World Class Chefs
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Ramilo (Ram) Villaluna
Ram is a budding chef from Iloilo City (Molo). He gained his training in Culinary Arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies under food guru Gene Gonzalez, Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kumpps) in New York. He took up bread making, and he studied food styling under Delores Custer of the Culinary Institute of America. It all started in Antique where his father owned a restaurant many Antiquenos learned to love. He continued the culinary legacy of his father and now, Ram owns a catering business, Cindy\'s Catering. Food is Ram\'s life, seriously speaking. I am short in saying that he is married to the food industry that, he spends most of his time teaching and mentoring at the Department of Culinary Arts at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo. If one cannot find him in the classroom, Ram will be on the road crisscrossing Iloilo and Antique having first hand in the management of his thriving businesses from both provinces. He also has a once-a-week TV show in GMA 7 \"Food Trip\". I met with Ram once before and he exudes perfectionism, the character that will beam him up to the limelight of culinary arts. At present time, Ram is extremely busy in Manila. I believe he is one of the finalists in The National Food Showdown 2010 sponsored by ABS-CBN. We wish you all the luck, Ram! Maybe, after this showdown, Ram will have the opportunity share favorite recipe here at ILONGGO LIVING.
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Archive for the ‘desserts’ Category
Desserts All the Way!
Today’s post is solely dedicated to the desserts served during the parties we had lately. I intentionally did this to give desserts some recognition against its partner, the main courses. Such a sweet repose having desserts after a heavy meal. No doubt, some people skip the main course to give way for the irresistible and mouth-watering desserts. Checkout the parade of desserts!
This tantalizing dessert is strawberry cheesecake ice cream cake. By the way, this birthday cake was for our friend Luz Burton!
Fo those who are calorie-conscious, a plateful of fresh summer fruits were available. Here we have healthy berries of different kinds: blueberries, cherries and strawberries.
A plateful of tropical fruits were also at hand. Fresh watermelon and pineapples slices are so luscious.
This dessert was mindfully prepared by our friends from Toronto, the Lorenzana family. Almond-flavored Nata de Coco and fresh lychies chilled perfectly to enhance the flavor.
Ah, finally, a native delicacy! The popular puto cochinta, home made at its best with freshly grated coconut!
The birthday cake for our friend Edna, from Jacksonville, Florida. Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream cake! Very rich-flavoured ice cream cake.
Native Delicacies Surprise!
July 11, 2010
Indulging on native delicacies is always in my itinerary every time I go home to the Philippines. Somehow, I got this longing for them that needs to be satisfied constantly. And, now a days, one can have them not just during market days or, from ladies (manuglibod) calling out every afternoon but, ANYTIME at the grocery stores! My “radar” for native delicacies is quite accurate and sensitive that, I can spot them within the vicinity (no matter what). Check it out!
Ibos, puto of different kinds & suman latik from the afternoon manuglibod.
Of all the three, suman latik is my favourite. It is so, as I cannot get them here in Canada. Whereas, puto and suman or ibos are quite abundant here. The sweet and moist latik (coconut jam) seats on top of the bland suman like a jewel on a crown!
An array of native delicacies at the Jaro Public Market during Thursday tienda day. One can fill their eyes (and their stomach, as well) of different varieties of kakanins or native delicacies. Here, one can find different kinds of puto, alupi and suman or ibos in Ilonggo.
Baye-baye, pichi-pichi, cassava cakes and puto kochinta occupies the next bila-o.
This shot I was able to get it from the inside of a grocery store in Makati (with permission). A bit more formal, with different kinds of suman one can choose from.
A bonus of nilagang (boiled) kamote or sweet potato, saba (banana) and sweet corn are also available.
Piping hot boiled peanuts is within easy reach.
Banana BBQ
June 29, 2010
A few days back, I was visiting a relative in Calaparan, Villa, when all of a sudden, a lady was calling out an afternoon treat I have been wanting to reconnect with. Without due hesitation, I called her to show me what she got. It’s one of my favorites, the BANANA BBQ! Nothing beats this afternoon snack as it is cheap and easy to prepare with. Not to mention it is a delicious kind of a snack. Have some!
Now, you see what I mean by an irresistible kind of a snack, especially when eaten just right after its cooked.
The sab-a variety of a banana is the best kind of banana for making banana Q.
A balance of brown sugar springkled while frying the banana is the main secret in preparing them.
Delectable Native Delicacies
May 21, 2010
Over the years, my craving for native delicacies such as bingka and puto is cloaked with memories. It will always remain in a suspended animation awaiting to be refreshed every time I visit our dear country. Nonetheless, that memory is still intact and, sinking my teeth to the actual native delicacies and a wisp of the sweet aroma surely awakens my slumbering taste buds. I always look forward for this encounter with delectable native delicacies. All of the shots shown here were taken during my last trip to the Philippines (January 2010).
The banana leaves maintains the freshness of suman latik and puto lanson and, at the same time, adding a subtle aroma and flavor.
Suman latik, one of a kind and only in Iloilo. This is comparable to suman sa liheya but without the moist bucayo (grated young coconut) toppings. The toppings makes a world of difference to the suman.
