How do you re-create home away from Home? Winter is probably the worst time in the year when you feel homesick missing the Philippines. There’s no cure, only a few temporary relief – food, videoke and maybe a bottle of San Miguel beer from the Asian store. I can only do the first one, so like other times when any special occasion makes me teary-eyed, I grab hold of available ingredients and cook the favorites. On cold days, it will be arroz caldo, champorado, sour sinigang and for me attempting to recreate the scent coming from the Napay bakery outside our house in Marikina (my husband's would be Kawilihan Bakery in Project 2). I’ve got the tools for the trade, old cookbooks, recipes shared and learned, cookie and cake molds stashed all the way to America and more importantly the memory of how each bread, cake and cookie will taste and feel. On the repertoire, monggo bread, egg pie, puto seko, custard cake and many more shared with family and friends hoping that with a sniff and a bite they too will feel the warmth of home away from Home.
(The picture above is the familiar egg-pie. My husband thinks the crust should be softer. But, I believe it was just right, it is after all made with shortening and not butter. Our bakery's egg-pie is not french, ingredients are frugal and accessible but we want our product to be as tasty as can be - crust is flaky and would crumble as you take a bite on the sweet custard. Unlike butter which coats your tongue and feels velvety, our egg-pie's crust bottles-up in your throat. Down it with an ice-cold bottle of sarsaparilla or coca cola and your peso would have gone a long way. Now husband, doesn’t this egg-pie taste like the one from Napay's or Kawilihan? I don't need to ask, hey there's just two left.)
(The picture above is the familiar egg-pie. My husband thinks the crust should be softer. But, I believe it was just right, it is after all made with shortening and not butter. Our bakery's egg-pie is not french, ingredients are frugal and accessible but we want our product to be as tasty as can be - crust is flaky and would crumble as you take a bite on the sweet custard. Unlike butter which coats your tongue and feels velvety, our egg-pie's crust bottles-up in your throat. Down it with an ice-cold bottle of sarsaparilla or coca cola and your peso would have gone a long way. Now husband, doesn’t this egg-pie taste like the one from Napay's or Kawilihan? I don't need to ask, hey there's just two left.)
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