Christmas is here and as the New Year approaches, I have no doubt that the festivities of the season continue to be celebrated by everyone. Parties, family gatherings, and reunions are what it’s all about. After all, it is the season of joy, where smiles, laughter and warm greetings are exchanged. In our home, Christmas [...]

In my last article I wrote about lengua de gato with egg whites as the main ingredient. What do we do with egg yolks? Very easy: make two popular Spanish desserts, yema and and leche flan. A large egg can contain about 76 calories with the white having 17 while the yolk has 59. The [...]

A few weeks ago I wrote an article on chocolate crinkles, a perfect gift for the holidays. Since it is homemade, it’s a more personalized gift that comes from the heart, giving it more meaning. When I checked my e-mail, I was surprised to discover more requests for recipes that are excellent giveaways, either to share [...]

Every third Thursday of November, Americans rush home and gather to celebrate Thanksgiving, a tradition that started in 1621 when the European settlers shared a meal with the Native Americans, showing their gratitude for helping them get through the harsh winter season. The meal itself consists of cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes with [...]

With money anyone can offer succulent dishes and famous wines, but courtesy and kindness cannot be bought. — Lucien Tendret (1825-1896) French lawyer Last week our family took advantage of the mini break and sought refuge in our vacation house in Tagaytay. Its close proximity to Manila and excellent weather is the perfect setting for a [...]

Halloween is over and Christmas is just around the corner. Last year’s Christmas list is out and ready to be checked or deleted (depends if you were naughty or nice). Since childhood, I have given baked items to close friends and family because I felt that sharing something I made added a more personal touch [...]

Si bon Die ti jette banana, fe’me pas tes yeux, ou’ve ta bouche — Famous proverb in Creole which literally means, “If the Good Lord sends you bananas, don’t close your eyes, open your mouth,” or even more simply, “If joy comes your way, take advantage of it.” The joy of every chef is to [...]

It was after our morning class at the Ritz Escoffier that my classmates decided to walk to Galeries Lafayette to do some shopping and see the latest trends in French cuisine. In every country I get a chance to visit, I always bring a list of foods that should be tried; for Paris, it’s quiche [...]

Soup has always been one of the most important parts of the meal, being the first course served, and right off the bat it must be perfect to make the occasion memorable, setting the mood of the meal in the right direction. Auguste Escoffier was once quoted as saying, “Of all the items on the [...]

I’ve often been asked by my students how to make a perfect Béarnaise sauce for steak, grilled chicken and fish. They find it difficult to make because they get confused with the process since Béarnaise sauce is closely related to hollandaise, which is used for poached fish and vegetables, and made with warm egg yolks [...]

It was the coldest day recorded in Hong Kong, too cold for anyone to go outside for a stroll. Stranded in the Marriot Hotel, I decided to order beef noodles or more commonly known as beef mami. The weather was a blessing in disguise as it proved to be the perfect meal, the hot soup [...]