Sya na, ganire ang FoodPrints sa Batangas with Sandy Daza, la-ang! The aroma of Liberica kapeng barako opens up the senses to new twists on time-honored Filipino cooking (for non-Batangueños at least).

No dummy at balisong knife tricks, Chef Sandy, in this FoodPrints food adventure, gets reacquainted with his roots. Sharpening his audacious taste buds, he meets up with insiders and makes way though the dynamic Lipa Night Market and other relevant destinations for the classic must-trys in this fertile province south of Manila.

Historic Taal, notable for tawilis and maliputo is a story all its own. Likewise with panaderias brimming with tiping, londres, pianono and bonete (perfect with chami or pansit lang-lang). And what’s a Pinoy food trip sans kakanin? Like an empty Batangas beef bone.

Ala eh, a foodie paradise!

Travel with Chef Sandy, tune in to FoodPrints on the Lifestyle Network (Channel 52 on SkyCable) every Saturday at 8:30 PM.

*Special thanks to Pontefino Hotel and Residences for the de luxe accommodation.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Okay, I know it’s old news, but to satisfy my curiosity for Speculoos CB, I snatched one from the newly stocked shelf at a store in Laoag. Much to the consternation of consumers abroad, hordes of boxes are being sent to the country, breeding spin-offs, like everything is suddenly gingered with the cookie spreadable. Yes, from polvoron to ensaimadas. Cookie butter bibingka might just be coming soon.

I like it, but I don’t love it like I do peanut butter on toasts. Straight from the bottle, it’s not as exciting as ube jam. Ate it with tortillas. Not a good combination, imo. I have yet to try it with veggie sticks. Leaving aside, the name Speculoos actually makes me laugh. I thought I’ve heard it first in nursing school.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

I can be seriously udong when it comes to the latest Manila eats. So when Wooden Spoon chef and co-owner Sandy Daza invited the FoodPrints team to try out his latest at the Power Plant Mall, I was secretly giving Pen a hand signal. We were there early, so we got seated right away. Went over the menu and surprisingly the price points are not eye-popping.

The crab pancit arrives first. Chef Sandy says it’s one of the dishes her mom, the late Nora Daza, used to cook at home. Then the unusual red and century egg salad waits in front of us. With the first bite, I suddenly forget about everything else. Chef Sandy divulges there’s a sweet and salty Chinese candy powder in it.

Following 5 days of binging in Batangas, the unexpected food fiesta on our way home was killing me. I got so bitin with the spoonful of pinangat at the Lipa Night Market, so Wooden Spoon’s stuffed pechay gave me the satisfaction. The Ilocano in me ignored the dinakdakan and dinardaran with lechon kawali. I seized the adobo flakes and tinapa rice. The sago cake and reina blanca were rather light. Not because Sandy Daza is a friend, but truly, it was comfort eating at its best! Come back at me if  I’m wrong.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Adams, the one-barangay town high in the sylvan mountains, close by Pagudpud, knows its wines.

Adams, curiously, is a melting pot of tribal cultures. It has mastered the Cordilleran (Kankanaey) way of fermenting rice into a wine called tapuey. About 4 or 5 years ago, the local community introduced more wines, giving rise to a thriving wine industry.

Its wine made from bugnay (Antidesma bunius) fruit has become notoriously in demand. Touted to be the next wonder fruit, bugnay or bignay fruit is known to contain phytochemicals with potent antioxidants, which function to protect the body from free radical damage.

I sold about 20 boxes at a pre-Christmas eco bazaar some years back. A bottle of the sweet and tarty wine, costing just a little over a hundred pesos, can stand in lieu of fancy wines. I know of connoisseurs who have come to appreciate bugnay wine from Adams.

Buying from the Adams Wine Makers Association is synonymous with helping far-flung communities achieve their dreams.

Adams wines are available in Adams and at souvenir shops and select groceries in Ilocos.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Bon Appetea is not just another tea place in Ilocos. It is a tea bar with a dizzying array of tea drinks and Belgian waffle sandwiches to choose from. My first drink from the bar was a Rainforest Passion. Indeed tropical like it’s name. Had I talked to the owner, San Nicolense Wynie Butay, earlier, I would have shifted my thoughts on Bon Appetea’s bestselling Nirvana or his favorite Buddha’s Tears. It was really difficult deciding. Tea junkies will be happy with the monster cups!

