Well, I am just a proud stage mom. I am a self-proclaimed
disaster in the kitchen, so how did my son, Jordan Sese, ever manage to create
such yummy and Instagram-worthy dishes? How could he be my son? He can cook! I
prefer washing dishes to turning on the stove. That talent did not come from
me, nor from the other side either. Go figure.
However, I claim that the writing gene came from me. Jordan writes even better than I; his words are mesmerizingly beautiful. He may not have inherited my lack of cooking skills, but he certainly shares my love of the written word. He tells a story accompanied by gorgeous pictures of the food that he recreates.
For our annual family gift-swap, he requests cookbooks and pores through them for ideas on recipes that he can prepare with his own brand of magic. His description and the photos make me drool; surprisingly, even the idea of slicing and dicing does not terrify me (for one hot moment).
I can almost smell the banana leaves, and I can almost
imagine myself on the patio, enjoying my hot chocolate and a serving or two of the bibingka.
He wrote: "Bibingka is, by far, my favorite cake, which is high praise because cake is already a perfect food. This rice cake is spongy, squishy, and suffused with the tropical perfume of banana leaf and coconut milk. The aroma alone is nostalgic. One of the delightful things about bibingka is the variety of toppings: macapuno shreds, kesong puti, or, my favorite, salted duck egg. The recipe owner opts for a shower of tart-sweet berries. That, with the addition of tangy buttermilk in the batter, brightens the cake, which, with a mug of coffee or ginger tea, makes this the perfect pick-me-up any time of day.”
I can't help but smile at how my son has a way with words that makes me like eggplants more than just deep-frying them.
"As the season officially transitions to
fall, here’s one last farewell to summer’s bounty: charred eggplant braised in
burst cherry tomatoes. While these ingredients are available year-round in U.S.
supermarkets, as I get older, I’ve learned to appreciate the seasonality of
ingredients. It’s part of a grander practice of being present: forgetting about
the future for a moment and enjoying what's in front of you.”
FOOD FOR ALL SEASONS
Jordan pays homage to the different seasons. Perhaps to encourage Spring to continue blessing us with warm weather? And to warm us during the cold Winter season?
Jordan wrote: "A rainy day like yesterday begs for a comforting, brothy meal. The added warmth from red curry paste and the creaminess from coconut milk are all it takes to make a gloomy day bright.”
"Maybe I couldn't seal these rice balls perfectly,
and the delicious salted honey pistachio filling may have spilled into the
floral, sweet broth. But looks aside, this was such a delightful, chewy,
warming dessert—perfect for a winter's day and just in time for the Lunar New
Year.”
"No better way to celebrate spring than with a verdant pasta with the freshest of early spring bounty: crisp asparagus, sugar snap peas, and English peas."
“On a wintry week, when the cold creeps into your bones, a warm bowl of chicken and rice porridge serves as a cozy reprieve from the elements. The biting heat of ginger, toasty browned garlic, and earthy saffron make this broth rich and flavorful. And though the accoutrements are technically optional, I'd say a sprinkling of fried garlic chips, slivered ginger, sliced scallions, and a soy-cured golden yolk are non-negotiable.”
I love the Korean kimchi pancake. As my son Jordan Sese
wrote, you are obliged to do a cheese pull. I have been doing the pull ever
since, actually, with anything cheesy, lol.
"You really can't go wrong with a kimchi pancake.
Sour and savory, crispy yet chewy, it's the perfect comfort food. The classic
needs no alteration, but it's always fun to play around. Carla's variation adds
sharp, gooey cheddar and portions them out into smaller discs to optimize the
ratio of chewy inside to crispy outside. Photographed, of course, with an
obligatory cheese pull."
He has a sweet tooth, so he recreates these amazing temptations. They are just too good to eat. If your blood sugar goes up, then you got your just desserts. These are so decadent, but you can't help but ask for more.
PINOY COMFORT FOOD
Jordan is embracing his Pinoy heritage as he recreates old favorites. He may have acquired a sophisticated and eclectic palate during his food-tripping years in Queens, but he gets nostalgic sometimes for Filipino food.
