Amateur baker

• Oatmeal, mango and cheese pie
• Salmon, cheese and cabbage quiche
• Chocolate fudge brownies
• Carrot cupcakes
• Chocolate and mango tart
• Pili nut butterscotch brownies
• Vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• Valentine’s Day cheesecake
• Chicken pie with butter crust
• Scones with preserved seedless plums

Noche Buena

• Tiramisu, party style
• In my kitchen: taking it easy
• A Christmas Eve story
• Update on the noche buena blog
• Roast duckling on New Year’s eve
• Chili garlic prawns
• Spaghetti with longganisa (sausage) meatballs
• Buko pandan
• Ox tongue with gravy
• An all-Filipino menu at a family reunion

School lunchbox

• Pork barbecue fried rice
• Packed school lunches
• School lunch: chicken adobo fried rice
• Ground pork and vegetables frittata
• Butter-fried fish and corn
• Sauteed chicken and squash with fresh tarragon
• Herbed chicken and rice
• Ox tongue with gravy
• Blue marlin with hoisin sauce and sesame seeds
• Honey-lemon-ginger chicken

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?

1. Oysters on the half shells
2. Adobong pusit sa gata (squid adobo in coconut cream)
3. Bicol Express
4. Tupig from Pangasinan
5. Korean beef stew
6. French toast in 3 steps
7. Banapple pie
8. Roast duckling on New Year’s eve
9. Self-frosting peanut butter cupcakes
10. Coffee jelly dessert