Quick Bites: La Nuova Pasteleria's Profumo di Tartufo

Recently, I was half-heartedly watching an interview with legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg on TV while the hubby was distracted with his fantasy basketball league on the iPad.  As she luxuriated on her plush couch, dressed in one of her coveted wrap dresses, she said something that deeply resonated with me and caught my attention.  When asked by the British interviewer what it was- with the organized chaos brought about by astronomical success- that kept her sane, she imparts: “Solitude.  Sometimes, we owe it to ourselves to just be alone.”   

            In this frenetic, modern lifestyle, we have taken huge pains to stay connected and be constantly “in the loop” with whatever new gadget that does the job fastest (and makes you look cool while doing it).  But despite the constant need to be in touch with each other, there is that little voice that says when you need a little time on your own.  Just be still and quiet, allow yourself to clear your mind.  Or think.  Whatever it is that you feel you need to do for yourself.  Even as a young girl, I cherished these moments alone where I am allowed to dream and wish and wonder.  And now, when the young girl’s daydreams are replaced with harsh realities, these little pockets of solitude are all the more precious. 

            Last weekend, I spent some of this sacred alone time with a plate of Profumo di Tartufo at La Nouva Pasteleria- a mountainous pile of tagliatelle in truffle-perfumed cream sauce and porcini mushrooms, topped with wide films of prosciutto.  That rich cream, coupled with the dense earthiness of the mushrooms and the heady aroma of truffles, acted like a healing elixir for my soul.  I tear off a little piece of ham as I roll the wide, flat pasta around my fork, and it imparts just the right amount of salty, porky flavor to an already highly immoral dish.  I derived so much pleasure from it that, as I sat there alone, I was wishing that I had someone to share it with.

            And enough for two, it truly was.  I wrapped the remnants of the pasta and hurried home, feeling revived, my mind clear.  I felt it in my bones that I was ready for a fresh week and the new experiences it will bring.  Watching Matt scarf down the other half of the Profumo di Tartufo, hearing his grunts of approval (punctuated by the occasional commending profanity)- I count my blessings:  I am only alone when I choose to be.

La Nuova Pasteleria

G/F San Antonio Plaza

McKinley Rd., Forbes Park

Makati City

Tel. no. (632) 867 2370

Remember Your First Chocolate Kiss?

College gave me my first taste of the real world- meeting people outside my usual circle; encountering challenges (both in school and in life) that tested my mettle; basically, I learned that the world could both be loving and cruel.  But aside from waking up to these harsh realities of life, it was during my university days that I got to really experiment with food. 

            There are many blissful food memories of my time in the Katipunan area, and quite a number of them had something to do with The Chocolate Kiss Café at the Bahay ng Alumni in UP Diliman.  I recall how excited I was to be able to enjoy generous portions of my favorite pastas, followed by huge slices of beautiful cakes.  To my young, unexposed palate, it was my haven of good food, away from the poorly ventilated grills and fast food joints that college runts like me used to frequent. 

            One weekend, Matt and I were in the QC area and I spotted the branch of Chocolate Kiss along Roces Avenue.  Excited, I decided to grab a quick snack just to see what has become of this old favorite. 

            I loved their Fettuccine Carbonara, but having since outgrown pastas with creamy white sauces, I ordered their Aligue and Prawn Pasta.  The linguine was nicely cooked (al dente), and the aligue (crab fat), although fundamentally rich, was not oily.  There were notably more than a handful of prawns in my bowl.  Most aligue pastas tend to be heavy on the garlic, but CK’s version seemed to have practiced restraint.  I think I like it more this way. 

Matt opted for the Salisbury Steak with Mashed Potato- his idea of comfort food.  I believe he enjoyed it, particularly the thickened, home-style gravy.

             

            For dessert, I had to have a slice of a classic- Devil’s Food Cake.  Stark white peaks of marshmallow-like frosting enveloped a rich, fudge-y chocolate cake- there’s a reason why it made an impact back then and was burned into my memory.  It’s still good.

            Matt also had to have his cheese fix- this time in the form of a Blueberry Cheesecake.  The blueberry topping was obviously canned, but the cake itself was good enough- thick and dense, but not cloying. 

            The service was a tad “too relaxed” for my taste- boisterous banter (and singing!) among the staff is a no-no in my book.  Save it for your yosi break, guys.  Still, it was a fun afternoon of reminiscing, especially having discovered that this old favorite has maintained the pleasantly homey quality of their food.



The Chocolate Kiss Cafe
G/F Korben Place
Roces Ave. cor, Sct. Tobias St., Q.C
Tel. no. (632) 412 7876 

Recipes: Who's Up for Salted Duck Egg Pasta?

It seems unnerving but, believe me, it works. The first time I had salted duck egg pasta was at Margarita Fores’ now-defunct Pepato in Greenbelt 2. I was unyielding in my praise for it, and when that restaurant closed I believed that was it- goodbye forever. Then, I encountered a different version at Gino’s Brick Oven Pizza in Katipunan- Salted Egg and Bacon Pasta, which was equally rich and beguiling.

