Pantry Check!

I have done the rounds in supermarkets and find Unimart Greenhills to be tops. I like the fact that they’re well stocked (which is something I cannot say for Rustan’s). They also have a sterling selection of PX goods which always gets me to stray from my weekly grocery list. It’s amazing what one can pick up in Unimart. Just this weekend I was able to find flower pots and back issues of Real Simple.

I like getting lost in the supermarket, taking the longest time comparing prices, hunting for new products, etc. It drives Christian nuts – he claims I take the longest time shopping, be it for clothes or groceries.

Here’s Blair Mitch’s list of noteworthy finds that definitely merit space in the pantry:


As you can see, I already halfway consumed the contents of this bottle...

Saranggani Bay Spicy Milkfish in Oil, Php 109.00
I used to be a devotee of the Zaragoza brand but find the sardines always crumbled and damn small. And since I have this maddening habit of removing the skin, it leaves me with very little fish and a lot of frustration. The Milkfish in Saranggani Bay is fat and juicy. It’s also not too salty-spicy. I like eating this for breakfast with garlic fried rice.



Pfanner Gruner Apple or Grapefruit, Php 120.75
I like Del Monte Orange (yippee, free plug for hubby’s brand) but since they don’t have Apple or Grapefruit flavors, I also go for Pfanner. It’s reasonably priced (120 pesos nets you 2 liters) and tastes way better than the others. On the Powdered Category I find Eight O'Clock Lemonade quite addicting.



Purefoods Corned Beef with Hot and Spicy Jalapeno, Php 30.43
Okay, my brand of choice is really Palm Corned Beef. But I find this new Purefoods Jalapeno worthy enough to try. It’s great with toasted bread and sharp cheddar cheese. A note though on processed food loaded with sodium nitrate: please consume in moderation. It’s evil stuff, really.



Reese’s Swoops, Php 126.00
I love ‘em nasty peanut butter chocolate cups and now they come in irresistible slices of peanut chocolate candy, just like potato chips. Heaven help me.



Hershey’s Shell, Php 130-139 – I forget, but somewhere in this range…
Good friend Tricia introduced me to this one and it’s absolutely fantastic. If you’re a Vanilla ice cream fan like me and Christian, you gotta try this. Shake the bottle a bit, pour and watch the chocolate sauce freeze in seconds! And when served in waffle cones, it's a perfectly messy, sticky, yummy dessert.

Does anyone out there have any pantry finds? Share, share please!

Hope you guys had a Merry Christmas. Too much eating happened over the holidays and my hubby is swearing off rice and carbs for now.

Kisses and Hugs from Blair Mitch, Hubby and baby!

I'm baaaaack! :)

I shouldn't have written about fowl, it was a portent of things to come! For the next two weeks I was running around like a hectic headless chicken, rushing to and fro meetings, beating deadlines and basically going nuts with work! Talk about Foul Play!

Thankfully I am able to squeeze in some time to write about this fab dinner I attended earlier this month (see below). Hope you'll enjoy the reading as much as I enjoyed the eating!

Chefs Miguel on Command Performance

Food is such a multi-sensorial experience. For me it almost always begins with the sensuous parade of smells, followed by the sight of food lovingly prepared, the clinking sound of good silverware, the texture of dishes co-mingling in your tongue, the singing of delighted taste buds.

One must come when bid to the table, especially when the promise of great meal is set.

And so I was very pleased when friend Jay invited us to a special dinner for 8 with the Chefs Miguel at the helm. Chefs Miguel consists of the chef brothers Anton and Carlo Miguel. I’ve heard only good things about them so it was a definite Yes.

Hosted by the couple L and C at their beautiful new abode, I was initially sidetracked by their cute children (one of which is 1 ½ and apparently already has a trained palate for foie gras and caviar – in adspeak that would earn an automatic “award”!). However the hors de oeuvre platters set me on the right track –



Blue Cheese and Truffle Honey en’croute, the earthy, pungent essence and rich tang of the cheese was perfectly complimented by the sweetness of the honey.

Duck and Chicken Liver Parfait with Port Wine Jelly, the silky smoothness of the pate was pure seduction.

Grilled Japanese Eel and Sauteed Foie Gras with Pickled Radish, little bite-sized explosions of rich, unabashed elegance.

Champagne was served which Pregnant Moi couldn’t partake of, but the hors de oeuvres, I made sure to taste.

Dinner was ushered in by Lobster and Cognac Bisque with Lobster Quenelles. Faster than I can ask, “what are quenelles?” – the chefs graciously described the dish being served. A quenelle is a small, delicate dumpling bound in fat, cream or eggs, gently poached in stock. L had different bottles of wine served to accompany/compliment the dish and for this one, a sauvignon blanc. I found the starter a tad bit salty but liked the pillow soft lobster quenelles.



