Best Food Forward 2012

What’s probably the best way to spend a slow Saturday?  Eating your way through a food fair!

Makati, including the Bonifacio Global City, is actually a place I dread going to.  Not only do I always feel lost, I’m constantly afraid a traffic police will flag me down for some violation. There must be a name for this phobia! Most of the time, only the promise of a good meal makes me willing to travel that traffic-laden 25 kilometers.

Last weekend, I ditched the car and rode the MRT for this: the Best Food Forward 2012 at the NBC tent .  Despite the heat, the place was packed with foodies and families who, just like me, are looking for a new scrumptious experience.  So, what are some of the mouth-watering discoveries I found?

Unit16Sweets

They personalize chocolate bars for giveaways. Wouldn’t you wanna get these instead of the dust-collectors we usually get?  Sis and I actually loved their eco-themed bars.  What’s more, they also sell some uniquely flavored chocolates like ginger, chili, cappuccino and sea salt.  I bought the chili and sea salt.  If you want to experience a different bite to your usual chocolate, I suggest the chili. I’m just not sure if this is good or bad for the chocoholics but its mild spiciness actually limits your consumption to smaller bites.  Despite the heat, though, its still terribly addicting.

Chili and sea salt-flavored chocolate bar, 45 each 

09175695854

Gelati mio

I’ve tried A LOT of gelato but this was the first time I sampled one with alcohol.  Who says alcohol and ice cream don’t mix?  For my first alcohol-laced gelato, I tried their Tequilla Rose.  The verdict?  It was smooth, creamy and the Tequila rose was a subtle hint, just right for an after lunch dessert.  Can’t wait to try their other quirky flavors such as Beer, Baileys, Chili Chocolate and Mango Torte

P120 /scoop of alcohol-flavored gelato

Mio Gelati 0917-5827124

Little "Miss" OC’s Kitchen

I’ve heard and seen pics of Little "Miss" OC’s fondant-topped cupcakes but never up close till last weekend.  She really makes one heck of a cupcake, so detailed, I wouldn’t want to bite into it.  Look at these cutesy designer bag cupcakes!  We didn’t try a cupcake here but brought home their Tinapa pate which was nicely smoked-flavored.  Paired with their extra thin sweet potato chips, it was perfect.

           

Fondant cupcakes P125-150 each

109 Magallanes Ave. Magallanes Village, Makati City

0917-8126833

Elle’s Torta

Having relatives from Mindanao, I grew up getting these tasty treats as pasalubongs.   It’s a fare no fiesta would be without.    I’m really glad  someone is trying to introduce it here, a bit re-invented but still keeping its traditional flavors.   Wasn’t able to taste this one.  Maybe next time.

Torta @35 each
09209518815


My Pink Wasabi

Who can resist Petit fours creatively formed into sushi?  Such a novel idea, definitely an attention grabber amidst the cupcakes, cake pops and bars which abound this food fair.  For P140 for 6 variants, it was affordable, though I would have liked it to be moister, have more distinct flavors and better cocoa taste.    

P140 per 6 variants

www.mypinkwasabi.com

There were other stalls outside the NBC Tent but we opted to focus inside since it was even hotter outside.  Besides, I think I already had my caloric fill for the day from sampling and eating.  Time to walk this off!  

101 Ways with Carat Ganache

Ganache.  A smooth mixture of chocolate and cream.  Never mind the cream, it’s the mere mention of CHOCOLATE that sends my heart aflutter.

I’ve made it from scratch and used it for just two things: icing and cake filling and that’s it!  How many other uses can there be?

So, when I read Puratos’ FB invite for a demo using their CARAT Ganache with Chef Hasset Go, I felt giddy. Could it be from the promise of having a whole afternoon, thinking of nothing but ganache?  I knew I had to get a seat.

And I wasn’t disappointed.  See just how versatile this ganache can be!

1. Mocha cake roll, two ways.
Both cake rolls were iced using Carat Ganache but the first one was frosted with whipped cream before slathering the ganache. Impressive, right?

 2. Toffee muffins
For those who can't get enough of chocolate, Carat Ganache is used as a filling in these toffee-flavored cupcakes.  More of the product is used to decorate these.  Definitely, double chocolate bliss!  

 

 3. Chocolate Tart
This is probably my favorite. Ganache is piped like small kisses on top of a chilled chocolate tart before being dusted with cocoa powder. Oooh!

4. Almond Cappuccino Bars

For those who prefer their bars and cakes with added fiber and texture, Carat Ganache may also be used to ice bars before sprinkling it with nuts or what-have-yous. 

5. Fun Hazelnut Fingers

Have you ever used ganache as filling other than cakes? I haven't.  Here, Chef Hasset uses it to fill a shortcrust.

 6. Almond Ganache Torte
Two words: chocolate overload!  That's how I describe this dreamy chocolate creation.  Carat Ganache is used both as an icing and filling, just like how we usually use ganache.  The only difference is, mine never looks as perfect as Chef Hasset's :)  

7. Whoopie Pie
The Whoopie Pie is an American invention made up of two small round cakes with a creamy filling sandwiched between them.  In this case, a mixture of Carat Ganache and whipped cream.

