Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté

The thought of gently clasping a star-tipped pastry bag to make cookies was laughable until fairly recently. It may not seem obvious from posts that involve feats of manual dexterity and shameless whipping, but I am, in fact, a red-blooded male.

While I appreciate any passing mention from fellow bloggers that find my posts somewhat amusing, I can’t help but feel awkward when referred to as a “she” or “her.” Is it my writing style? Is it my amateurish attempts at styling my food photos? My recipe selection, perhaps? Should I start posting about steaks, buffalo wings, and chili?

In any case, these buttery cookies do not help my case at all. For one thing, they’re French. Things that require accented characters to spell or nasal inflection to pronounce are generally associated with sophistication and plucked eyebrows, neither of which apply to me. The recent spectacle of French emasculation in front of an audience of 1.3 billion can also only worsen things, so I’m in a bit of a pinch.

View recipe for Sables à la Poche Cookies »

Kinilaw (pronounced ki-ni-lao) involves fresh ingredients doused with an acidic component such as vinegar or citrus juice. Also known as kilawin, it is the Filipino version of ceviche, most commonly used to prepare freshly caught seafood. Kinilaw can also feature fruits, vegetables, and half-cooked meats. Additional ingredients include aromatics such as ginger, onions, and chiles. Coconut milk may also be used to soften the acidity and bring all of the flavors together.

A bit of prep work is required to reduce the banana heart acerbity, a weird feeling in the mouth that Filipinos refer to as pakla. The chopped banana hearts are washed in several changes of lightly salted water to draw out the bitterness and make it more palatable.

This preparation balances the banana heart bitterness, lime juice acidity, and coconut milk richness. Crisp and slightly squeaky, the texture of fresh banana hearts is highlighted.

View Banana Hearts Kinilaw - Puso ng Saging recipe »

Some variation of tumis sayur, a side dish of stir-fried greens, is often found on the Indonesian, Malaysian, and Singaporean dinner table. Three ingredients — Shanghai bok choy, garlic, and fresh chiles — come together within minutes to create a simple but satisfying addition to any meal. The fresh chiles are essential in this dish. Aside from adding a bit of heat, it adds smokiness that complements the garlic aroma well.

Needless to say, such simple flavorings call for the freshest greens cooked as briefly as possible. Best served immediately, begin stir-frying once the table is set and the rest of the meal is ready.

View Stir-Fried Shanghai Bok Choy with Garlic and Chiles recipe »

At the risk of getting called a donkey, this Italian antipasto recipe from Gordon Ramsay is hereby dubbed rolls of zucchini instead of courgettes. Slivered almonds are folded into a creamy mixture of ricotta cheese, basil, and lemon juice to create the filling. Nestled in paper-thin strips of zucchini and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, these bite-sized rolls are an excellent starter to any meal, Italian or not.

Using the best of seasonal summer produce in zucchini and basil, it also needs no heat to prepare — perfect for days when the thermostat can barely keep up with the heat.

View Ricotta-Stuffed Zucchini Rolls - Gordon Ramsay Recipe »

The American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) defines whole grains as such:

Whole grains shall consist of the intact, ground, cracked or flaked caryopsis, whose principal anatomical components - the starchy endosperm, germ and bran - are present in the same relative proportions as they exist in the intact caryopsis.

I don’t know about you, but my eyes glazed over at “flaked caryopsis.” Thankfully, the AACC offers a friendlier definition:

Whole cereal grains and foods made from them consist of the entire grain seed usually referred to as the kernel. The kernel is made of three components - the bran, the germ and the endosperm. If the kernel has been cracked, crushed or flaked, then in order to be called whole grain, it must retain nearly the same relative proportions of bran, germ and endosperm as the original grain.

Whole grain ingredients may be used whole, cooked, milled into flour and used to make breads and other products, or extruded or flaked to make cereal products.

I incorporate whole grains in my diet any way I can, usually in breads. Although it took more than a few bricks and doorstops, I slowly realized that whole grain breads can be as enjoyable as their refined counterparts. So in a self-serving effort to amass the best whole grain recipes, I begged Zorra to allow me to host Bread Baking Day with the theme of 100% Whole Grains.

View more information about Bread Baking Day 13: 100% Whole Grains »