Would You Like a Spot of Tea?

Oh my goodness!

Did you watch the Royal Wedding?!

I was awake from Midnight to about 4:00am and got caught up in the glitz and glamour of it all. It really was a special occasion. I went to work this morning excited to catch up with my coworkers and I was pleased to see they were just as eager to talk to me about it.

Kate’s dress was beautiful and she looked gorgeous in it. It was very reminiscent of Grace Kelly’s and Lea Salonga’s. William looked dashing – a true prince. I was in awe when I saw him in his red Army uniform.

All this reminded me of my own bridal shower last November. My bridesmaids planned a fun tea party Crown & Crumpet in San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square. Pinkies were up in the air, tea was poured, and spirits were high. We were all “Brits” for the evening. What an absolute ball.


Each of my pretty guests was given a favor of English candies and other cute goodies, as well as a personalized keepsake program.


Time for tea! This flavor was my special request. I loved watching them pour the strawberry fields tea. The color is so pretty. I am not much of a tea drinker, but the flavor makes me forget it is tea at all.


Pinkie’s up! The types of tea we had were Strawberry Fields, Jasmine Fancy, Cornucopia, and Earl Grey. Be sure to check out the sugar pot! There you will find sugar shaped into stars and hearts!


My favorite part of Crown & Crumpet are of course the crumpets! There were various spreads to slather on, such as strawberry preserves, lemon curd, and butter. The scones were nice and buttery as well.


A tea party would not be complete without those little tea sandwiches. We had a wonderful selection: smoked salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, egg salad, and chicken salad. The most dainty sammies you will ever have.


Dessert time! There was such a great assortment of cookies, biscuits, and sweets to indulge in. By this time, I was so full! They were kind enough to let us take the leftovers home.


The perfect tea party setting – full of flowers, pinks, and all things pretty! Perfect for a princess, I say! Crown and Crumpet is the perfect place to hold a bridal shower or a baby shower because if you reserve the fireplace area like we did, you will have plenty of space to play games and have fun with your guests.

This is me and my Auntie Glo.

I love my Auntie Glo. She helped raise me and she is truly like my second mother. Her daughters, Rox and Jenn, are more like sisters than cousins. See the bottle I have in my hand there? That’s HELLO KITTY BRUT ROSE SPARKLING WINE! My Auntie Glo got it for me with the help of Rox and Jenn’s detective work! I love them! I am so grateful to have her. You know what's cool? I was her flower girl in her wedding on December 18, 1989. Now her daughters are my bridesmaids at my wedding on December 18, 2011. We came full circle.


I couldn’t help but be emotional throughout the night. I had my mom, my sister, my niece, my new mother-in-law, my new sister-in-law, my aunts, and bridesmaids...and a bottle of sparkling wine. I was so thankful that I had finally met "the one" and was about to start a new chapter in my life.


Cousin Star's friend May Dris was kind enough to make edible favors for my ladies. These were a complete surprise! They made us chocolate-covered "cake balls." So good! Jayla obviously loved them! Thank you Star and May! Talk about multi-talented, she also designed one of the "Hearts in San Francisco" Project with her designed called "Puzzled Heart"!


Thank you to everyone who came to my bridal tea party. I know this is somewhat late, but I do want to tell you all that I appreciate you for being there for me during this exciting and even frightening time of my life. I love you all!

If you want to have a party like I did, go to Crown & Crumpet!

Address: 900 North Point, Ghirardelli Square, San Francisco, California
Phone Number: (415) 771-4252

This event was almost 6 months ago, but the love I felt that night still warms my heart today. Hope everyone has a great weekend and William and Kate 4 Ever! Fairy tales DO come true!

xoxo,
Jo

Happy 4th Birthday, Blog!

I can't believe that the blog is still up considering how I haven't been blogging as much as I used to. Well, I still want to thank my new and old friends for supporting "Jo Boston is a Foodie."

