Philippine Pastry Forum 2016: Five Masterclasses by World-Class MOF Pastry Chefs

It's not enough that one pastry Master Chef, MOF Chef Jean-Francois Arnaud comes to the Philippines to mentor aspiring Filipino pastry chefs. The Academy of Pastry and Bakery arts plans to bring 4 more, who will each host their own Masterclass on pastry this upcoming April - May 2016!

The Academy has a mission to bring world-class chefs to the Philippines so that Filipinos can learn the art of pastry and bakery from some of the best in the industry, and they're going full-steam ahead despite just opening at the latter half of 2015. The demand has been better than expected, so they're bringing in the big names in international pastry.

All of these chefs have been awarded the Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF), which is a unique and prestigious title title bestowed bestowed on only the best craftsmen of France. The distinction is only awarded every four years, and it's so difficult to get the award that none of the 9 finalists in the MOF Chocolatier 2015 got awarded the MOF despite years of preparation.

For a bit of background on the Academy of Pastry and Bakery Arts, check here. Each Masterclass is worth Php 45,000 but that's already quite affordable seeing that you wouldn't need to spend money to fly out of the country to learn from the best. It's all hands-on! 

Here are the programs, dates, and a bit of background on each Master Chef...

A Simple Way to Test If Your Coffee Is Fresh [Video]

By now you should know that if you want to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, you should only buy freshly-roasted coffee beans and consume it all within 2-3 weeks of roasting. When you brew coffee that's beyond 3 weeks of its roast date, there's a good chance that your coffee is already stale and you lose those delicious aromatics you would otherwise find in a freshly-roasted cup. If you have an Ethiopia Konga or Yirgacheffe that no longer tastes has that fruity taste of fresh berries, you know you have stale coffee.

Sea Salt: Where Can You Get It in the Philippines?

In the past, I had a really hard time looking for a place that sells affordable Mediterranian Sea Salt in Metro Manila. Sea Salt is what world-class chefs use in their kitchens because it is said to taste better then regular iodized salt. I went to a number of supermarkets and it was a bit frustrating to find out that they either didn't have any sea salt or I found it too expensive.

These supermarkets were Rustan's supermarket, Cash & Carry, Landmark, and SM Hypermarket. I finally found a great place to get sea salt in the Philippines, and here's here I found them. 

MasterChef Asia: What's in a Redmart Staple Pantry Box?

What's in your home staple pantry box? Well, whenever our MasterChef Asia contestants are faced with a challenge to whip up an amazing dish in the MasterChef kitchen, they need some basic pantry staples to help them create the perfect dish.

They are armed with these basic pantry ingredients so that they can create something amazing. You should know better and have these pantry staples in your kitchen at all the time.

Learn How to Take Amazing Food Photography with These 5 Skillshare Classes

Captured by Adam Goldberg

If you want to learn how you can capture beautiful food photographs, then Skillshare has you covered. Skillshare has a wide array of photography classes, but they also have some amazing classes that focus primarily on food photography. Whether you're trying to capture beautiful food moments for Instagram or composing photographs for a recipe you would like to share, there is a Skillshare class for you.

Here are Skillshare classes you should take to take your food photography skills to a whole new level.

Learn the Art of Baking from South African Food Personality Sarah Graham

If you want to learn how to bake but don't know where to begin, then this Skillshare class is for you. Let South African food personality Sarah Graham walk you through step-by-step on how to make cakes, cookies, breads, and pastries at comfort of your home. 

If you want to add baking to your repertoire, then the class The Art Of Baking - A Beginner's Guide is perfect for you.

Learn to Master Pastry with the Academy of Pastry & Bakery Arts Philippines

The Academy of Pastry & Bakery Arts Philippines is an International Pastry School that offers aspiring pastry professionals and enthusiasts the opportunity to learn the art of pastry and bakery from some of the best, multi-awarded pastry chefs from Asia and Europe.

The Academy is headed by Chef Jean-Louis Arnaud, who has been granted an Un des Meilleurs Ouvrers de France (MOF) or "One of the Best Craftstmen of France" in 2000. He has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and hotels and has won numerous awards in artistic pastry, chocolate showpieces, and sugar arts competitions. He is joined by Co-founder and managing director Chef Niklesh Sharma, also a multi-awarded chef who has worked for top hotel and resorts groups around the world.

