Brazo de Mercedes

It is a rolled cake made from a sheet of soft meringue with custard filling. This is considered as one of the all-time favorites in the Philippines. The sponge-like texture of the meringue is balanced by the flavor of the rich custard filling. This is one delicious cake.

In Manila, if I wanted to bring a Brazo de Mercedes to a festive gathering, I'd order it at least two days in advance at Jade Vine Executive Inn's restaurant.  This restaurant is quite popular amongst Manila's culturati, and it oftentimes provides the catering services for them. 

Here in Bohol, the best place to buy a whole Brazo de Mercedes is at Saffron's. The best! The first time I had a piece of Brazo de Mercedes from this fine restaurant was when I attended a wedding reception held there. 

If you'd rather try baking one, from what I understand it's easy to do so and recipes abound online.

Related links:

Brazo de Mercedes, Remedios, Victoria…

Brazo de Mercedes Recipe

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Food Trip Friday

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On Mansions, Olive Oils and Fried Foods

This is a photo of the controversial Arlegui Mansion located inside the Malacanang complex in San Miguel, Manila.  I took it before going to a photo shoot inside the palace grounds.  To facilitate it, Ivan Man Dy, diverted the guards’ attention with some meaningless queries, while I took pictures.  You see, taking unofficial photographs in and around the palace vicinity is highly restricted. 

At that time, this mansion was being used as the office of the Press Secretary.  And just before the Arroyo administration ended, a much-needed maintenance work on this mansion was done at a cost of P180,000.  The repair took 12 days, including two days to vacate the place and 10 days to fix the facility.

Historically, Tita Cory, dismayed by what she deemed veritable excesses by the Marcos regime, set up residence in this grand mansion instead of in the nearby Malacanang Palace when she assumed presidency.  This noble yet quirky decision of hers certainly created nightmares for her presidential security guard unit, because unlike Malacanang Palace which is located within a gated complex equipped with formidable security measures, this grand mansion is on a busy street with rows of private houses, including two private schools nearby. 

I’m not sure who is now using this beautiful mansion and for what purpose; however, if I were a billionaire, I'd buy it in a jiffy and turn it into a museum and then donate it to the Filipino people before I kick the bucket. 

Anyway, although I never had a guided tour of the inside, one thing I’m sure of: as in most houses in the Philippines – huge or modest – this one has a “dirty kitchen.”  And where do I base my assumption from, you may ask?  Well, Filipinos simply adore fried foods.  And since grease can go airborne and attach themselves to the walls and draperies and then harbor lingering scents of meals gone by, the dirty kitchen became an undisputed necessity.

Hence, there is absolutely no going back to just plain boiling, roasting, and souring of our local foods.  Even health-conscious Pinoys who appear to abhor the mere thought of ingesting fried foods could not last too long without the greasy tapsilog and lumpiang Shanghai every now and then.  But rejoice!  A recent study now claims that eating fried foods may not put you at higher risk for coronary heart disease; that is, as long as you're frying those foods in olive or sunflower oils.

A study published this week in the British Medical Journal analyzed data on 40,757 Spanish adults age 29 to 69 who were followed for an average 11 years. Free of coronary heart disease at the beginning of the study, they were asked what they ate and what cooking methods they used, then were tracked to see who developed coronary heart disease and who died.  The bottom line: those who regularly eat fried foods cooked with olive or sunflower oil did not develop coronary heart disease and die from it.

Pinoys can now breathe a little easier, but there stems a new dilemma: the recent scandals of the Italian virgin olive oil production and labeling. How can we be certain about the quality of olive oils out there in the local market?  Unless we’re as savvy as Lael Hazan when it comes to olive oils, we will remain at the mercy of the importers and local grocers.  Lael Hazan and her husband import their own line of extra virgin olive oil --  A & H selections -- from the most southern region of Italy, Apulia. It is made from 100% Ogliarola olives; it is to olive oil what a single varietal estate reserve bottle is to wine.  Fret not, you can order their olive oil on the Internet site cybercuccina.

There are also online sites that offer olive oil-buying tips such as Real Simple  and indiaparenting.com.  The New Yorker also has an excellent article about the olive oil business that you may want to read.  Better yet, just befriend the chefs at your favorite Italian restaurants and ask for their sources for olive oils.

And once you have genuine sunflower or virgin olive oils at your disposal, you may want to check out these recipes: six steps to perfect fried chicken and fried chicken ala Max's.  You may also want to just come over to Panglao Island and indulge in some of the tasty dishes served at restaurants here like at Saffron's breakfast buffet:

Chicken parmagiana

Herbed vermicelli mustard cream dory fish fillet

Potato croquette

Fried chicken

Baked fussili with homemade meatballs

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The Dragon's Feast

To welcome the Year of the Water Dragon in a grand manner as it ought to be, Saffron Redstaurant & Bar was transformed last night as if to resemble an imperial dining hall, while the buffet tables were lavished with traditional Chinese delicacies and special dishes served especially during grand occasions.  

It was indeed a sight beholding abundance and prosperity.  The pictures of the sumptuous dishes in this photo essay, however, are but a mere fraction of what was prepared for the guests to feast on as they ushered in the Year of the Dragon.