Salted duck eggs are commonly used in Chinese and Filipino dishes, imparting a brine-y aroma, with a smooth, creamy egg white and a hard, textured red-orange yolk. I grew up eating salted egg and tomato salad with silog dishes and grilled food, immediately putting my already hyperactive taste buds on overdrive. It is a bit of an acquired taste, but once you have it as accompaniment to the perfect dish, you’ll be hooked for sure.

And ever since I had a taste of it again in a pasta dish, I just knew I had to try making it at home. I chose to make the more “Matt-friendly” (read: no pork) Pepato version, but a more rustic take on the Fores original. Instead of thin sheets of papardelle, I used tagliatelle, and had my 5-year-old niece roughly break the asparagus apart instead of finely chopping them. Generous chunks of salted duck egg dot the dish- a salty treat for the fan that could not get enough. It’s exotic and looks impressive, plus it only takes around ten minutes to cook. What else could possibly be stopping you?

Tagliatelle with Onion Cream, Salted Duck Egg, Asparagus and Truffle Oil (serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

250 g. Tagliatelle (or any flat pasta)
2 cups cooking cream
1 small white onion, finely chopped
A handful of baby asparagus, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
3 salted duck eggs, (2 eggs mashed into a paste, 1 roughly chopped into cubes)
2 teaspoons truffle oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Grated parmesan, to garnish
Salt and pepper

Procedure:

-Cook the tagliatelle according to package instructions. When it says cook for six minutes, I usually do four or five.
- Heat a pan over medium heat and cook the onions in the olive oil. When the onions are translucent, toss the asparagus into the pan.
- Pour in the cream and mix in the salted duck egg paste. Lower the heat and season with nutmeg, salt (if needed, the eggs are already salty) and pepper. Let it simmer for two minutes.
- Toss the cooked pasta in the pan, top with the cubed eggs, and mix gently until the sauce is evenly integrated. Remove from the fire and then drizzle the truffle oil on top and mix.
- Garnish with some grated parmesan and serve immediately.

Pasta for Every-Juan

When Luigi A. calls me for a favor, I don’t say “no”. We have been buddies since my college days because I was very good friends with his sisters (and his entire family, for that matter) and we all used to hang out a lot. This guy is probably one of the nicest, friendliest most fun people I know. So, when he asks, I say “yes”.

Ok, maybe I agreed to meet up with him also because there would be pasta involved. I love pasta in all its forms and sizes. Cream, oil, tomato sauce… Heck, I’m up for it. Since Luigi is doing PR for Pizza Hut, he asked me if I would want to have a tasting of their new Pasta Perfetto range of pastas. Do I? It’s almost like he never knew me.

After two months of planning, we finally agreed to meet at the Pizza Hut branch in super busy Megamall. Honestly, I have not eaten in Pizza Hut in years, simply because I prefer the thinner, crisper crusts of other chains. Once in a while though, I would get drawn in by their banners advertizing big, generous toppings and chunky crusts loaded with cheese.

This time around, it was all about the pasta. Luigi introduced me to Edgar who is the Marketing Manager for the Pizza Hut Franchise in the Philippines. The hard-working dynamo went on to give me a blow-by-blow account of how the pastas were developed and the training that their staff had to undergo to be able to execute this new product perfectly.

Aside from the pastas that Edgar made me try, we also had some starters of Cream of Chicken Soup and Mango Shrimp Salad. The soup, as expected, was nothing special. It tasted like it came out of a can. The salad, though, was surprisingly good. The dressing was creamy and the vegetables cool and crisp.

Another appetizer was the Chicken Wings. The meat was juicy and the wings themselves were big. Unfortunately, the glaze was pretty bland.

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After the mediocre start, I was eager to move on to the pastas. First to be brought out was the Chicken Pesto Penne. The tubular pasta was perfectly al dente, the pesto was creamy and fragrant. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered it again at another branch. The second one I tried was not as good as the one cooked in the Megamall branch, and I think that this would be the problem of this particular chain. According to Edgar, the pasta chefs are trained for several months, capped-off by a “final exam” wherein they have to cook all pasta recipes by memory in front of a panel. Although this gives Pizza Hut’s pastas a more upscale restaurant feel, the issue of consistency will be their biggest challenge. Despite rigorous training, I believe that it would be difficult to replicate the exact same recipe for the hundreds of Pizza Hut branches in the Philippines. But then again, I would love to be wrong.

The next pasta that was served was the Three-cheese Ravioli. At first I was put-off by the overflowing sauce, but later appreciated it since it was so tasty and garlicky. I wish I had some bread to sop it all up with! I also liked the filling which was smooth and cheesy.

Served with pride was the Seafood Supremo Pasta- linguine with seafood, tomatoes, capers in a light cream sauce, wrapped in parchment paper and then baked. The result is a rich and aromatic dish which is hearty enough for two. Luigi proclaimed this to be his favorite, and I can see why, despite the fact that I am not a fan of seafood pasta dishes. The flavors were truly intensified by the baking process which adds a special touch, something you would not normally see at this price point.

Dessert came in the form of a Baked Bread Pudding. Interestingly enough, the texture of the dish is closer to a cinnamon roll than the bread pudding that I am more accustomed to. I pointed this out to Edgar and he disclosed that the “bread” that they use is- surprise, surprise- pizza crust. Hence, the slight gumminess and bite in the middle, which is characteristic of pizza crust done right. Will I order this dish again? Probably not. Is it an inventive and cost-effective way of disposing of extra pizza dough? Definitely.


Although I usually reserve my pasta intake for really special meals (now that I have to watch my carb intake)- or those days when I’m feeling crappy and would like to pamper myself with a steaming bowl of homemade spaghetti- Pizza Hut’s Pasta Perfetto is a great addition to the food chain’s tried and tested menu dominated by pizzas. This valiant effort by the restaurant giant- although not quite perfetto yet- is definitely commendable and is surely making a lot of pasta lovers very happy.



Note: Thanks to Luigi and Edgar for treating me to dinner.

The Muse

Sidetracked by wedding preparations, and- after the wedding- settling into my new life as Mrs. Matt, my blog remained motionless after almost two months. Tired of sitting in front of a blank page on my laptop, I desperately sought inspiration in all possible places.

Pompous ass that I am, I check my site for rousing material that could get my juices flowing. After being inert for so long, my own words that so naturally flowed out of me in the past seemed so profound and scholarly (did I not mention I was a pompous ass?) to me that I almost envied my pre-marital self. I looked at food pictures of dinners that were promised immortality but were shelved because of the hectic pace during the past months. Photoshopped images of fried pigeon and paella stare back at me, but the memories of those dishes have gone stale in my mind’s palate.

So I figured it was time to start eating again. And I mean EATING, like I mean it. Dragging my new husband in tow, we make the rounds of our favorite food haunts, savoring the flavors and aromas that we deprived ourselves of a month before the wedding. After our combined weight loss equaling a small toddler, we thought we deserved to indulge a bit. Or, make that A LOT.

After a particularly trying week, Matt offered to take me out to dinner. Searching for emotional healing, I take full advantage of his offer and think of a place where I can seek comfort in good food and cozy surroundings. In my world, no other food heals like pasta, and in this side of the globe, nobody does it better than Margarita Fores. So, one rainy evening, we head on over to Pepato.

Creatures of habit, we grab the table that we occupied the first time we were there. Tempted to order the Spaghettini Pepato Flambe a second time around, I quickly scan the rest of the page for other prospects. Then, like the quirky girl in class, it stood out like a sore thumb: Pappardelle, Onion Cream, Salted Egg. In a finer print, it states that it also includes asparagus and truffle oil. In my mind, it was a train wreck of a dish. It could not possibly be good, with so much going on and thinking that the strong onion would overpower all other aromas. But, like a train wreck, I just could not ignore it.

I had to try it.

To make room for the other dishes we plan to share, we decided to split an order of the pasta dish as well. Matt- normally safe and conservative with his food choices- was surprisingly supportive of my bold choice. After we quickly finished our appetizer of Roasted Bone Marrow, I spied our pasta being brought out of the kitchen.

Served in rectangular plates, I stretch my neck as high as I could to catch a glimpse of the alluring dish. Before it even reaches my line of vision, the earthy aroma of truffle wafts into my nostrils as the waiter places his tray down two meters away from us.

Visually, it is as quirky as its composition. Strips of flat pasta are spread out over the plate, covered in a smooth cream sauce. Small pieces of chopped asparagus are evenly distributed throughout, along with tiny bits of the dreaded salted egg yolk. “Are those nuts?”, Matt asked. I tell him what they are and- despite his earlier display of courage- I see him cringe.

I slice a small piece of pasta, making sure I got every component in my first bite. As I savor the flavors in my mouth, I immediately get it.

This dish is a balancing act in aroma and texture. Despite a pairing of two very strong and dominant flavors, the truffle and onion do not try to outdo each other. While the former comes at you on the approach, the onion creeps up at you from the back of your throat, emanating from your mouth. Hence, they do not clash, they do not overlap. The sauce is smooth and creamy, but not rich. The bite from the crisp asparagus provides contrast to the cream and delicate pasta. The biggest surprise of all comes from the most controversial ingredient. The pieces of salted egg yolk provide more of a textural element rather than flavor. I enjoyed how its fine-graininess adds a different dimension to what would have been just another cream sauce.

With that juggernaut of a pasta course, what could have been a relatively good main course of beef fillets, Portobello mushroom and baby potatoes paled by comparison. Even as we chewed on the perfectly-rare slices of tenderloin, Matt and I were still talking about how scrumptious the pasta was.

And now, as I tap away on my laptop after the longest time, I once again crave for a taste of that Pappardelle pasta. Maybe the second time around would not be as sweet or inspiring, since the appeal of the unknown is no longer there. But what was once fascinating is now comforting, promising a meal that is both a feast for the senses and warms the heart.

Pepato
Greenbelt 2
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel. no. (632) 7572636