Amateur baker

• No bake chocolate-almonds-cream cheese cookie squares
• Chocolate and mango tart
• Chicken and cheese on toasted bread cups
• Potato raisin scones
• Choco butter cupcakes
• Strawberry streusel cake
• Oatmeal cookies and a cookie fest
• The most sinful chocolate cake
• Buttery cupcakes
• Egg (custard) pie

Noche Buena

• Christmas jello
• Food: the perfect Christmas gift
• Corn dogs
• Melon and coconut milkshake
• Roast pork with mushroom sauce
• Pepperoni and cheese stuffed bread rolls
• Tilapia fritters with honey-lemon sauce
• Spaghetti with longganisa (sausage) meatballs
• Roast duckling on New Year’s eve
• Liver paté

School lunchbox

• Ox tongue with gravy
• School lunch: chicken adobo fried rice
• Packed school lunches
• Pork barbecue fried rice
• Butter-fried fish and corn
• Chicken and asparagus fried rice
• Herbed chicken and rice
• Chicken, ham and leeks fried rice
• Roast pork and cabbage fried rice
• Pinatisang bangus (milkfish soup with fish sauce)

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. Pancit Lomi
2. Corn muffins
3. Spicy Beef Kaldereta
4. French toast in 3 steps
5. Fish lumpia (spring roll) with gata (coco milk)
6. Liver paté
7. What’s in your macaroni salad?
8. Cooking for Father’s Day? Here’s an idea.
9. How to make crepe-like lumpia (spring roll) wrapper
10. Cooking pans