Amateur baker

• Oatmeal, mango and cheese pie
• Mango cream pie
• My first apple pie
• Chocolate cheesecake
• Oatmeal cookies and a cookie fest
• Buttery cupcakes
• No bake chocolate-almonds-cream cheese cookie squares
• Self-frosting peanut butter cupcakes
• Mixed berries muffins
• (Something like) tiramisu, version 2

Noche Buena

• Update on the noche buena blog
• Ernest’s pancit canton with bacon-cut pork
• Adobo, quail eggs and rice
• Christmas jello
• Peach pata hamonado
• Melon and coconut milkshake
• The noche buena blog is live!
• In my kitchen: taking it easy
• Rolled porkloin with bacon, basil and rosemary
• Liver paté

School lunchbox

• Sukiyaki-cut beef with Kecap Manis
• Creamed pork, ham, carrots and celery
• Butter-fried fish and corn
• Herbed chicken and rice
• Blue marlin with hoisin sauce and sesame seeds
• School lunch: fish fillet and buttered vegetables
• Pinatisang bangus (milkfish soup with fish sauce)
• Ox tongue with gravy
• Ground pork and vegetables frittata
• Buttered Pork Guinataan

Frances loaf from Julie’s Bakeshop

When Julie’s Bakeshop opened a branch along Circumferential Road in Antipolo, we became regular customers because of its onion bread. It was basically pan de sal but with chopped onions mixed into the dough. The aroma was indescribably sweet and spicy. One time, we hosted an afternoon get-together with cousins and, when they arrived, I was toasting the split and buttered onion bread in the oven to serve with the callos I had prepared. The aroma had wafted through the house and my cousins went straight into the kitchen to ask what was that that they could smell.

Unfortunately, production of the onion bread was discontinued after a few months. It probably wasn’t a very saleable item because Filipinos prefer their bread sweet but otherwise plain. I found nothing else quite as interesting at Julie’s bakeshop and all we’d buy were loaves of white bread for sandwiches. Until one day when we went there and found all the loaves of white bread sold out. The only alternative was an unsliced bread called Frances loaf. Since we didn’t have any choice, we bought one. My, my, my… were we glad we did! Frances loaf turned out to be pan de sal in a loaf–very, very soft inside but crusty outside. And, like the pan de sal, it was sprinkled with bread crumbs.

The best way to enjoy Frances loaf is to buy it warm and still uncut. Slice it at home and serve with butter and jam for breakfast or with saucy dishes like callos for lunch or dinner.

In the mood for more food?

• Braised eggplants
• Heavenly lemon-orange cheesecake
• The heart and soul of Filipino food
• Capsicum halves stuffed with chicken, cheese and vegetables
• When tofu met pesto
• Oatmeal, mango and cheese pie
• Infant milk formula
• Ostrich meat, tapa style
• Vietnamese spring rolls
• Bihon noodles