4 years ago, I never dreamed that I would make so many new foodie friends and have exciting opportunities open up just by starting this little project of mine. I'm grateful. =) Here's to another 4 years and BEYOND.

xoxo,
Jo

Dreamy Creamy Cakes!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful Easter! Did you survive the Lenten season? Did you stick with your “sacrifice” for 40 days? People are celebrating in so many different ways from Easter egg hunts to masses at church to Hunky Jesus Christ contests, but the main goal is to spend time with family and friends and be thankful for all the blessings we have in life.


Aki’s Bakery Display Case
Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to be invited to Fred and Tina’s party to celebrate the birthdays of their two children Brandon and Kaitlin. I knew there would be some awesome food, and Hubs and I wanted to add to the deliciousness...so we headed to Aki’s in San Jose to grab their specialty: GUAVA DELIGHT CAKE!


Happy Birthday, Babies!
I recommend this cake to anyone who wants a cake that is light, creamy, and tropical in flavor. I wish I had a picture, but when you cut into the cake, you will see layers of guava chiffon cake and guava whipped cream. You can get the cake with or without the guava glaze on top. We opted for the glaze because it adds another dimension of guava flavor.

Albs (Filipeanut) also brought a mango cake to the party, but I didn’t get a chance to take a pic of it since my phone died, but while we were noshing on dessert, Fred (I Love Sisig) and I shared some words that we prefer whipped cream cakes over buttercream cakes. Sometimes buttercream can be too sweet or too heavy. Whipped cream is a bit lighter indeed. It is also an ideal frosting to use with fresh fruit cakes.


Happy Birthday, Momma!
I loved the mango cake that Albert brought. Back in March, I got it for my Mom’s birthday because we love mangoes. It’s such an integral part of Filipino cuisine.


Mango Cake
from Goldilocks Bakery
You can get mango cakes at different bakeries. He got his from Red Ribbon, I got Mom’s cake from Goldilocks, and if you go back to the pic of the display at Aki’s you will see a mango cake next to the guava cake. The set-up is similar in all the cakes: vanilla chiffon cake layered with whipped cream that has fresh mango in it. It’s light, refreshing, and simple.

Simple?

Is making a whipped cream cake really simple to make? I found out a couple of weeks ago when my husband Keat’s mom asked us to make a cake for Keat’s dad’s birthday. They requested “something light and not too rich.” The first thing I thought of was a fruit cake. Not one from Christmas, but a light vanilla cake with whipped cream and strawberries. Boom. Strawberries and cream cake. My first time making one totally from scratch.


Two Strawberry Cakes Fresh from the Oven
I first made the cake layers. I used the first white cake recipe I found on the internet (which turned out to be nice and buttery), added a cup and a half of fresh strawberries directly to the batter, and baked it off.


The Interior of the Strawberry Cake
I let the cakes rest in the pans overnight so they can cool down all the way through. The day of the party, I got up early and cut the layers, totally to four. I used a serrated knife, put the cakes on a platform that I can spin easily, and sawed very gingerly. The chunks of fruit made it a bit tricky at times, plus the cake is very moist and has a tender crumb, so I had to be careful, but I did it! Honestly, I could have eaten the cake just the way it was. The strawberries lent moisture and flavor. Would be perfect with some tea, coffee, or hot cocoa.

Then came the tricky part. I needed to find a whipped cream frosting that would not melt in transport from my home to the East Bay and while it sat out at the party. The solution I found was adding gelatin to the whipped cream. This, what I learned, would be called a "stabilized" whipped cream frosting. I made a test batch which left chunks of gelatin in the cream, so I had to make a new one with a tweeked procedure and measurements. This is what ended up working for me:

Ingredients:

2 cups of cold heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Up to 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar (depending on your taste)
1/3 cup of water
1 teaspoon powdered gelatin

Method:

1. Put heavy whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Also put the electric mixer beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes. It is VITAL that everything is COLD.
2. Put water in a microwave safe bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let sit for 5 minutes. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then microwave for another minute. Set aside to cool.
3. After the mixture is chilled, beat the whipping cream mixture on medium until you see ribbons forming and the mixture is noticeably thicker.
4. Add the gelatin mixture making sure it is still liquid. If it isn’t and has become solid, pop it back in the microwave for 5 seconds and stir. Make sure it is not too hot then slowly pour it into the whipped cream mixture as you are mixing on medium. Beat until it forms a peak when you lift out the beaters. Be careful not to over-beat; otherwise, you get butter. Use immediately.