The place has a young vibe. It is right beside the Tribeca coffee shop in the 365 Mall, in an area which is becoming a happening place outside of Laoag. A series of activities are in store at the formal opening today, October 19.

The friendly owner, Wynie Butay (who happens to be a nurse by profession), checks on us.

I recognized the famous photographer in Ilocos, Mr. Cholo Arellano. Though we share a mutual love for photography. it was my first time to see and talk to him. Of course, he is the pro and I’m just amateurish.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

It pays to listen to Manileño foodie friends. From Binondo, I didn’t have to travel so far for cronuts croughnuts (croissant-donut hybrids). For a blogger with short attention span, the initial lust has worn off, but heightened back seconds before my first croughnut at Dolcelatte on Quezon Avenue. Incidentally, Dolcelatte was also the most appropriate place for a sudden meetup interview with De La Salle studes Rizze Cajigal and and Jules Sabater. They went earlier, so I was last to eat. I insisted on sharing my Earl Grey Tea Latte croughnut with them.

It was a blissful first. It’s the shape of a doughnut, but is more a crispy-flaky pastry with a nice chewiness in the center. My second, a mango yogurt, was not as fantastic. It was kind of mushy in the middle, maybe because of the weight of the syrupy mango filling.

Croughnuts are difficult to make and there’s a limit for each customer, so you can have just about one piece of each flavor at a time. At Dolcelatte, a piece costs 110 pesos. There are more than 17 flavors with ear-pleasing names. The cashier says, fresh pastry arrives in batches, about 100 boxes fly out of the shelves fast.

At the Dominique Ansel Bakery in New York, where the food portmanteau originated in May this year, the 5 dollar a piece cronut is worth 40 dollars on the black market. The cronut phenomenon has spawned a  thousand copycats worldwide.

Dolcelatte is a gourmet restaurant as well. Since the success of their croughnuts, they have developed savory croughnut sandwiches like Smoked Pulled Pork, Salmon Cream Cheese and Breakfast Croughnut with turkey and sunny side-up egg (mnnn, tickling).

My foie gras with cranberry preserve was pretty. Fancy melt in the mouth, but not too greasy.

“We learned something today,” Jules uttered. We all loved the place.

Because croughnuts have a short shelf life, Reny and I ate the rest of the assortment on our way home to Ilocos. The chocolate caramel with Baby Ruth-like morsels was decadent. For the sweet tooth. I found the Turkish Delight too rich and heavy. I saved the Oreo Milkshake and one more for home. They were still fine, but lost half of the croughnut crispiness.

The first and best, Earl Grey Tea Latte, is still fresh on my mind.

Warning: Wear a bib while eating croughnuts.

DOLCELATTE Café and Gourmet Restaurant and Bakeshop1616 Quezon Avenue, South Triangle, Quezon City (632) 425-0313 to 16 loc 109/110  Mon-Fri: 9 AM to 10 PM Sat and Sun: 10:30 AM to 8 PM

Mom and dad are in town from Los Angeles. To refresh their taste buds as well as their memory of local delights, brought them to Herencia Cafe in Paoay and La Moda Panciteria in downtown Laoag. There’s really no place like home, I always hear that from balikbakans anywhere.

Pinakbet pizza.

Brandon’s fish kilawin and Alexa’s carbonara pasta. My dad got cooled with Filipino strawberry ice cream and my mom colorful halo-halo.

Mom and daughter.

Bought Ilocos burger with longaniza and sunny side-up egg at the snow cone stand outside. Decidedly good without being fancy!

Look! Crispy bagbagis (fried pork intestines) and lechon de carajay at La Moda Pancteria. We went heavy with meatball soup, camaron rebosado, fried calamares and pancit guisado. Mom was pleased with the homestyle cooking. Happy they can still enjoy a little of everything.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

If it’s a sin to covet my neighbor’s goods, then let me sin religiously in the name of starvation. Blame it on the insane aroma of newly baked bread around the block.

The one month old Baker’s Percent store right next to the building where I live hasn’t stopped tossing pizza breads and long Johns in their classy eco-friendly bags. I eat them morning, noon and evening, especially when I’m writing.