Puto Lanson. Another exclusive native delicacy from Iloilo. Nowhere in the Philippine one can find this aromatic cassava specialty. As one eats this puto, the texture and sweetness of the cassava wants you to crave for more, especially when eaten warm.
This kind of bingka or bibingka can be found anywhere in the Philippines. They are particularly served during town fiesta and Christmas season.
RCJ bingka from Banate, Iloilo. The people of Iloilo gets this special treat during Jaro town fiesta. It comes in two sizes: small regular size and, the large 8-inch size.
What makes RCJ bibingka yummy is the amount of coconut they added in it. One can easily notice the difference of this bingka.
Menagerie of Native Desserts
May 17, 2010
After a grueling two-hour drive to Scarborough yesterday to attend a birthday party, we were rewarded with an uncompromising array of native desserts. We almost gave up going to the party halfway through as we got rerouted to downtown Toronto due to road construction. For some reason, I dislike driving around Toronto, not to mention driving parallel to the rail-tracks of streetcars. My stereoscopic sense prefers smooth driving surface as opposed to uneven surfaces such as rail-tracks. I out-rightly despise it! No regrets, albeit, pursuing our way to the party despite of the driving challenges as enticing desserts awaited us. Check this one out!
As soon as we went inside the house, my eyes was taken by this big server-full of native desserts. Never mind the main dishes, native desserts captured me!
Up close, can you name them one by one? I bet this is a good test for Pinoys!
Tropical fruits galore!
First round of desserts, one of each kind: (left-right) cassava cake, ube halaya, espasol, biko and bibingkang sapin-sapin. The one at the bottom is the irresistible buko pandan salad!
Now, who can refuse for another load of desserts, this time with colored puto, chicken macaroni salad, brazo de mercedez, biko with toppings, leche flan and some fresh fruits to balance it out.
Finally, as if those rounds of dessert were not enough, my chef cooked Vigan royal bibingka later that night as she has the cravings. Whew! What a day of desserts it was, indeed!
Guimaras Mango Delight!
May 3, 2010
It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through the year already and, mango season back in the Philippines is in full swing. No doubt, people there are taking full advantage of the delightful fruit that seem to taste like peaches but somewhat unique in texture, flavour and aroma. Have I mentioned before that the sweetness of mangoes from the Philippines makes it a world of difference from mangoes here in North America (import from Mexico)? As a mango connoisseur, I do honestly believe that mangoes from the Philippines is the best in the world. Specifically, mangoes from Guimaras are known world-wide, from Australia, Asia and the Pacific rim of North America. Albeit, it makes me wonder why these mangoes does not reach our area here, the east coast. Nevertheless, to mark the bounty harvest of mangoes in Guimaras, about April of each year, local people celebrate the “Manggahan Festival”. The celebration is highlighted with folk dances and trade fair. Thanks to my fellow blogger and friend, Junnjun Mendoza of Gigs Ilonggo for kindheartedly lending me his photo shots of the above-mentioned celebration.
I was totally taken by this shot as it depict a gigantic mango-shaped object made up of real mangoes itself. I don't know about you but, I caught this mango-shaped image the first time I laid my eyes on it. To some, it might be just a bunch of mangoes tied up together.
One cannot help but admire how the Guimaras mangoes looks like. How it differs when you try smell the aroma of a ripe mango from the ones we get here in North America.It is way beyond comparison!
Mango fruit stands must have dominated the trade fair they had during the Manggahan Festival in Guimaras.
The best way to eat mango is to just wash it, peal it and munch at it with one's bare hands! One will find out how many mangoes you can devour in one shot. DID YOU KNOW THAT? The local government of Guimaras prohibits entry of non-local variety of mango plants in the area to prevent cross pollination?
Here are some few shots from the Manggahan Festival in Guimaras. (Thanks to Junnjun Mendoza of Gigs Ilonggo).
Japanese Way on a Friday
April 30, 2010
In keeping with our acquired taste for Japanese foods, the family has to continually refresh our taste buds with authentic Japanese cuisine. As everyone might agree on, food is an excellent stimulus to our brain through our eyes, nose and taste buds. And Japanese are good in that respect: the art, science and food combined! They prepare their food so meticulously that they consider a balance of all three elements. Let us dig into some of everyone’s favorites and some newly found Japanese foods at Spring Sushi Japanese Restaurant along Upper James St. South, Hamilton.
We have heard that Spring Sushi Japanese Restaurant caters authentic Japanese foods. We went for their buffet lunch as dinner time requires advance booking.
This is an all-you-can-eat order-in buffet ($11.99/person), so food comes in a surprise fashion!
The choices for different sushi and sashimi are endless. Only your imagination limits them.
Different hand rolls are endless, as well. One can order and eat as much as one can handle.
Sushi Pizza. Don't expect for an 8 " or 12" pizza pie! This one is the size of a burger patty made of seafoods and topped with thin slices of salmon. I love this kind of a pizza as it is almost my personal size kind of.