Voila!

Fresh whipped cream, or in this case since it is sweetened, Chantilly cream!


First Layer of Chantilly Cream Down!
For the cake I made, it took about 4 cups of the finished whipped cream to layer and frost. Truthfully, you can top almost every dessert with this cream.


The Fresh Strawberries Were Gorgeous
I also cut up some fresh strawberries. If they are too tart for your taste, add a little bit of sugar, but not too much because you don’t want to mask the strawberry flavor.


Almost Done!
It looks like A LOT of whipped cream in between those layers, but since it’s so light, it doesn’t feel too heavy. I was pretty content that I cut the layers out pretty evenly. I put another layer of cake on top and frosted the whole thing with the same Chantilly cream. When I was done, I put the whole thing in the fridge to fully chill and set.


Happy Birthday, Dad!
The finished product! My mother-in-law, who we shall call Mom M, brought out some awesome colored-flame candles. They were perfect for the simple frosting job I did. There was a normal candle in the middle which made a white flame, but the colored flames were gorgeous against the white frosting. Let’s just say the cake was a hit. Keaton made a vegan chocolate cake as well, so we made the perfect baking couple! I am already getting requests for my next cake! Mango cake! I assume the procedure will be similar to the one I used on this one. I can’t wait to attempt it!

BUT!

There is one cake I am dying to try to make, but am afraid to. Princess cake. It looks so difficult! Until then, I will continue going to my favorite spot in San Francisco to get it. Schubert’s in the Richmond District is my go-to for Princess Cake. It’s absolutely PERFECT.


Slice of Swedish Princess Cake
from Schubert’s Bakery
I love how they have a special section on their websites for just whipped cream cakes. Swedish Princess Cake is my favorite of all. For those who have never had this cake before, it’s white cake layered with raspberry and kirsch custard filling, whipped cream and marzipan icing. I adore this cake. Truly the best in the city.

Recollecting on all the cakes I have had, I must say that not ALL buttercream cakes are heavy and too rich. I know I was a buttercream hater earlier. Cream cheese frosting, which is just butter, cream cheese, and sugar can be very light if made right.

My birthday cake from House of Silvanas was an Ube Cake! Ube is like a purple sweet potato and it is incorporated in both the chiffon cake layers and buttercream. The color of the cake is rather striking, but the cake itself was very light. I love ube.


Salted Dulce de Leche
from CupKates Trucks
This, ladies and gentlemen, is my favorite chocolate cupcake ever. The chocolate cake is light and airy. Not too sweet. The frosting. Oh, the frosting. Though it is a buttercream, it was luscious and silky and melted upon contact with my mouth. Sounds sexy, yet? Well, it is. Eyes were rolling to the back of the head, friends. I caught CupKates at Off the Grid at Fort Mason. It will be a default stop every time I go, guaranteed.

Well there you have it. I love whipped cream cakes. Did you have a cake for Easter? I was tempted to bake today, but I found some Taisan at home and I was completely happy with that. Taisan is a chiffon cake topped with butter and sugar. Yup. I do hope you all had a wonderful Easter with your family and friends. Mom made some “bulalo” (Filipino beef shank soup) today and seeing the bone marrow inside those bones made me think of Tatay. He sure loved sucking out that marrow! I bet he’s partying it up with Jesus up there in Heaven. =)

I am not terribly religious 365 days of the year, but on days like this, I find myself feeling very blessed to have my friends and family. God Bless you all and Happy Easter! Hope you all ate well!

xoxo,
Jo

So It's Good Friday AND Earth Day...Where Are You Going to Eat Tonight?

Truth be told.

I am a carnivore.

