Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Pesto saved my day, continued...

Chef Popit once said that the best indicator that your food is good is if your guests ask for more, or at least finish their plates if they are not on PG-mode. So imagine my delight when one of my agents, Anna, who took over the team when I resigned, texted me and asked for more!  The Tuna Pesto was a success, though the Calamansi-Basil Vinaigrette needs a little more fine-tuning.

I don't have a camera right now (it was stolen) so the photo below is an old one:

From my file: Tuna and Blue Cheese Pesto with Focaccia bread 
(which I baked in school) and Reduced Balsamic vinegar


For the pesto, I usually choose Penne or Fusili, only because I think Pesto doesn't look appealing with the string pastas. Since Parmesan is expensive, I used cream cheese which gave my pesto an awesome body. I saw the volume triple when I processed the cheese with the already processed basil and extra virgin olive oil. Can I say that cream cheese is a pretty good (expensive) extender?

And so my 500g fusili was able to feed a multitude - about 15 people. My former director, Inay Isay, told me that texture and flavor-wise, my pesto is indeed a product of my Culinary studies. My heart bled upon reading that comment.

My experimental vinaigrette, however, is a different story. More of that tomorrow! Twit This! Share

Monday, April 12, 2010

What a stressful Monday, Pesto saved my day!

How come Mondays after long weekends are dreaded? I am not (yet) working though I felt all my energy drained as soon as I got home. Today was make or break for me, I needed to finish my documents so that I could fly to China on Friday as scheduled. My friends would say, What's new Regina? I have always been the buzzer beater, queen of mishap, deadline beater in the group.

But pesto saved my almost rotten day! I promised to cook for my former boss and agents tomorrow and I made sure that I mustered enough strength at 9 in the evening to mise en place. And so I gathered my EVOO, fresh basil, garlic and... cream cheese!

I also promised my former boss to concoct a vinaigrette for her salad - I did a Calamansi-Basil Vinaigrette.

I'd have to tell you more about my 2 recipes once I get decent feedback from the team. Wish me luck! Twit This! Share