Sirloin Steak with Spring Onion. When I ordered this item, I was not aware of how it looks like. The onion flavor blends well with the rare-done sirloin steak.
Vegetable tempura and Seafoods Udon
Everyone's favourite, Shrimps Tempura
Deep Fried Breaded Scallops
Seafoods Fried Noodles
Chicken Teriyaki
This one came totally a SURPRISE... Eel Pancake! I did not expect my pancake to be rolled!
Stir fried rice with seafoods. Of course, rice is always present in every Filipino meal!
Green tea ice cream is my favorite among the rest.
Puto (Steamed Rice Cake)
April 28, 2010
I overheard from the chat box in Casa Baluarte the frustration and subsequent hesitation of my fellow bloggers Natie and Cecilia about making puto (steamed rice cake) from scratch. Cecilia never dared at all as she’s unsure of the result and, surely, puto can be bought at a Filipino store at her convenience. Well, tarry no more my friends, my chef is more than eager share her easy, no-nonsense puto recipe with you. If you want, you can visit my friend Noel’s site, Overseas Pinoy Cooking if you want a fancy Puto Special recipe. Give it a try and be proud! You will enjoy making your own puto, way better-tasting than the ones you buy from the stores. Take my word for it!
RECIPE:
Ingredients – 2 cups plain flour or rice flour, 1 cup sugar, 6 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2tbsp. oil or melted butter, 1 1/2 cup milk, 3 eggs and 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Procedure- mix all ingredients in a large bowl, stir until it’s smooth in texture (bubble free). Spray the muffin pan with PAM. Fill the mixture into the well and then put it in a large steamer.
After mixing the batter well, fill up the muffin pan. Do not overfill as the puto will rise when it's cooked.
Place pan in the steamer, cover and let it steam until cooked (about 10 -12 minutes).
Using a tong, remove pan from steamer once cooked and let it cool off for a bit before removing puto from the pan.
There you go, your home made puto, tastes delicious!
As an option, one can add pandan extract to modify the flavor & color of your puto. In this case, add 1 tsp. of pandan extract to the batch before steaming.
For people who wants vibrant-colored puto, one can add food coloring to each individual batches or portions of a batch you have prepared before steaming.
Dare Not Pig Out!
April 23, 2010
About a few weeks back, we were invited to a 50th wedding anniversary at King’s Buffet along Centennial Parkway. Space were limited to a handful invited guests and family members so, we were lucky to belong to the former. This restaurant is known to briskly compete with another Canada-wide Chinese buffet restaurant. Nevertheless, people tend to overeat at a buffet to make their moneys’ worth. And that day was no exception but, with a little twist. Let’s check out the foods!
PLATE #1 Since lobsters were available during that day, we concentrated our gastronomic adventure into sea foods! We simply ignored the other greasy and gravy-laden foods a buffet restaurant usually serves.
PLATE #2Alaskan king crab legs was also on the line of sea foods that was devoured. Followed by shrimps with grilled sweet corn on the side. So far, we were doing alright, still on tract (and mindful)!
PLATE #3 going Japanase this time... few sushis and sashemies with seaweed pocket.
PLATE #4 Getting picky now. A skewer of breaded scallops, squid, mussels and just 2 pieces of Chinese chicken wings & some grilled asparagus spears.
PLATE #5 Plain fresh fruits like blackberries, blueberries, watermelon and pineapple spears for dessert. no ice creams nor cakes were involved. We actually did great that time controlling our food intake. Would you not agree?
Synopsis of Pamahaw: Here & There
April 21, 2010
As I was having my breakfast this morning, my mind was lingering on the foods I had for breakfast back in the Philippines. Such gastronomic memories is hard to reckon with the foods I have here in Canada. But, my breakfast this morning was close enough to bridge the gap in flavors my taste buds was pampered upon for three weeks. Come on, let’s check it out for the last time as I present to you a synopsis of PAMAHAW or breakfast, Pinoy/Ilonggo style!
Here….
Here's our version of pamahaw, made up of garlic fried rice and two side dishes.
If one has discernable tastbuds, one will notice a subtle difference of flavor in longanisa (sausages) and the itlog na maalat (salted eggs). When we eat these foods here in North America, we instantly cross-reference them to the one we have back home. Slices of ripe tomatoes is a good pair for salted eggs and/or longanisa. It balances out the saltiness of the eggs and the greasiness of the longanisa.
There….
JD's Rice Square in Iloilo, the ultimate all-in-one breakfast, literally!
Breakfast at Marina's Restaurant in Makati. The unbelievably most unique of them all... it has 5 kinds of side dishes plus slices of tomatoes and atsara (pickled green papaya). One has the chance to savor different foodstuff such as sunny side up egg, longanisa, tocino, salted dried danguit fish, and beef tapa! How about that for a challenge?
Nothing beats home made breakfast! Here we had bestek and binurong bilong-bilong. My sister-in-law Bebet prepares sumptuous daily breakfast with extra load of Ilonggo dishes (most times).
After a sumptuous breakfast at home in Iloilo, Guimaras mango will help settle one's full stomach. Or not?
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