Considering I had a generous helping of foie gras earlier, I still had room for another round, Sauteed Foie Gras and Caramelized Apple Mille Feulle. This is one of my favorites in the lot, even though I just ate a bit for taste. The square pastry puff provided just the right crunch to the tender sweet, heady apples. Absolutely deadly, absolutely fantastic.



A sorbet came next to cleanse the palate. Pineapple and Kaffir Lime Granita. By now a whole symphony of flavors and textures were starting to overwhelm and so I was thankful for the intermission.

One can’t go wrong with superior beef and so I only had great expectations for the USDA Angus Rib Eye with gratin potato, asparagus and béarnaise sauce. The gratin potatoes were a surprise – and smothered with béarnaise sauce, such a pleasure. For a while there it threatened to upstage the meat! Normally my spirits positively glow upon seeing the delicate, intricate pattern of marbling but with all the foie gras I scarfed down earlier, the sight was enough to make my heart pound with a full-scale cholesterol storm. I only ate half of the steak and mentally cursed myself for not pacing my eating well enough. Luckily hubby was beside me to finish the rest. The main entree was served with a deep Claret.



But there was no sharing that happened for the stupendous dessert. Valrhona White Chocolate and Bailey’s Souffle with Frangelico Crème Anglaise and Praline Ice Cream. I had to make sure that the liquor content was not too much – I’d be damned if I’m banned from eating this one! I am forever awed by soft, fluffy, bouncy soufflés and this was perfection. How beautiful! Too beautiful to eat! One makes a little cross on top and in pours the crème anglaise – all of it. Down the luscious cream went, into the deep crevice of the seemingly bottomless soufflé. L is right – this one definitely trumps Le Souffle.



Espresso coffee and tea followed. By then I was hazy with content – I think my baby too. We were happy campers. I can’t say the same about my wallet but then again, one spends roughly the same in Prince Albert.

If food is adventure, then the travel is divine.

Fowl Play

I like Fried Chicken. There was once a time when I had a severe PMS episode and ate fried chicken lunches for a week: Max’s, KFC, Greenwich (I think their chicken is the original Jollibee version before it changed to Chickenjoy) and yet more KFC. It’s horrible considering all the oil, grease and trans fat. But it tastes great, so there.

Thankfully I have ceased my fried chicken bingeing days although every now and then I allow myself some serious chicken lickin’. My most recent favorite surprisingly comes from a Chinese restaurant. Yes, that’s right so stop snickering. Have you tried the Sincerity Restaurant fried chicken? Sincerity in Nueva Street Binondo is a veritable hole-in-a-wall serving fantastic, authentic Chinese. On our first outing we had to circle the block thrice before finding the place. They serve this amazing liver dish plus an oyster pancake I remember quite well. But it was the fried chicken that made me a permanent fan. The most non-Chinese order of the meal got me hooked. Best, you can order the chicken to take home. In hubby Christian’s last birthday, we served a dimsum/dumpling feast with the Sincerity Fried Chicken for dessert (kidding).


Ooooh...check out the evil grease stains on that takeout box. Eat in moderation!

Another Great Unforgettable for me is the Garlic Fried Chicken in Happy Garden, Hong Kong. Happy Garden is along Canton Road, across Harbour City. A trip to HK is not complete without a Happy Garden lunch stopover. Hubby and I always order the Sweet and Sour Pork, Yang Chow fried rice (with huge blocks of Chinese ham and lots of fat, succulent prawns) and… the Garlic Fried Chicken. I have often wondered how they cook this – the oh-so-crispy skin and tender golden buttery chicken. It’s one of the rare times I even bother to eat the white meat. I read somewhere that to really reach deep and deliver loads of flavor into the poultry meat, a natural butter marinade, roasted chicken fat or lard is injected into the chicken. Auguste Escoffier flavored his chickens injected with lard, truffles and salted pork fat. Good grief, sounds really, really wicked.



When I want a good, homemade fried chicken that’s not tough and dry (as most are), I consult Craig Claiborne’s The New York Times Cookbook. He has this Southern Fried Chicken recipe that’s awfully easy to make. I copied it below for you to try:

Southern Fried Chicken
4 Servings

1 Chicken, cut into serving portions
Milk
¼ teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup flour
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1 pound lard, or 2 cups corn oil
¼ pound butter

Put the Chicken pieces in a bowl and add milk to cover. Add the Tabasco sauce and stir. Refrigerate 1 hour or longer. Combine the flour, salt and pepper (the flavor of pepper in this recipe is important) in a flat baking dish. Belend well. Remove the chicken pieces, 2 or 3 at a time, and dip them into the flour mixture, turning them in the floor to coat well. Heat the lard and butter in a skillet, preferably a black iron skillet large enough to hold the chicken pieces in one layer without touching, over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, skin side down and cook until golden brown on one side. Turn the pieces and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue cooking until pieces are golden brown and cooked through. Total cooking time should be 20-30 minutes. As the pieces are cooked, transfer to paper toweling to drain.