Lent is my least favorite part of the year. I was born Catholic. Baptized. Communionized. But it never stuck. It being practicing Catholism. Every year, however, I test myself if I can "give up" something for Lent - soda this year. I DID have ginger ale last week, but it was for medicinal purposes because I had a tummy ache. Other than that, I didn't drink soda for recreational purposes. Friday. Don't even get me started. I ate meat. I ate it well. I went to House of Prime Rib one week and had a California Sisig burrito from Senor Sisig another week.

But today is Good Friday AND Earth Day. I remember times as a child Inang hushing us when we got loud on Good Friday. She said we had to behave. Today also is a day of being a vegetarian and fasting. I am so hungry. I only had hash browns this morning at 9 am, a bag of Garden Salsa Sunchips that my coworker gave me, and a white chocolate Lindor truffle. I am starving. It is said that we should only have one FULL meal today. So where am I to eat? Remember NO MEAT.

I had some dinugian stashed in the fridge....darn it.

There are 2 vegetarian places (1 being totally vegan) that I fell in love with in the last couple of months:

Source in San Francisco and No Worries in Downtown Oakland. I will post full recaps on these places soon, I promise. This is for those who are totally stumped on where to go tonight for their vegetarian dinners.

Source
Address: 1 Division St, Design District, SF, CA
Phone Number: (415) 864-9000

I came here last month with my husband Keaton and homeboy Abe. Abe is full-on vegetarian and Keaton was looking for new places for healthier meals, so we came here. It was such a hit. They do use animal products like cheese, but they use "fake meats" which they name after the animal's sound, like "cluck cluck" and "moo moo."


I recommend any of the pizzas, their "quack quack" eggrolls, and vanilla (vegan)smoothie. If you are a carnivore like me, you will appreciate the meat substitutes, but even so, the veggie dishes were flavorful also. The pizzas are delicious - from the crust to the toppings.

No Worries
Address: 1442 Franklin St, Oakland, CA
Phone Number: (510) 444-4466

No Worries is special to me because it serves Filipino vegan food. Really?! I know some of you out there won't believe it, but hey, you have to try it! People are so used to Filipino food being pork this, fried that. Chef Jay-Ar has concocted recipes that are Filipino and healthy, without sacrificing the flavors we are all so used to.

Photo credit: Dishcrawl.com
I was blown away by the "Bistek" - traditionally a dish of beef strips and onions in a soy-lemon sauce; however, Chef Jay-Ar made it healthier using soy protien strips, green beans, and brocolli. I love it. With that, I am going to send you over to Dishcrawl's recap of the dinner we held there on April 19th. We had an incredible 7-course meal!

SO vegetarian isn't THAT hard to find in SF:

DOSA in the Mission and in the Fillmore
Cha-Ya on Valencia
Millennium Downtown(you fancy, huh?)
Greens at Fort Mason

So to all you carnivores who are struggling right now, relax. These places are good. =) Don't be afraid to try vegetarian places. Go in with an open mind. You won't be sorry.

xoxo,
Jo

Happy Easter, everyone!

Mom's Birthday at Isla - March Madness - Part 1 of ??

Hello April and all you lovely readers,

The month of March was a whirlwind, and like I said in my last [pitiful] blog, it drained me mentally, emotionally, and physically. I suppose it was the fact that I was turning 27. I'm getting closer to 30 and maybe this was the first time being a "grown-up" really hit me. Sh*t, I'm married for God's sakes. March was truly a challenging month.

So the last time I left you [with a dope beat to step to], I had come back from the fantastic Bay to LA trip. This happened March 4-6. A whole month has passed since then and there is so much to recap. I am going to try to write as much as I can, and this may take a few installations, so please forgive the mess. =) You are now reading Part 1 of ?

We got back from LA (on a delayed flight) and right when we got to SF, Keat brought me home and he headed to work [damn you, graveyard shifts]. I purposely took the day off the next day to get some rest due to the incredibly belly-busting weekend and to kick it with my mom since IT WAS HER BIRTHDAY!

- