The Culinary Artist

Cilantro... hated it

2012-01-07T02:53:00.000+08:00

The Herb, taken from my phone cam

I remember the very first time when I encountered this ingredient.

Second year high school, Food technology class, unfortunately I was assigned to bring this/market for this ingredient.

Right now I’m really surprised that we were introduced quite late to each other.
How come parsley got introduced to me during fifth grade?

Well it doesn’t really matter coz both of them flunked my taste buds during our introduction.

Little did I know that one day we are all bound to meet again and I will start feeling sorry for myself for even banning them from entering my then immature, untrained, unsophisticated, and close minded palate.

So this Cilantro came in a lot of names, during my food tech class it was called “Wansoy”. In the packaging that it came with, the label says “Wansoy Global Coriander”.

I’m not really sure what’s with the global thing with it but maybe what they’re trying to say is that it’s globally known as coriander. I can only presume. I could be wrong.

So there, back to the food tech class that I was in. My food tech teacher wasn’t so happy when she saw me taking out the Wansoy out of the package. Her initial reaction was… something that I could never forget.

“I really don’t like that ingredient, it smells like cockroach and it tastes awful!?!?!?!”

Well… damn her coz it took me three different groceries just to find that ingredient, just so happens that this Wansoy is so in demand almost all of the groceries are out of stock.

Emotions set aside I didn’t know what kind of face I was supposed to show her so I simply just smelled it for her sake and for my curiosity’s sake.

Damn it smelled exactly like a dirty crawling cockroach. Yuck!

So I immediately took my hands out of it and washed with some soap detergent.

I told my teacher that I think it’s really fresh; the scent of cockroach was really strong.

From that point on I banned it from even getting near to my plate, chopping board, pan, knife, or anything that could possibly remind me of how disgusting it made me feel.

Lo and behold two of my female classmates arrives in the kitchen lab and sees the Wansoy herb from a distance. I tried daring them if they could smell it for two seconds.

One of them immediately grabs the herb and deeply inhales the whole damn thing.

Well I was shocked.

Very shocked.

Genuinely shocked.

After inhaling something that I thought was poison she said that it smells so good and she can’t wait to eat it.

If only my ears could clap. I was so disgusted and astonished at the same time.

And then the other girl smelled it. Same reaction… only this time she picked a leaf out of it and ate it, well I think she was just showing off. She started mentioning dishes wherein they placed and mixed lots of these and how wonderful it could possibly taste, obviously a big fan of the ingredient.

I wasn’t listening, I still hate it. Smelling it made me want to throw up.

During that food tech class I think more than half of the students in the class liked cilantro, wansoy, coriander, or whatever they want to call it.

But not me.

I hated it.

“Hated” it.

Take note of the word “hated”.

For how many years I kept my distance, I stayed away; I despised coriander leaves, stem, root, and its scent… anything and everything about it was something for me to look out for.

Most of the time whenever I eat outside… if it’s not parsley as a garnish then it would certainly be coriander so I just simply flick it off the plate every time I see it. Nowadays other herbs are used as garnish like basil, flat leaf parsley, Italian oregano, thyme; well most of them get set aside off the rim of the plate… useless garnish? Yes there are a lot of useless garnishes out there and I hate it, I’ll soon tell you why.

So now you know that I too once despised anything and everything about the herb coriander.

Everything I knew about coriander changed in an instant during my training in culinary school.

There was this one subject called Product Identification wherein we all had to learn about the different kinds of herbs and spices. We had to taste, smell, touch, hear, and smell whatever ingredient that was presented right in front of us.

At one part it was all about fresh herbs.

There was this familiar herb right in front of me, but I wasn’t really focusing so much about the herb coz I was more busy paying attention to the girl beside me and how funny she’d look right after tasting each herb. We were talking about herbs and stuff and how good and bad some of them tasted like.

The instructor then described some characteristics of the herb that was in front of us.

“Citrusy, fresh, almost like lemon zest, and cooling… Cilantro…”

I heard everything so clearly that I can remember all the exact words that he used to describe it.