They have personal size cakes, rolls, uraro, egg pie, hopia, tikoy roll, ensaimada, pork chicharon, macaroons and a lot more.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

God loves me for giving me angels and doughnuts. I featured my first Cello’s Doughnuts doughnut from Ali in September (here). And here comes a dozen from Raine. The doughnut freaks in the house wouldn’t stop as soon as I laid down the camera. They love me, they left one.

Thanks, Raine, and to your dad! See you soon.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Went to a random date with the kids. I only had eyes for Dear Darla, one of the specialty pizzas at Yellow Cab Pizza Co. Roll in the greens with alfalfa sprouts and arugula for a burst of flavors and textures. It’s a fresh take on pizzas.

Only Manhattan Meatlovers for Alexa. It happens to be the dad’s favorite at Yellow Cab.

The color of the day… it’s just a color:) Thanks to the manager for taking this photo.

I rarely eat ice cream, but when Dear Darla’s gone, I had to have the Yellow Cab salted dulce de leche. The fleur de sel brings out the heavenly flavor of caramelized milk. It’s not too sweet nor too rich. I definitely recommend this baby to ice cream lovers. Brandon’s amaretto with roasted almonds is so nice as well. It was my favorite before I discovered salted dulce de leche. As always, chocolate ice cream for Alexa.

It rained this afternoon. It seldom rains in November in Ilocos. Take care, peeps. Make your weekend count.

© Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

As promised, sharing photos taken at Barako Joe’s coffee farm in Lipa, Batangas. Barako Joe is Jose Macasaet Honrade Mercado, a third generation coffee farmer/trader and as he describes himself, “a coffee farmer since birth.”

Tito Joe’s family was featured in Chef Sandy Daza’s FoodPrints. I hope you enjoyed the entire Season 1 as much as I did behind the scenes.

FoodPrints shot at his farm and log cabin home overlooking the placid Taal Lake early in the morning. They were gracious enough to prepare coffee, of course by the famly-owned Cafe de Lipa, with Lipa specialties pancit lang-lang, tamalis and an assortment of cakes made by The Artisan (the chef daughter of Tito Joe).

The eldest of his sons says, “Roasting is an art, but in the end it’s the roaster who decides.” Good  coffee, they say, should have a balance of sour and bitter notes.

Chef Sandy Daza with the Mercados

I had the best ever butterscotch cake here!

Coffee and milk ‘dos: My boss Jennie Celdran and Tita Ligaya Mercado.

The fruits are grown in their farm and made into atsara after the harvest season. They are all good! My instant loves are the paho, santol and luya.

We had a beautiful lunch at Cafe de Lipa. Heaven in tawilis + paho atsara and adobo flakes + santol atsara!

In behalf of Sandy Daza, Jennie Celdran and FoodPrints, thanking the Mercado family for the wonderful time we spent with them. Nakaka-miss their super sarap food. Actually!

Here are other photos shot in Batangas.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

I know the country is in a state of grief, but we had to be in the mountains of Baguio for Brandon’s entrance examination to a Manila university over the weekend. He’s done 2 exams now and he still has to tackle one next week. He chose to take this particular exam rather than entering a mountain bike competition in Nuvali. The dad has paid the biking race registration fee earlier, but doesn’t mind losing the money for his son’s priority. Yes, we let the children make their choices.

Let’s get on with the main story. I discovered Chaya through a friend. I googled the exact address earlier, so it wasn’t really difficult locating the Japanese restaurant, though you could easily mistake it for a house because it is partly concealed and  past the busy area of  Legarda Road.

Chaya is cozy. The typical diners are tourists and Korean students. The menu consists of modern Japanese dishes. We ordered a medley of light seafood and vegetable dishes. I found salmon calpacho that resembles Italian carpaccio. It was a lovely way to set the palate in motion, but to be honest, the sushi was fairish. I was expecting something grand since the owner, I believe, is Japanese. The ebi (shrimp) heads scared Alexa. The Chaya salad, a bed of greens with an assortment of sweet and tangy local fruits such as passionfruit and strawberries, was the best of the bunch. They gave us free delicious green tea ice cream set off with sweetened red beans.