8. Cake Pops
Last year, cake pops were a craze and everyone I knew who was into baking was posting their own version on FB.  None ever thought of doing this with their scrap and left overs.  Carat Ganache was mixed with left over scraps of cake then formed into balls before dipping it into melted chocolate. Good idea, Chef.

Of course, what’s a demo without sampling the finished products, right?

Being a CARAT product, I did have high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed.  The chocolate was full-flavored, smooth and with just the right degree of sweetness.    Best of all, it has a longer shelf-life than ganache from scratch.  At room temperature, it can keep fresh for about 3 days but refrigerated, on a product, I think I heard shelf-life is more than a month, six months in its original pail.  Yay!

This got me thinking. Wouldn't this be perfect as a sandwich spread together with some hazelnut cream or preserved fruit? Or mixed with some liquor and made into a praline or truffle?  Its delightful uses can only be limited to one's imagination.

For recipes and other inquiries, find Puratos Philippines on Facebook.

You may also visit them at Mangosteen St. cor. DBP Ave. FTI Complex, Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines

Call them at +632- 8385110 to 15

First Corn Harvest of the Year , Sweet!

It’s Sweet corn season at the farm!  By the time I finish writing this, I’m sure the land has already been re-plowed and replanted for the second corn crop, harvestable in about 75 days.  Yup, it’s that fast but believe me, its far from easy.  


Harvest time is the busiest and this is how it's done at the farm.

The field of dreams, remember the movie?

Harvesting the crop on about a 1 hectare field starts early, and when I say early, I mean 3 a.m.  Some might start at 12 midnight but since the sellers plan to get this crop to Manila for the afternoon market, 3 a.m. is ok.  There’s another reason why they have to get these out of the field before the sun fully rises.  When it's off the plant, sweet corn quickly loses its sugars when heated.  Enzymes convert the sugar to starch and they work overtime at elevated temperatures… and that’s the food tech speaking :)

The "Mamimitas" after harvesting the ears loads it into the tractor.

So, with three work hands plus a tractor driver, harvest starts.  Everything is done manually thus, these people are called “taga-pitas”.  They remove the ears from the stems and leave them into mounds for easier loading to the tractor later.  They are also responsible for cutting off the stems with their “Karet”, a multi-purpose long and curved knife. This goes on for about 3 hours before they start loading the tractor to bring in the harvest to the sorting area.

The cobs are brought to the sorting area.  See the guy on top?  He's using his legs to unload the harvest.  What a workout!

The sorting area is actually just a make-shift shaded spot where with a split second hold on each ear, a “Tenor” classifies the corn into either “primera”, “segunda” and “kudla”.  “Primera” gets the largest and most perfect ears, “Segunda” takes the medium-sized ones while everything that doesn’t belong to both goes to the “kudla”, the rejects.  While looking at these ears being thrown into piles, I couldn’t help but smile, wondering how my postharvest professor would be appalled if she sees how everything is (mis)handled. :)

The pile of "kudla" ready for sorting and packing.

At around 5 or 6 a.m., wives and other women join in the frenzy as workers who’ll prepare the rejects for the market or the “mangungudla”/ “mambabalat” and packers or “manunupot”. Why? Because to get a better price for these rejects, you have to peel, cut-off parts of the corn which isn’t perfect then pack it into approximately a kilo each. It is then consolidated into a larger pack of 10 kilos to make it market-ready.  The rejects of the rejects called “bilog” are also packed into 10 kilos and sold at half the price of the packaged “kudla.”  What was once considered waste and given to farm animals are also sold in the market, probably made into soup and corn kernels.

Life in the farm is slow until harvest time when the "manunupot" and "mangungudla" work fast to ready everything for the market.

As I found out, peeling a hundred was a breeze but do this repeatedly for thousands needs patience and a whole lot of brawn (which I sorely lack).  After a few hours and sore hands, I promoted myself to the packing area, which I should say, was a bit easier on the hands. Believe me, there’s an art to packing these cobs to make it look market-ready.

Packers tediously gather the rejects to kilo packs.  The "Primera" and "Segunda" are brought to the market as is, sold per piece.

I’ve been an onlooker to countless harvests but for this season, I decided to get my hands dirty.  It actually made me appreciate how much hard work it was to farm, harvest, then market.  What a day! 

Simple Corn Soup (Good for 8)

1 large onion, chopped

1 tablespoon oil

2-1/2 cups cream of corn

3 cups of water (more if you want it less dense)

1 to 1-1/2 chicken bouillon cubes

Leafy greens like malunggay (moringa leaves), chili leaves, 

ashitaba, talinum (a local weed-like plant)

1. To make it easier to get cream of corn from fresh cobs, use a peeler to open up the kernels.  Then using a rubber scraper, scrape off the contents of the kernels.

2. In a heavy-bottomed soup pot or a dutch oven, saute onions in oil until transparent. 

3.  Add in the cream of corn, water and bouillon cubes.  Cook for about 10 minutess on medium high.  Add in the leaves at the last two minutes of cooking, just before serving.

Notes:  

Want a more filling one-dish meal? Add shrimp or meats,  saute it with onions. 

Not a fan of chicken bouillon?  Omit chicken cube and replace with salt or fish sauce.

Freeze it! You can cook the soup ahead and freeze, just omit the leafy greens.  Add the greens while re-heating it in the microwave or soup pot.