Eight Brewing Parameters You Should Tweak to Make That Cup of Coffee Even More Delicious

If you’re a serious coffee geek like the we are – with a home brew bar and a stash of freshly roasted coffee beans always at your disposal – you can improve the quality of the coffee you make by calibrating the parameters in which you brew coffee. Three important brewing parameters that people love to talk about are Roast Type, Coffee-Water Ratio, and Grind. There are, however, a number of brewing parameters hardly being discussed but are just as important to making a delicious cup of filter coffee.

This article won't cover each parameter with too much depth, but I will give you further reading as appropriate. Here's an overview of eight important coffee brewing parameters you should consider when brewing your next cup;

Let Michael Phillips from Blue Bottle Coffee Teach You How to Brew an Amazing Cup of Coffee

There are a number of good videos online that show you how you can brew a great cup of coffee at home. If you want to understand the intricate details of the coffee brewing process, however, online videos lack depth. They'll show you the steps but leave out some much needed information on the science of brewing coffee. To really understand how you can brew an amazing cup, you might need to attend a coffee brewing workshop from a local roaster - which can turn out to be expensive. 

Michael Phillips, the Director of Training for Blue Bottle Coffee, recently released a Skillshare class entitled "From Plant to Cup: Brew an Amazing Cup of Coffee" designed to help home coffee enthusiasts brew quality coffee at home. In this class, he covers everything you need to know for home coffee brewing -  from basic coffee theory, recipe creation, the brewing process, and coffee tasting. It's easily one of the best Skillshare classes out there. The best part about it is it's also free! 

Amazing Finds in WOFEX 2015 - World Trade Center Philippines [Part 2]

The World Food Expo (WOFEX) is known as the food and beverage industry's main avenue that allows Philippine food businesses to interact with key suppliers. Over the years, WOFEX has been known to be THE PLACE where you can meet key suppliers - ones that can take your business to the next level.

While the SMX convention center showcases brands that are normally used in your home kitchen, the World Trade Center gathers key suppliers for commercial kitchen equipment and food suppliers.

WOFEX this 2015 will be held from 10:00am to 7:00pm on August 5 – 8, 2015 at both World Trade Center and SMX Convention Center. Only the SMX Convention Center is open to the general public from August 5-7 and the World Trade Center will only admit trade partners (particularly decision makers of food and beverage businesses). The World Trade Center will then be open for everyone on August 8. There will be a free shuttle that can bring you to either venue if you want to visit both.

Here are pictures of what you can find in the WOFEX 2015, World Trade Center;

Click here for part 1 of the WOFEX World Trade Center Photo series

Amazing Finds in WOFEX 2015 - World Trade Center Philippines [Part 1]

The World Food Expo (WOFEX) is known as the food and beverage industry's main avenue that allows Philippine food businesses to interact with key suppliers. Over the years, WOFEX has been known to be THE PLACE where you can meet key suppliers - ones that can take your business to the next level.

While the SMX convention center showcases brands that are normally used in your home kitchen, the World Trade Center gathers key suppliers for commercial kitchen equipment and food suppliers. 

WOFEX this 2015 will be held from 10:00am to 7:00pm on August 5 – 8, 2015 at both World Trade Center and SMX Convention Center. Only the SMX Convention Center is open to the general public from August 5-7 and the World Trade Center will only admit trade partners (particularly decision makers of food and beverage businesses). The World Trade Center will then be open for everyone on August 8. There will be a free shuttle that can bring you to either venue if you want to visit both.

Here are pictures of what you can find in the WOFEX 2015, World Trade Center;

Click here for part 2 of the WOFEX World Trade Center Photo series

Amazing Finds in WOFEX 2015 - SMX Convention Center Mall of Asia

The World Food Expo (WOFEX) is known as the food and beverage industry's main avenue to allow food businesses to interact with key suppliers. Over the years, WOFEX has been known to be THE PLACE where you can meet key suppliers - ones that can take your business to the next level. Towards the end of the day, I was exhausted. There's no other way to put it. After visiting over 50 booths and talking to different suppliers, I tried to will myself to visit all the booths.

WOFEX this 2015 will be held from 10:00am to 7:00pm on August 5 – 8, 2015 at both World Trade Center and SMX Convention Center. Only the SMX Convention Center is open to the general public from August 5-7 and the World Trade Center will only be serving trade partners (particularly decision makers of food and beverage businesses). The World Trade Center will then be open for everyone on August 8. There will be a free shuttle that can bring you to either venue if you want to visit both.