Service is good and friendly.

The dad’s hot udon soup.

Cold green tea garnished with local sweetener known in Ilocos as balicucha.

Chaya 72 Legarda Road, Baguio City Tel: (074) 424 4726 CP No.: 0916-439 4141

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Arguably one of the best things about living in Ilocos, you can have quaintness at your disposal. The cool, breezy months make it so fit for nighttime calesa rides.

We did the calesa thing to Wabi Sabi Tea Café, comfortably so!

The jaded, as well as the up-to-date lovers of tea will take pleasure in Wabi Sabi’s freshly-introduced original line of indigenous tea drinks. The saniata ti Ilocos aka dragonfruit is underscored in the new four exclusive Wabi Sabi drinks, namely, dragonfruit milk tea, dragonfruit Yakult, dragonftuit fruit tea and dragonfruit deluxe with dragonfruit jelly and wabi cream.

They recommended the deluxe which is a refreshing pack of textures. Will definitely have to try the other originals.

TGIF!

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Through my stint as legit blogger for the Lifestyle Network’s FoodPrints, we got to unearth not so common heritage recipes in two not so talked about food-tripping destinations in the country. One of them is gorgorya (or gurgurya or golloria). According to Riza Santiago-Hernandez, a niece of awarded food and culture historian Milagros Santiago Enriquez, who made a short and sweet demo on gorgorya-making in Malolos, Bulacan — in the colonial period, when the friars were building churches, incorporating egg whites to bind rocks, corals and shells together, people found ways to utilize egg yolks, hence the rise of egg-based desserts such as shell-shaped gorgorya, leche flan, pinaso. yema and many more.

The late Tita Mila, as she is fondly called by Riza, wished to share the heirloom recipes for the next generations of Pinoys to enjoy.

Gorgorya can last up to a month without refrigeration, making it suitable to cook in big batches. It’s Christmastime, so Lynne and I tried to roll some for friends. Riza’s demo included kalumata leaves for an herby anise-like flavor. Kalumata plant, she says, is typical near old churches in Bulacan.

Tita Mila’s original recipe was lifted from the book, Kasaysayan ng Kaluto ng Bayan, (Zita Publishing Corp., 1993) she penned, and translated in English by BlauEarth for this post.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 cups margarine
• 5 tsps milk
• 1 egg,  beaten
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsps water
• grated dayap rind (native lemon)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together except sugar, water and dayap. Mix evenly. Mold dough and cut into small pieces. Press each piece into a fork and roll to form a shell shape. Deep fry in oil until golden-red. Set aside.

Boil sugar and water until thick. Drop in grated dayap rind and the shell-shaped pieces and mix until fully coated.

The BlauEarth’s Kitchen version

I used artificial flavors in place of kalumata leaves, and butter rather than margarine. Lynne and I added some dayap rind directly to the dough mixture, then followed the rest of the steps. There’s a semblance of how local binuelos or cascaron are made.

It’s easy to recreate the time-honored Bulacan cookies. Enjoy!

Acknowledgements: Thanking food historian Milagros Santiago Enriquez for the recipe, Riza Santiago-Hernandez for the cooking demo and the Lifestyle Network’s FoodPrints.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Today’s recipe is also from the historical cookbook, Kasaysayan ng Kaluto ng Bayan, (Zita Publishing Corp., 1993), penned by the late Bulacan food historian, Mrs. Milagros Santiago-Enriquez, and translated in English by BlauEarth for this post. If you enjoyed gorgorya, you’ll likewise enjoy pinaso and its cross-cultural character. Said to be Mexican in origin, the dish dates back to the Manila-Acapulco Galleon Trade.

Pinaso is the Filipino word for scorched. Tourists visiting Bulacan, Tita Mila wrote, take joy in the unique way of preparing the dessert. Indeed, one of the memorable dishes featured by Chef Sandy Daza on Lifestyle Network’s FoodPrints that earned the nod of the foodistas among the crew. The taste is a cross between leche flan and crème brûlée.

I did an all-new picture guide for your reference. Dayap was unavailable so lemon rind was used. You can perhaps tweak the sweetness to suit your preference.