And every time I hear the word citrusy or anything citrus I can only associate it with fruits. Specifically orange and lemon… after all they really are citrus fruits.

I think it had a huge psychological effect before I tasted the herb.

I mean I wasn’t really focusing too much on the herb itself so I kind of disregarded the way it looked like. I was more excited about the fact that it tasted fresh and citrusy.

And the instructor called it cilantro, at that time I was familiar with cilantro since I kept on seeing it being used in cooking shows but the thing was in my mind I haven’t really tried it yet.

So first I smelled it. Mmm… it does smell fresh and citrusy!

Obviously I was totally brainwashed at this point.

Then I tasted it. Mmmm…….. it does taste like a very light lemon zest in a way!

Then the instructor talks about it again.

“Locally known as wansuy or wansoy, chinese parsley, and internationally known as coriander leaves/herb…”

I felt some weird chills. Butterflies on my stomach. I had a smile on my face but I really wasn’t happy.

I tried to look at it again. Damn. It is wansoy.

Mixed emotions?

Not really, after a few minutes I kind of “stabilized” again.

It’s not that bad after all. I was actually very thankful to my instructor coz he was able to open my mind a bit into trying out new things, new ingredients, and new flavor profiles which would greatly benefit in my cooking career.

From that point on I started to appreciate cilantro. Big time.

I kept cooking with it, thinking of new ways on how to incorporate it in my signature dishes, to the point wherein I researched about it.

In the end I found out from all of the experiences that I had from cooking with it is that it’s a very universal and neutral kind of herb. It goes really well with the dishes that I cooked, 90% of them tasted great with it. It is so flexible it can go well with worldly cuisines.

I tried mixing it with French cuisine, Japanese cuisine, American Cuisine, Italian Cuisine, and even Filipino cuisine. All of them were great.

Plus it’s the only herb that I know wherein you can use the root, stem, leaves, and seeds in cooking. That alone is a really amazing part of it. You can’t chew the stems of parsley can you? But in cilantro you can.

I’m not a hater of parsley; I’m just using it for comparison. But I did hate parsley at one point… well that’s another story.

By the way the seed of cilantro is more known as coriander seeds. They are strong in flavor almost like an explosion of perfume in your mouth if you try to bite one. So in order to avoid or lessen this kind of pronounced sensation it is usually pounded first of grinded into powder or paste.

I tried growing cilantro in one of my herb pots (well I’ve tried growing lots of different herbs and veggies, don’t ask). I purchased the seeds on my local grocery store. I wasn’t too surprised when I opened the packaging and saw coriander seeds. What else would it be right?

In less than a week there were sprouts and after a few weeks more I had a bunch of ready to pick cilantro! Felt really cool. Harvested them and cooked with it on an Asian dish. Steamed Live Grouper in light soy sauce to be exact.

The Herb, taken from my phone cam

Well my notes about it are:

Don’t just use it as a garnish. But treat it as an ingredient.

If you are to eat it whole or in an Asian sandwich, roll, or anything that wouldn’t involve heating and cooking it, first chop of the roots (not on the upper stem near the leaves but below near the root) and clean it thoroughly as it could have some soil particles in it.

Then soak it in cold water for about 3-5 minutes and it shall crisp up/brighten up again. It gives it a better texture especially if it came from a really wilt state.

For creating stocks with it, clean the roots thoroughly and pound it with a mallet, this should release most of its essential oils just like you would in cooking with lemongrass.

The cilantro root has the strongest and the most intense flavor found in this herb so using a couple of it goes a really long way, just remember to strain it off for it is too fibrous for consumption... more like chewing wood.

The stems are just as important as its leaves. Chopping it up to smaller sizes or brunoise, gives more dimension and texture to the dishes that you’ll be adding it to. It’s crunchy and refreshing.

