Cakes, anyone?

No matter how rich (calorie-wise) they are, no matter how buttery or chocolate-y, cakes are a ‘must’ in any celebration, specially during birthday parties. Guests always look for them, even after indulging in all the canapés, salads and main courses, even desserts. There are the usual bake shops which make some of the most luscious cakes, beautifully theme-decorated of late, cakes have been coming out of private kitchens and quite a few of them can give the big bakeshops a run for the money, in terms of flavor, artistic design, and freshness.

One is the Pound Cake from the kitchen of a lady called Marta Matute in Alabang Hills in Muntinlupa. It was so good and so creatively done that we had to call and congratulate her for a fantastic product. They call it the Gift Package Pound Cake, truly the product of a creative mind. The basic 8x8 cake is rich but not too filling. What makes it special is the gift wrap icing (butter) in squares of red, yellow and green, ‘tied’ at the center with a bow (also made of sugar and butter frosting) in light peach. Beautiful. Price is P1,100, on five to seven days’ notice. Other products are chocolate or fudge cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Tel. 842-3836. It will stay fresh outside of the refrigerator for three days.

Over at Merville, Parañaque, Ms. Polly’s busy kitchen produces a heavenly chocolate cake with no frills but rich, creamy chocolate icing, P305 for a square one that literally melts in the mouth and keeps for at least two days without refrigeration. She also offers Peach Walnut Pavlova at P390 and Sansrival. One day notice required. Tel. 824-7612.

There is a caterer, Blue Petals, based in Better Living Parañaque which was discovered by a couple who recently settled in the emerging yuppies community, Verdana Homes in Bacoor, Cavite, seven minutes away from Alabang Town Center via Daang Hari. They have very good Fish in Sweet Sour Sauce and pancit bihon with strips of pork and taengang daga (fungus).

A group of ladies recently had a fun lunch at the Nusa Dua model house on Commerce Avenue in Filinvest. The harvest from the model farm yielded big Ilocos-type eggplants, sweet honeydew melons, cucumbers and Chinese kangkong. The latter we immediately made into abodo: sautéd in garlic, oil, bagoong. Chili can be added if one is fond of spicy food. Those planning to settle out of Manila might want to join the "Day of Relaxation" that Nusa Dua has planned for friends and potential homeowners at their Farm Estate in Imus, Cavite next Sunday, April 25. We were told guests can pick the produce, and even be pampered at the Spa. It seems a lot of people are into farming. And why not? There’s tremendous pleasure in picking your own vegetables, cooking and enjoying them. Try this dip we concocted for greens: one half cup fresh milk, one fourth cup mango jam, one teaspoon soy sauce and one tablespoon dried mixed herbs. This is rather sweetish.

There was a question at one of the cooking demonstrations we did at ShopWise Makati. The lady was asking if she can cook Hainanese chicken in a turbo oven. The answer is NO! Hainanese chicken’s main feature, aside from the fowl, is the soup, which becomes very tasty as the chicken simmers for at least an hour in a mixture of water, leeks and seasonings. And you don’t get this delicious broth in a turbo oven.

May is very soon upon us. This is the normal mango season (though now they come all year-round), so expect lower prices. We didn’t realize until we went on a tour of the Southern Tagalog provinces that there are four types of mangoes: pajo, very small green ones made into salad; pahutan, the size of a toddlers’ fist and eaten ripe, and the regular kalabaw and piko. Even at its peak the pajo,which is rare, commands a high price, like P70 for a bunch of six.

Email comments and questions to: [email protected]