Food Archives | Off The Beaten Pat

Ensaymada: A labor of love

Yesterday, October 5, 2023, as the world celebrated Teacher’s Day and in remembrance of my late Tito Gary’s would-have-been 70^th birthday, I learned how to make ensaymada from his daughter and her husband. My cousins Andine and Ryan Villacorta using their father’s recipe, which is an heirloom recipe that he also inherited from his late paternal grandmother, Consuelo Araneta continued his ensaymada business after his death.

Katsudon

It is raining the entire day and this lazy bed weather is perfect for a nice bowl of Katsudon, piping hot with the perfect doneness of breaded pork, topped with still runny scrambled egg, scallions and whatever magic that goes into this beloved Japanese dish. For me, this is the penultimate comfort food that eating it just comforts my soul.

A Cake For All Seasons

Cakes are usually enjoyed fresh from the bakery, at cafes and restaurants, at dining halls and venues or at birthday parties so imagine my surprise when my hubby came home from the airport after a flight from Manila carrying a large box of cake. I couldn’t believe he would buy a cake on purpose as pasalubong because it would be cumbersome for him to be hand-carrying it and putting it on the overhead bin. Also there is a risk of the cake spilling out when other passengers open the bin excitedly upon disembarkation in my opinion. But he said it was a present from a friend who mentioned that this particular cake is really famous for its very delicious taste.

Purple Yam Cake

I have been craving for this confection for a while now. Particularly the one from my childhood, the old-fashioned kind, simple and nondescript. We would often bring this cake during excursions or serve it at kiddie parties, not as the main cake itself but as a dessert, although sometimes it could be the main cake. It is also served at buffets in bite-sized portions.