Here are pictures of what you can find in SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia;

Chocolate Lover Inc.: Baker's Heaven in Makati City

Chocolate Lover Inc., long considered as baker's paradise, opened a Makati City store late last year without much fanfare. We were curious if they also had everything we ever wanted, like what they have in their Cubao Castle, so we went to their Makati store to see what items and ingredients they carry.

We found out that they have a lot. It may not be as much as what they have in Cubao, but I'd say it's around 70% there.

Continue reading to know the goodies you can find in Chocolate Lover Inc. Makati.

Five Essential Food Infographics That Will Help You Master the Kitchen

I know, I have already shared a ton of food infographics in past articles. These articles aim to help you, my readers, become better cooks at home. I'm a firm believer that learning how to cook takes education and practice, so I hope these articles help address the former. If they helped you overcome your kitchen struggles in any way, I'm happy.

From all the infographics, here are five that I consider the most essential to becoming a master in the kitchen. Read, understand, and always come back to reread these articles. The information contained in these articles are pieces of knowledge that should help guide you how to become a better cook. 

Just click on the images to see each infographic.

Not Sure How to Store Your Groceries? Here's a Guide to Show You How

We're all guilty of not properly storing our groceries at home. This bad habit leads to a kitchen full of spoiled, or worse, contaminated food. It's about time that you know how to properly store your groceries. This reduces wastage and can save you a lot of cash in the long-run. 

Here's how you should store your groceries and how long they will keep.

Properly Grill Meats and Veggies Every Time with This Handy Guide

One of the best, and healthiest, ways to cook food is through grilling. It's done by exposing meats and veggies to direct heat over hot flame. Grilling also uses less oil and gives you a juicy and flavorful dish. If you're starting out, however, grilling can be a bit of a challenge.

This infographic will show you how you can perfectly grill meats and veggies.You'll know whether to use direct or indirect heat, the level of heat, and the total cooking time. 

If you have an induction stove, you can easily control the temperature so you can easily adjust it based on the level of heat recommended below. Although nothing beats grilling food over charcoal under the heat of the sun to get perfectly charred meat. 

Here's How You Can Cook Those Veggies Perfectly

Vegetables are considered to be an important part of an overall healthy diet and they even help prevent a number of diseases. They are so crucial that Harvard's healthy eating plate recommends that the biggest portion - around 40% - of your plate should consist of veggies.

It's very easy to cook vegetables. You can steam vegetables, one of the easiest and quickest ways to cook them. If you don't have a stove, then you can always use the microwave. If you always overcook those veggies, then you need to keep on reading.

Here is a great infographic that shows you the amount of time needed so that you can perfectly cook vegetables in the comfort of your own home. Don't forget to season with salt and pepper once they're done! 

Specialty Coffee Gear: The Starbucks Melitta Pour-Over Brewer

When Starbucks Reserve first opened their stores in the Philippines, they started brewing their exquisite selection of reserve coffee using the pour-over method. This pour-over brewer, manufactured by Melitta, was first invented by Melitta Bentz in 1908 and is one of the first pour-over brewers developed in the world. 

If you are considering this pour-over for you home, then this review is exactly for you. 

Coffee Gear That Every Serious Coffee Drinker Needs to Have

You already have hundreds of hours under your belt brewing coffee using the basic coffee gear and you decided that you want to take coffee a bit more seriously. In the same manner as there are different ways you can cook an egg, there are also a number of tools you can use to alter the brewing process - each producing a very distinct cup. That's one reason why coffee aficionados have so many toys at their disposal.

Now that you have a basic brewer, a digital scale, and a grinder, let's take a look at some advanced coffee gear that serious coffee drinkers use to help complete your home brew bar.

Coffee Gear That Will Instantly Help You Brew a Better Cup

Brewing a great cup of coffee at home is fairly simple. If you have a bag of freshly roasted coffee beans and the proper brewing equipment, you can whip up a delicious cup in less than 10 minutes. Why settle for mediocre tasting brewed coffee, or worse instant coffee, when you can have a barista-quality cup of specialty coffee every morning? 

So, here's what you need to start brewing that perfect cup.