It is so versatile I’ve used it with pork, beef, fish, poultry, and vegetables. Just don’t use too much of it in a dish, too much of anything can always overpower the whole dish. So I suggest you try it out first little by little and soon enough you’ll know the limits in cooking with it.

Lastly, it marries perfectly with fresh seafood. Braised squid, clam soup, steamed fish, crab cakes, fish burgers, almost everything. Almost.

I hated it.

Not anymore

Je Suis Gourmand, Surprise Surprise!

2012-01-04T22:44:00.000+08:00

Prepare yourself because... Its fun. Its like watching a good movie. Only different

***

Note:You won’t hear/read/see anything negative here like the beef is too tough, thesauce is under seasoned, too thick, or any of those fancy lines that non-foodexperts or shall I say self acclaimed food critics keep talking about. I camehere with an open mind… simply looking to either enjoy genuinely or leave in disappointment.If something tastes really bad or looks really bad then by all means you willlearn about it here.

But as to be being critical dish per dish, I can only gowith it in two ways, good and bad. I'm a professionally trained Culinarian andI can always pin point on flaws and all, I can compare and say that I hadbetter ones (dishes) than what I am currently tasting in this topic but no I amnot like that especially if the food is really good.
I will respect the one who preparedmy dish because I know the stress, love and efforts that had to be done to comeup with such fabulous dishes.

Let us all have an open mind, for we are beingeducated in food, but only to the extent that our palates can appreciate. What maytaste good to you may taste bad to others; it’s just a matter of beingrespectful to one’s capacity to appreciate personal food opinions.

***

Warm with freshly grated manchego viejo by request-
must try!

I wrote this blog around early to mid 2010. Wow two years ago. This restaurantby the way re-opened itself with a new name, theme, and menu. I’ve alreadytried the new one so I’ll write about it soon enough... as soon as I’m done with thisone. Cheers!

Best Restaurant Awards hanging on the wall. '07,'08,'09,'10... renewed itself this year. Lets wait and see.

I am no food critic when dining at home or at the home of others. But ifa meal requires me to pay a certain amount and my wallet does its tedious taskof coughing up some cash then by all means I transform into a microscope,eyeing out everything from the biggest to the tiniest form of detail that myfive senses can perceive.

In this case I and a couple of my friends had to dinein this small but surprisingly good restaurant right in front of McDonaldslocated at the Fort Global City.

Je Suis Gourmand, the name says it all.Definitely a French restaurant that has a straight sense of what it is willingto deliver. The name of their restaurant literally means “I am fond of goodfood.” or, “I like good food”. Clearly from the name of their restaurant itselfwe’d expect them to deliver some really good food.

HonestlyI am not a big fan of French Cuisine as well as their cooking techniques. Butas this restaurant critique unfolds I might be able to give justice on whyFrench Cuisine remains one of the finest cuisines that the western culinaryworld has to offer.

I, along with my buddies Marvin and Andreus were supposed to dine atthis French restaurant in Greenbelt 3. Hungry and exited we wasted no time andquickly rushed into the address that the website had provided. To cut the storyshort the said establishment no longer exists so we had to resolve to plan Bwhich is to dine at the Fort. And so we did.

As soon as we arrived at thelocation it was something far from what we were expecting. Surprise, surprise!The entrance was filled with Men in white polo and black slacks; they actuallylooked like bodyguards or high class security. The Al fresco area was occupiedby suspicious looking customers who looked like Mafia bosses.

Then from theoutside you could see through the clear window that the first dining table wasoccupied by the Executive Chef (you can literally tell just by looking at him)which is a Frenchman companied by another French guy who is in a casual outfit.

Forus youngsters the place was a little bit intimidating to enter. The entrancealone made us felt that our wallets weren’t up to the task of coughing out asustainably insane amount of cash. But we were extremely hungry so nothingcould stop us from entering the gates of Je Suis Gourmand. Definitely a topclass restaurant, you can see and feel it just from the entrance alone.