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup finely crushed saltine crackers
5 eggs
dayap rind, grated
1/4  cup granulated sugar

Preparation:

Mix together milk, eggs and crackers and cook until thick. Add dayap rind and the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar. Pour mixture into a shallow dish. Sprinkle top with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. With a “nagbabagang siyanseng bakal” (red-hot steel turner), scorch the surface until sugar turns into a deep amber caramel.

Revive the dying Filipino customs and traditions with this utterly simple but lovely treat. Maligayang Pasko!

Thanking food historian Milagros Santiago-Enriquez for the recipe, the Lifestyle Network’s FoodPrints and Lynne.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Lanie is back rolling our favorite crunchy empanada and pinais at her post in the Batac Riverside Empanadahan. She got sidetracked with out of town fairs, causing confusion among the fans. We missed the Batac mayor by a mere 10 minutes at her stall.

So there, folks, it’s Lanie’s Empanada! Back by popular demand.

Empanada for dinner with the in-laws.

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

If you’re out of festive food ideas for the important gatherings this season, grab a copy of Appetite, your guide to a delicious life.

The December 2013-January 2014 issue is loaded with fantastic features such as lamb caldereta, bringhe negra, Ilocos longganiza aglio olio spaghetti, malunggay pancit bihon, chicken inasal paella, hamon Bulakenya recipes and a lot more.

In The Feed is Off The Eaten Path with the man of the moment, Chef Sandy Daza.

If Sandy Daza’s photos are familiar, you’ve seen them in BlauEarth’s behind the scenes of the entire Season 1 of the FoodPrints shoot in Ilocos Norte, Bulacan and Batangas. Catch FoodPrints every Saturday at 8:30 PM on the Lifestyle Network

*Special thanks to Appetite for the feature.

© Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2013

Hello, 2014! Raine Calucag/Soveraine, Marianne Pasion/Cynosure and myself had our first ever day out to welcome the year.

It took months to bring each one together, yet sunshine poured the minute we decided to shoot in the biggest bread plant in the north. Baker’s Percent was gracious enough to accommodate us on a busy holiday week.

The Laoag store manager, S Acoba-Pacheco, toured us around and fed us the big picture and an insane aroma that satiated our hunger.

Thank you, Baker’s Percent, for passing the yummy on!

Baker’s Percent supply all the Jollibee outlets in Northern Luzon with buns.

With the tireless S Pacheco. Big thanks, S!

We relaxed our overstimulated senses at the Laoag “La Paz” Sand Dunes.

Love you both!

New Hopes in 2014! Thank you so much, dear readers, for the love!

Photos by Soveraine, Cynosure and Blauearth
© Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2014

Ever wondered what makes Ilocano food so distinct? Primarily paksiw (sinanglao), dinakdakan, imbaliktad, and dinardaraan (dinuguaan)? It’s the infusion of supreme Ilocos organic vinegar. It’s also the same vinegar we mizzle our orange empanadas and tinuno with.

Sukang Ilocos is fermented from sugarcane juice and samak leaves, traditionally left in  burnay jars to age, first to basi (Ilocano wine) until it turns to vinegar, when color and flavor become darker and perfectly stronger. In our home, the darker, the better.

We love to artem (pickle) our fruits like sincamas, balayang, salamagui, sarguelas, mangga, and papaya especially during the summer. A little of that same vinegar is added to the bath after a bout of fever for a truly makapabang-ar (refreshing) sense of feeling, and as the babbaket say, “tapno haan a mabinat (to avoid recurrence of illness).”

Ilocos Vinegar is ubiquitous in markets, souvenir shops, and stalls particularly along the National Highway in San Ildefonso (Ilocos Sur), and Pasuquin (Ilocos Norte).

Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2014

Thank God for weekends! The weather’s nice, pretty chilly in Ilocos lately. We hit Joe 10′s Coffee in the Iglesia Ni Kristo area in Laoag. The butterscotch frappe is so nice on any given day! They have Krispy Kreme, J.CO and other baked goodies to satisfy your sweet cravings.

{Plains and Prints top, old Citizens of Humanity jeans, Mango fisherman cable-knit sweater, Vans sneakers, Prada satchel, borrowed-from-Brandon aviators}

Photographed by Brandon and Blauearth
© Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2014