Erwan Heussaff journeys to find the perfect ingredients
The past two years have been tumultuous times and have taught us to find the most unexpected solutions, which may come by way of banking on a storied past and investing in crafted experiences.
Such is the journey of home cook Erwan Heussaff and his drive, a Lexus.
Erwan is the first to admit that he is not a chef, but that he’s often called “chef” because of his many cooking vlogs, which have him experimenting and traveling all over the Philippines to taste new dishes and discover the ingredients for himself so he can share them with his viewers through his videos.
In Lexus Tasteful Travels — a show created as the Philippines is beginning to reopen to travel — Erwan traces his roots, uncovers flavors, and collects new inspirations to refuel his kitchen genius. After being cooped up indoors for months, Erwan explores the great outdoors in the safety of a Lexus RX 450h and his curiosity takes him on varied ingredient-seeking adventures.
Erwan begins with a journey down south to the little town of Magdalena in the province of Laguna. There, he meets a maker of traditional kesong puti, the local version of white cheese, utilized in numerous sweet and savory Filipino dishes.
He has tasted Magdalena’s kesong puti in the past and for him, their version is the best he has had.
He takes a deep dive into the cheese-making process, learns how to milk carabaos, and brings home a couple of samples to play with. This time around, Erwan transforms Magdalena’s kesong puti into a dish worthy of global praise, proving how a thorough understanding of an ingredient and a deep appreciation for its craftsmanship can elevate something seemingly so simple.
Philippine STAR: As a home cook who loves good food, how important to you is where the ingredients come from; for example, the kind of cow’s milk used in Magdalena, Laguna, for kesong puti?
Erwan Heussaff: In today's economy, I think people want to see where their money is going. It always feels better and more productive to support passionate people who have true caring for what they do. You often end up with a better-tasting product and a stronger understanding of why and how we do things.
Why was it important for you to witness the making of kesong puti and delve into the history of the product?
I've been eating it all my life and never really bothered to see how it was made. More importantly in the Philippines, we have such a great product with carabao milk, something that's truly ours, yet I never dug deeper into the industry. This was a great opportunity to learn all of this.
You mention that Magdalena’s kesong puti is the best version of the cheese that you have tasted. What makes it so?
The cheese sits in its own whey. It remains very soft, almost like a French fromage blanc. The product is also noticeably more fatty and rich.
What role has the pandemic played in bringing out your creative juices when it comes to preparing dishes?
It teaches you how to become creative with what you have. It used to be much easier to just jump into a supermarket for a missing ingredient; now you have to take into consideration safety, timing, or end up ordering online, which isn’t always instantaneous. So learning to do a lot with what you have is very helpful.
How do you create your world-class dishes? I did not see a recipe book (in your video). Do you taste the dish in your mind and then create it from there?
I wouldn’t say I cook anything world-class, but I believe people who cook with passion and take into consideration the flavors of the product and focus on making those shine usually end up making some pretty tasty dishes. I cook from memory most of the time, previous meals, smells, textures, flavors — they are all different points of inspiration I pull on when I'm trying to think of how ingredients will interact in a dish.
In your two-hour drive to Magdalena in the Lexus RX 450h, did more dishes enter your mind or were you just in the moment with the drive?
Driving for me is like cooking. I call it conscious meditation. You are so hyper-focused on the task at hand that you are able think clearly about so many things. As I was driving towards Laguna, I enjoyed the road, the surprisingly light traffic, and just the privilege of being able to work outdoors for a day.
Did the experience of the Lexus drive help you open your mind not only to new food ideas but also to more adventures you need to make?
Each time I find myself driving and filming a show, I always ask myself why we don't do more of these. It really inspires the whole team, from those in the area shooting with me, to those editing the videos. It always breaks the monotony of always shooting studio-based content. Things became more difficult to shoot during the pandemic; it's not as easy as it once was and we don't want to put anyone in unnecessary exposure risks. Hopefully next year we are able to create more outdoors.
How would you compare being a chef and working with the best ingredients to being behind the wheel of the Lexus RX 450h?
I've never been a chef, just a home cook. As a home cook, I love to entertain people at home and when I do so I like being very organized, so that I can cook good food, but also spend time with my guests. It's the same thing when driving a Lexus: you are in control of the road, but you get to enjoy yourself in the process.
Do you enjoy driving to different parts of the country as you cook with the many unique ingredients you find in the Philippines?
The Philippines isn’t seen as a road-trip country, but over the years I've shot various shows around the country and always make it a point to rent a car to drive. This makes sure you get away from just seeing the known sites and allows you to stop wherever for whatever reason. To me that's really how you can discover a new region or province.
As soon as the engine of the Lexus RX 450h is switched off and the dishes are cleaned and put aside, Erwan realizes the food he puts out is no different from the vehicle he used in his journey. The way he studied making kesong puti is congruent with the process of building a Lexus vehicle: there is attention to detail, a showcase of artistry, dedication to authenticity, and reverence for the utmost craftsmanship. These values, together with omotenashi, the Japanese principle of being thoughtful and guest-oriented, highlight the intersection of inspired cooking and luxurious driving.
Watch how Erwan gets a glimpse of Philippine local delicacies and ingredients and in the process learns how a Lexus is similarly crafted —with genuine passion and a desire to elevate the norm.
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Catch Erwan venturing to Philippine culinary destinations in a Lexus RX 450h in Lexus Tasteful Travels, which you can view via FEATR YouTube (https://bit.ly/3rIbytr) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/featrmedia) pages.
To learn more, visit the Lexus website at lexus.com.ph or visit their social media pages on Facebook and Instagram @lexusmanila.
Magdalena caprese
1 pc Magdalloumi cheese
2 cups cherry tomatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 pieces of sourdough
2 tbsps butter
Flat-leaf parsley
Balsamic glaze
1. Roast cherry tomatoes with 2 tbsps of olive oil and some salt in a 350F oven for 20 minutes.
2. Toast bread in a pan with melted butter.
3. Fry cheese in a medium-hot pan with some olive oil.
4. Cut everything up and plate with the nut crumble, extra-virgin olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper as needed.
Nut Crumble:
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup cashews
1/4 cup sesame seeds
A pinch of salt
1. Smash everything until coarse.
2. Toast in a dry pan.
3. Add in sugar. Let clump and then cool.