We were greeted by smiling food attendants, they even let us pick ourseats. We didn’t think twice about not getting the couch. And so we did.
Oncewe’ve settled down on the comfortable couch that they had we immediately feltprioritized even though we were the only youngsters dining at a crowd filledwith mature diners.

The food attendants were very kind to arrange our table andspread the napkins on our lap. It was luxury, it was class, and from that pointon we knew we were dining on a different level.
And so the menu was presentedto us by our friendly food attendant.

Uhhhhmm... we'll have everything on the menu, one of each. Just joking.

Surprise, surprise! I was honestly expecting for most of the items to bepriced at four digits, as that was one of my experiences in dining at anAmerican restaurant somewhere in the Philippines.

So I expected this one to bemore expensive because of the better location, and the better service that ithad. But no, I was wrong.

The priceswere affordable, reasonable, and not insanely expensive. The food items rangedfrom 200++ to 800++ maximum unless of course if you order steak which ischarged per gram then it’s possible to reach a thousand.
The prices arecomparable to other common foreign restaurants found in the malls or elsewhere.

Thenthe content of the menu is strictly classical French. You’d see braised items,confit, cheese platters, wine menu, and other butter and cream filled goodies.
To maximize my French Dining Experience I tried ordering as much as my budgetcould possibly achieve. My buddies Marvin and Andreus stayed a little bit onthe conservative side and just skipped with some of the courses.

Cream of Celeriac and Mushroom.
- I can taste maternal love in here

I had soup which was a Cream ofMushrooms and Celeriac, it was lightly priced at Php190, and other restaurantsthat I know would price this somewhere between two and three hundred.

This onewas simple and refined, despite the butter and cream you wouldn’t feel heavy atall, for some reason it was light in a way. Still the flavor of each ingredientis there to be savored.

Sauteed Veal Sweetbread in Herby Tomato & Garlic Sauce with Puff Pastry
- appetizer never tasted this good. its unfair!

Nexton my list was this appetizer called Sautéed Veal Sweetbread in Herby TomatoGarlic Sauce with Puff Pastry. Priced at Php 450 you must be able to get overwith some common price issues as this one is simply not your average appetizer,but the serving was pretty big enough for the three of us to enjoy every bit ofit.

Even the vegetables were good in this one, good enough to make Andreus, anon-vegetarian eater to like the vegetables served on it. The sauce was justspot on and the veal had no funky or foul flavors at all. Again another refineddish by the restaurants master French Chef. Or shall I say Chef Marc Aubry

Foie Gras Linguine Mushroom Sauce, Parmesan.
-Memorable and life changing

Insteadof having one main course I had two just like my appetizers. Pan Fried Duck Foie Gras Linguini withMushroom Sauce and Parmesan.
This one was priced at Php 780. Quite cheap forsomething with a bountiful serving of Foie Gras, as I would have imagined it tohave just little specs of foie gras, I was stand corrected when the platearrived and had two medium slices of foie gras on top of my pasta that was morethan enough for me.
In fact I was even able to share some Foie to Marvin andAndreus.

This was probably one of the best pasta that I ever had in my entire lifejust second place to my Burger and Orange pasta which is my recipe and is onthe top of my pasta list.
The first bite on this pasta dish threw me off mychair… well not literally but I’m just saying that it is that good of a dish thatI started imagining surprising things that could happen to me.
Well one word todescribe this dish. “Life changing” it’s that good that I had to consider this asone word.

Gratinated Cassoulet, Duck Confit, Pork Sausage, Lardons, White Beans
- Filling and heartwarming. very good.

Then my other main course was “Gratinated Cassoulet Gourmand” orSimmered White Beans with Duck Confit, Fresh Pork Sausage and Smoked Bacon.This one was priced at Php 860. Although I was already a bit full from my pastaI still persevered and ate as much as I can on this dish.

The Duck Confit wasgreat coz first of all it wasn’t dry and it really had a good texture from allthat soaking in its own love fat, the pork was great, and the beans were great,everything about this dish tasted like France!
I ended up finishing around ¾ ofthe dish (which I am to devour for breakfast) because I still plan on havingsome room left for dessert.