"Happy Filipino American History Month! Kicking off the month is none other than the national dish, chicken adobo. In Filipino cuisine, adobo refers to the cooking technique of braising in vinegar, but recipes often add other flavorful ingredients, such as soy sauce (I have other recipes I’ve been meaning to try for achiote-based and turmeric-based adobos). In addition to soy sauce, this version by Angela Dimayuga has coconut in three forms (coconut oil, coconut vinegar, and coconut milk) to create a luscious and fragrant version that easily makes this my favorite way to adobo."
"It's been nearly two weeks since I returned from my vacation in the Philippines. Although I've shaken off the jet lag, the bittersweet feeling remains. I'm missing the place and the people, the sense of belonging.
It's no substitute, and it certainly doesn't vanquish the longing, but eating meals that remind me of the Philippines temporarily takes me back. This simple but delicious giniling atop a steaming mound of rice with sides of fried plantain and a crispy egg is like a gustatory roundtrip flight. Here comes the airplane.”
Jordan wrote: "Maja blanca, a coconut milk pudding studded with golden kernels of corn, graced many a party in my childhood. I’d pile a mountainous “dessert plate” with maja blanca and other sweet treats: biko, cassava cake, and turon.
Within this geological phenomenon of sugar, by comparison,
maja blanca served as a refreshing palate cleanser of sorts. The coconut milk
pudding was like downing a tall glass of milk to wash away the cloying
sweetness; the corn became almost savory, like a buttery cob off the grill.
Abi’s recipe, like many of her delicious takes on Filipino
desserts, riffs on the classic by doubling down on the savoriness with
additions of malted milk powder for earthiness and a Frito toffee for a salty
crunch on top. With a new treat this delicious, my dessert plate just got a
little taller.
"When I was young, the greatest part
of going to Filipino restaurants was ordering halo-halo for dessert. I used to
hover wide-eyed over the towering glass of crushed ice, milk, and sweet
mix-ins, armed with a long-handled spoon and ready to attack. The best ones
were served up like a sundae, gilded with a creamy, caramelly square of leche
flan and adorned with a decadent ube ice cream. Years later, at a backyard
barbecue, I discovered they could be made at home. The host laid out bowls of
crushed ice, a jar of halo-halo mix, milk, ice cream, and a stack of solo cups
so we could assemble our own. Surely, she was playing a cruel trick on me;
halo-halo could only be made in restaurants. And yet, scooping up mouthfuls
with a plastic spoon, I realized that even a simple, homemade version could
still hit the spot.
The beauty of halo-halo is that it is a no-recipe recipe
and endlessly customizable. I can make it with available ingredients and to my
personal preferences. Rather than using a pre-mixed jar (which is still
valid!), this version is piled high with sliced jackfruit, nata de coco, kaong,
sweetened red beans, ube halaya, and flan. I use oat milk instead of regular
milk, but I defeat the substitute's purpose with a generous scoop of ube ice
cream; a small price to pay for a few blissful moments. Served in this glass
that is PERFECT for halo-halo from @incasa_decor. "
Jordan wrote: "Although adobo frequently gets top billing, to me, sinigang is the real star of FIlipino cuisine. It was the dish that made me actually enjoy vegetables as a kid, an experience I apparently share with several others. Sinigang also beautifully exemplifies one of the cuisine's defining features: sourness. I've grown up with the tamarind-based broth, but as an adult, I'm learning there are tons of other souring agents, including guava, tomato, kamyas, and even pineapple. This one uses a mix of tamarind and guava, which is familiar to me despite being new. The add-ins are also as variable as the broth itself; nestled in this broth are tender cuts of pork, creamy hunks of taro, bright bursts of tomato, and, my favorite, gently wilted kangkong."
"This is a fun twist on the tall glasses of Avocado con Hielo I used to get as a special occasion treat. In this format, grassy, yet buttery avocado pairs with sweet condensed milk and tangy Greek yogurt to make a dessert just as creamy and decadent as that childhood memory. And because these popsicles are prepared in batch, it was never easier to enjoy this treat every night of the week."
For non-Pinoys, it may be strange that we eat avocados as
dessert; they are not just for guacamole, salads, or any Tex-Mex
concoction. They are actually a fruit.
Next to Halo-halo, the Avocado milkshake is my favorite. Jordan's ice popsicle is certainly a treat that I would love to try someday. He finished it all.
I am relieved that Jordan is not traumatized by his childhood experience with food prepared by me. These photos are a feast for the eyes. Are you hungry yet?