The Dragon, though mythic, has always been regarded by the Chinese as the most powerful figure in their zodiac system, and Saffron was able to make such distinction come alive with its Chinese New Year’s Eve Buffet.  Certainly, the Emperor must have been very pleased!

White sesame chicken and pork asado

Braised cold beef

Siomai

Golden Prawn Ball

Chicken hot salad

Shanghai Chow Mein

A wonderful read: A Grand “Chinese” Dinner in Paris, 1858

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Breakfast: The most important meal of the day

"Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper," is an old saying, but I first learned about this way of eating from a friend from Peru who claimed this has always been the way for Peruvians and some South Americans.  It was during the 70s in New York when he told me about this.  I thought it odd at first, but as time went, TV news magazines started talking about the benefits of this manner of eating.

However, stuffing ourselves with doughnuts, sweet pastries, and sugary cereals -- as we dash off to work or school -- just to say we had breakfast will not do the trick. To start the day off right, experts recommend that our breakfast is complete with whole grains, protein, and fiber.

Now, here are some of the benefits of eating a complete breakfast:

It enhances our immune system. A study in the Netherlands showed that eating a substantial breakfast boosts our body's interferon-gamma, a natural antiviral that directly activates immune cells. Skipping breakfast caused a 17 percent drop in interferon-gamma.

It improves our skin. Eggs, regardless of the way they are prepared, are fantastic for our skin. That is due to lutein, a carotenoid antioxidant found in eggs, which helps preserve the skin's elasticity and protects skin cells from free radical damage. Just one egg a day can boost our lutein levels by 26 percent.

Helps keeps us slim. Regularly eating a healthy breakfast will not magically shed the pounds, but experts claim it may help our emotional relationship with food, which in turn, affects our weight. Prolonged fasting can increase our body's insulin response that can increase fat storage and weight gain. On the other hand, regularly eating a well-balanced breakfast helps our body to prevent overeating and stave off our craving for quick carbohydrate fixes, or late morning snacks of doughnuts and pastries.

Moreover, experts assert that eating later in the day only ruins our body's chances of burning off unnecessary fat, consequently putting ourselves at risk for obesity and heart disease. It really is that serious.  Therefore, skipping breakfast not only completely ignores our body's needs, but it also deprives it of so many positive benefits.

And finally, eating a complete breakfast stabilizes our energy levels.  A balance of carbohydrates, protein, and fiber is the key to any healthy breakfast, and eating foods with these components will increase our energy levels. Breakfast replenishes our glycogen, which supply muscles with immediate energy. Breakfast was found to supply around 25 percent of our body’s daily energy expenditure; thus, leading to a high-functioning day. 

So, there you go.  What more do we need to convince ourselves that eating a well-balanced breakfast is the best way to start off our day?

Slices of watermelon and papaya with fresh watermelon juice

Milk with cereals

Yogurt batter pancake with bacon and cherries

Cream of vegetable soup

Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich

Humba (local Boholano dish) with green salad and boiled rice

Chicken with green salad and pineapple slices

Chicken hot salad with lettuce and pineapple slices

Fresh brewed coffee

For further read, check out 10 Reasons to Eat Breakfast

Images above are sampling from Saffron's breakfast buffet delectables.

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

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Parol

They are local Christmas lanterns, traditionally star-shaped, made of bamboo and paper.  They come in various sizes and shapes, but the basic star pattern remains the all-time favorite, because it evokes to the Filipinos the Star of Bethlehem that guided the Three Kings to the manger.  

The word parol is derived from the Spanish word farol, meaning "lantern".  An artisan named Francisco Estanislao, in 1928, was known to have originally created the five-pointed parol made of bamboo strips covered with papél de japón (Japanese paper).  It was illuminated by a candle or kalburo (carbide).

In the Philippines, the paról has become an iconic Christmas symbol as the Christmas Tree is to Western cultures. The parol has also been traditionally associated with the Simbang Gabi, which is a series of dawn masses that lasts for nine days. And originally, the illuminated lanterns were used by barrio folks to light the paths on the way to church, until electricity became available nationwide.

Many villages, schools, and social groups during the holiday season hold competitions to determine who can make the best parol. One such event is the annual Giant Lantern Festival in Pampanga, which attracts various crafts men and visitors from all over the country.

Recently, here in Panglao Island, a parol exhibit was held at the Troman Building Alona.  These Christmas lanterns (as shown in this photo essay) were created using recycled materials by local students from five different schools.  The exhibit was called "Starry Starry Christmas;" the intention was to spread awareness on the merits of recycling. 

Starry Starry Christmas was conceived and organized by 

educator and art lover, Nina Mancao. 

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For those who have missed  the exhibit, these parols will grace Saffron on December 28th for Amorita's Holiday Charity Dinner and Mini-Concert to Preserve and Promote Boholano Arts. The Loboc Children's Choir will perform.  Please contact Amorita for further information.

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Fish Fillet Sandwich

This is the dejeuner created by Chef Paeng -- the marvelous twenty-something  executive chef of Saffron Restaurant and Bar --  when I was feeling adventurous one Sunday afternoon, craving  for something not included in the restaurant’s delightful menu.

It’s a dory fish fillet sandwich with ciabatta bread served with tossed greens,  passion fruit vinaigrette, and some good old French Fries.  Glorious, indeed!

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Food Photography

Mandatory Mooch

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I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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