But none the less this dish was hearty andcomplete. Perfect for a cold boring day and an empty stomach, it may look smallin this picture but the plate is really big in real life, as in its good forsharing for two to three “small” people.

Blueberry Soufflé with Grand Mariner Ice cream
-was ready to order two more right after the first one. Best ice cream ever. ever.

Just when I thought that I no longer had room for dessert coz I literallyam full and feel like blowing up... I had Blueberry Soufflé with Grand MarinerIce cream.
This one was priced around Php 200. Definitely not bad for a dessertto be priced at. This dessert was so good I forgot that I was full, I actuallywanted to order for a second round, but no, I have reached the limit of my cashallowance for the day.

Actually all ofus were extremely full but the desserts at Je Suis Gourmand were reallysomething that we all wanted to go for seconds.
They’re not just masters of themain courses but in desserts and pastries as well, but then again France iswell known to have really good desserts so I guess this is just normal no needto be amazed. But we can’t stop not to be amazed for it was simply amazing.

Other dishes that we ordered were also very fantastic!

Lamb Shank Feta Ravioli in Puttanesca
-heavy, good, almost unforgettable. almost

A bit chewy and thick for me but not in an offending way. I am not really sure if I could associate it with Al Dente because first and foremost that really doesn't happen with fresh pasta. It only occurs with dried pastas. Maybe that's how they really want their raviolis in France. I have yet to discover that part whenever I get to eat there.
Still this one is good for all those pasta fans out there. I just tasted this dish which my friend ordered. The whole plate disappeared even before I was halfway through my foie gras pasta so I guess it really is that good.

Fettuccine in Black Olive Tapenade with Goat Cheese and Grilled Salmon.
-the simpler the better. this is it. better than any that I've tried so far.

It's one of those perfect pasta dishes. Whenever you crave for a little bit of seafood and pasta then surely this will be an in your face pasta experience. Not commonly available at parties and house gathering events this is surely something that will keep you describing about some pasta dish that was really good and you don't even have any idea on where to get and how to make it yourself.

Even the strip of salmon looks like a new york strip of beef if only you close your eyes and imagine hard enough. Its good quality salmon cooked and prepared perfectly. So the simplicity of the flavors of this dish is what makes it so good. Yummy!

(sorry for the blur)
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb, Gratin Dauphinois & Lamb Jus
-Cooked, tastes, smells, just the way we want it.

Talking about generous serving as if the plate wasn't HUGE enough. Damn right this Lamb dish will surely tame that animal of a carnivore within you. It was tender and cooked specifically to our liking. Smothered in its own jus makes it even more of a treat. Never mind the starch that goes with it but still it was just as good as the meat that it got married to.
After this dish my friend who devoured this had a funny look on his face as though he was possessed. I'm not really sure but I think he's already having a pre-nightmare dilemma with this dish. Good luck on that my friend.

(Sorry for the wrong focus)
Coq-au-vin
-the best version yet. what a great chef

As if we weren't full yet another great dish from France arrives on our table. Lo and behold the legendary Coq au vin... My god this dish is good... or should I say the way the chef interpreted this dish on foreign lands is quite superb and deserves distinction as one of the best ways to cook a Coq...
I mean this bird of an animal was treated with justice unto the very end when all was left of it were bones and pieces of bones... bones... I've tried a couple of coq au vins in different places but this one I must say... I can taste the passion and the intent to please one's palate. Great Job Chef.

Chcolate Charlotte Cake

At first bite its was good. Then the second bite... it was better. Third bite... yes, yes, yes, its one of those few things that keeps getting better while you let it sit in your mouth. There were three of us feasting on this dessert.
If I am not mistaken it only took us a little over thirty seconds before it vanished. Considering that we were all already so full... desserts here are quite weird because it kind of makes you forget on how extremely stuffed you already are.

