun 10

Pleasure in the Raw


I never liked chayote.  The mere mention of it conjures up memories of overcooked green chunks of blandness drowning in tinola broth or trying very hard to make its presence felt amidst a scattering of sauteed ground pork.  When visiting a friend’s place and I happen to be served with anything that has chayote in it, I usually (politely) decline.  And then you get grilled as to why you don’t want to have some.  I’d love to have invented an allergy to this vegetable but at the risk of embarrassing myself, I’d oblige, carefully get a couple of pieces and literally swallow the thing, praying I wouldn’t choke on its mushy texture and obvious lack of flavor!

Well, that was before I discovered it can be eaten raw.

I have never seen it served uncooked.  So I kind of assumed it is only consumed after subjecting it to heat!  While researching for a menu that I had been asked to prepare for a friend who was going on a diet, I found a salad recipe that called for raw chayote.  At first I was flabbergasted.  Then I remembered: do we not cook jicama, radishes, cucumbers and eat them raw as well?

So I gave the recipe a shot.  And I fell in love.

I’ll think twice before I say never again.

xx

Karima

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Messages / Recipes — No comments
21
Jun 10

The Devil is in the Cube


Hankered for some steak but not the 300-gm slab of meat that I usually drown in peppercorn sauce.  Not today.  I wanted a steak with a bit of finesse, flavorful but not intimidating on my plate.  And no, I don’t want a filet mignon either!

Then it hit me.  I remembered a recipe from one of my Valli Little cookbooks.  It did call for eye-fillet steak, which is filet mignon in Australia, marinated in soy, ginger and Szechuan pepper, chargrilled to medium rare, and cut up into cubes before being drizzled with a chili-cilantro dressing.  My version, I decided, will feature my favorite beef cut: sirloin.

So I raided my brother’s spice cupboard, ground up some authentic Szechuan peppercorns, marinated the meat and prepared the dressing.  I erred on the side of caution and made a bowl of cool cumin-scented cucumber raita, just in case my kid couldn’t handle the heat.  In any case, I could always offer him a cup of mango ice cream I had whipped up a few hours earlier but I’m digressing.

After a few forkfuls of spicy, hot, cool and lemony things that happily played with my taste buds, I sat back feeling my lips break into a grin, sated.  Oh, did I mention I ate two plates of rice with those little buggers?  Talk about finesse!

xxx

Karima

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Messages — 1 comment
13
Nov 09

Chef’s Table by Chef Bruce Lim


It was my first time to experience a private dinner. At first I thought we would be the only customers in the restaurant because it is “private”. I was dead wrong. But nonetheless, it still was a small group – only 18 of us.

We arrived early around 6:45pm and Chef Bruce was already in the kitchen doing prep work. Dinner usually starts at 7:00pm. The kitchen of the restaurant is the the actual place where they shoot his TV shows like Tablescapes. He greeted us and asked us about how we heard about the place. He was, by the way, trained by Mr. Kitchen Bad Boy himself – Gordon Ramsey. Ramsey actually kicked Chef Bruce’s butt (literally). Poor guy.

So blah blah blah, we were so hungry, harassed and couldn’t wait to taste his cooking. We were in it for a set meal of 6 courses and had the best seats in town – just a few inches away from Chef Bruce’s work area.

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