Fruit Plating - The Thai Way

Thai people are known for their formal presentation of food. Even with fruit, they learned to arrange them in a pretty specific way. For the past weeks, I have been learning and helping with fruit cutting, carving, and plating techniques. Thanks to the three ladies at work, Pi Ying, Pi Hua and Pi Jane who tirelessly guide me as they impart those skills to me.

It's getting more exciting at work!

Custard

During the entire week I was requested to work in the pastry/bakery section. Helping the pastry chef was to my advantage. First of, I had to be at work before 7. I love to work early so getting up before the rooster crows is not an issue to me. Second of, I could go home before the rush hour began.(It begins at 5). The last reason which I think mattered most was learning from a more experienced professional. Well, I need to be trained by a seasoned pastry chef.

Pinay Panadera is turning three!

It has been three years since I set up Pinay Panadera. I made mango-passion fruit cheesecake to mark the occasion.Come join me as I celebrate PP's third anniversary.

Celebrating Irene's Birthday at SEE 180, Sukhaphiban 3

I haven't been on much lately. With all the work at the hotel plus the time I consume commuting to work every day, I can barely get time to keep my dear readers posted. Pardon my late entries.

Two weeks ago,  I got invited to Irene's birthday dinner. She took the group  to a restaurant in a gated community not far from home. In the middle of the whole area is an artificial lake.  It was an intimate venue for the occasion attended by her close friends.

Food Plating

Beef lasagna

My second week at the hotel seemed more exciting. I was allowed to assist in cooking more western dishes for  a la carte dining. I also learned food plating and presentation techniques.

Tortilla Wrap

Even I am out twelve hours a day, I try to balance work and life. Blogging is my hobby and source of stress relief. I can only update my blog weekly and I try to squeeze it into my busy schedule. This week I took some time to help prepare tortilla wrap with my cousin and sister. Tortilla wrap is a great recipe to make when you're always on the run. You have many options for your wrap fillings and it's quick to prepare.

Thai Dessert - Bananas Cooked in Coconut Milk ( Kluai Buat Chi)

I am learning  Thai dessert at work. Yesterday, another Thai chef was kind enough to let me take a picture of how she makes Kluai Buat Chi. They are bananas cooked in coconut milk. Most ingredients in Thai cooking are just approximation so I am sorry  that I won't be able to share the exact measurement  needed. Anyway, here's the step- by- step procedure of this popular Thai dessert.

Surviving My First Week at St. James Hotel

Fish Piccata in Tomato sauce

My three-month training at St James Hotel in Sukhumvit has started. I was given the late morning to evening shift so despite my desire to update this blog regularly, I can't. Since I got back from my country, I had been  busy preparing for this much anticipated "event". I had only five days rest before my training began and I still had not fully recovered from travel fatigue.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you my experiences in the first week of my 3-month stint. I was assigned to assist the Thai chef. She's an older woman, probably a little younger than my mom. We hit it off right away. Even I'm not proficient in Thai language  I had a blast working with her.  She taught me some knife and cutting techniques used for different types of vegetables. There were times when she let me cook Thai dishes just by following her instructions. It's a bit of struggle for me as I was not sure if I understood her instructions right. She's a very nice woman and she smiled at me even I didn't quite catch them.

Yesterday was a different story. There was a party later in the evening. Another chef was on vacation and the sous chef who's in-charged of Western dishes had to work alone. He asked me to assist him. With just a yes and a no, I managed to follow his instructions and I was able to help him finish all the dishes on time.

What to do with left over grated carrots?

Last year during Christmas time I had three carrot cake orders. After all the baking, I had about 200 grams of grated carrots left. To throw them away was a waste of money so I turned them into delicious patties. These are great as main dish or side dish or as  sandwich fillings.

A Glimpse of Marinduque - The Heart of the Philippines

Highlights of my quick visit to my hometown, Marinduque.

Riding the roll -on/roll-off ship (Roro) to Marinduque

Philippine Trip - Mommy's Birthday

Birthday cupcakes and cake I made for Mommy

The main reason of my trip to Philippines last Christmas was to attend Mom's birthday celebrations. Her birthday is the day before Christmas and it is an opportune time to share her blessings to others. Every year, she gives away 5 kilograms of rice to widows and widowers in the church and her community.

Originally, we planned to have her gathering at a park on a hill.  We changed it the last minute because most of her guests were older and were too weak to hike. Mom's favorite color is purple so my sister decorated the venue with purple and white balloons. I made cupcakes and cake frosted with purple butter cream.  Here are the highlights of her birthday gathering.

My Holiday Food in the Philippines

I'm back! To kick off my first blog entry in 2013, I'm going to share photos of food I feasted on during my recent Philippine trip. Hope you enjoy.

Breakfast

1. Mom's homemade soymilk
2. Vegan pancake made of soy pulp, young coconut, mashed banana and flour.
3. Oatmeal topped with banana slices. (My uncle supplied us with loads of bananas while there).
4. Pan de sal - a bread roll made of flour, eggs, yeast, sugar and salt.