Mango Sorbet

I'm really not sure who among them ordered this one. It was cold, refreshing, sweet and tastes too familiar since this island is rich in good quality mangoes.
I guess they were just looking for something familiar to finish with. Not something that I would order here but if craving calls for it and I just happen to be there then maybe, just maybe I'd be getting this one.
I'm certain that there's a more deserving mango dessert dish that is more worth ordering than this one.
Nothing wrong with this one though... just saying ^^

Knowingthat Je Suis Gourmand is not all about introductory prices as they have been inthe Philippine culinary scene for more than three years now, they still offeraffordable French food with a service that is constant and prime. I highlyrecommend Je Suis Gourmand for everyone or anyone who is curious in trying outAuthentic French Food. After all they’re included in the list of ThePhilippines Best Restaurants by the Philippine Tatler, one of the mostprestigious awards given out every year and so I would like to end this blog bysaying, “Je Suis Gourmand Simply one of the best ways to experience FrenchGastronomy in the Philippines without the hefty price tag or paying in Euros.”

I don’t want to say this because everybodydoes… but I’ll say it anyway. Viva La France!

The Culinary Artist

2012-01-01T21:46:00.003+08:00

Hello! I am Seya. Well that's my nickname. I get called with lots of names. Sey, Seysey, Ice, Saya, I-c, Ish, and I rarely get called with my real name, Isaiah.

But then again, you'd rather call me with my nickname because it is easier.

Now to begin with...

I created this spot so I could share my thoughts, experience, and anything and everything that has to do something about food. It could be your online culinary education, guideline for culinary stuffs, or simply get lost in my fascination with food, ingredients, cooking, and culinary adventures.

Stories of my personal views about ingredients, food establishments, and cuisine would hopefully inspire you to be more open minded about food.

Whatever I write about in here is simply based in my opinion and are products of my experiences. I can be wrong, I can be right. But hopefully I can be helpful.

Here is a little something about me and who I am.

Asearly as nursery I was a food critic in my very own right, and as early as 2nd grade I was alreadycooking, and as early as 4th grade I was already the cook at our house.

I've been literally cooking for more than half of my life now.

I'm not a strong believer of culinary schools here in my country even though I am a graduate of one. Because you'll never learn what you pay for, deserve what you need, and experience what you should. All of them tells you that they offer an extensive program that will surely enhance, improve, and all those bull...

Truth is... its not extensive at all, but expensive and a total rip off.

You want quality cooking education? Western Country based cooking schools in my opinion offers the real quality cooking education pound per pound. You really get what you pay for.

Its hell expensive but its hell extensive. (Even though I've never set foot into one, based on what I've seen cooking schools abroad are really bad a**)

If there is one thing that I'd like to mention about cooking then it would be...

There are no rules in cooking. It is for everyone to learn, to create, to discover, and to enjoy.

It is for everyone to learn because it is free and unconditional. Learning how to cook can either be a choice or a chore. Either way the purpose is to feed and to nourish and that I believe is a very good thing.

It is for everyone to create because there are no rules or laws that tells you that you can't create your own food or dish. Best examples of which are recipe books, compiled creations of a certain person, place, group of people, or whoever who wants to share his/her creations.

It is for everyone to discover because not everyone wants to cook, there are some who'd prefer eating rather than cooking. But the joys of cooking are yet to be explored so discovering it is simply a monumental reward in itself.

It is for everyone to enjoy because the whole process of cooking a dish can be so much fun you won't believe it. Especially when you prepare food with the ones you know or care about. It is something that you will truly enjoy. You wont really understand any of these until you yourself try it first hand.

You can start by frying an egg, boil some sausages, toast some bread, steam some vegetables, or just simply heat some ready to eat food on a microwave. That's already cooking.

But I'm telling you... just by simply cooking food that you like on a pan... you've already taken yourself on a different level.

Is cooking is stressful? Only if you think it is.

And from all the years of my cooking experience this is the best line that I came up with...

"It is very easy to cook something so good but it is very hard to cook something so bad."

-Seya Ortega

Let the cooking begin, let us begin.