29 May, 2005
A visit to New York is punctuated with several food related “musts” that all have to be satisfied before I get back on a plane… I must have a thick veal chop, visit the Union Square market, eat a hotdog from a street vendor, consume some serious triple cream cheeses, get supplies for my…
25 May, 2005
The first breakfast in New York was superb… a quick walk at 7:01 a.m. around the corner to Francois Payard’s Bistro et Patisserie et voila!, freshly baked croissant, brioche and my sister’s latest discovery, mini craquelin – brioche with orange rind, almonds and a sugary crust! I love freshly baked brioche with sinful…
24 May, 2005
There’s nothing like getting off a 24 hour door-to-door transpacific journey on flights packed like sardines and fed like anchovies and settling into an apartment just bursting with flowers that scream “it’s Springtime in New York!” I consider New York to be my second “home,” having spent long summers here since the mid-seventies,…
21 May, 2005
I have escaped the heat and humidity of Manila and I am on a family holiday in cooler climates. If I am unable to figure out the technology or recover from jetlag and can’t post entries during the next few days, you will have to forgive me. In the meantime, I encourage…
20 May, 2005
Talakitok is the local name that applies to several species of Trevallies / Jacks (Family Carangidae) that make excellent eating. Identifying to species level can be somewhat dicey so I will give you names of some of the commonly eaten smallish talakitok in the Philippines (say ½ to 1 ½ kilos) – Blue…
19 May, 2005
Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostina) is definitely one of my top 10 fruits on the entire planet. It would be on the menu at my ideal last supper. A native to Malaysia and Indonesia, the picky tree requires exacting growing conditions and is difficult to propagate. In the Philippines, most of the mangosteen…
18 May, 2005
I was rummaging through our freezer trying to consume “old” stuff (fearing the situation where an aunt found a duck that had been in her deep freeze for over 6 years, yikes!) when I came across some frozen strawberries that I made over 2 months ago at the height of the strawberry season….
17 May, 2005
My recent trip to Bohol was interesting in that despite all of the development that included new roads, fancy malls and dozens of hotels on Panglao’s beaches, the islands still had that proud provincial feel that existed decades ago. Surrounding modest wooden homes were carefully tended gardens that bespoke a pride of place…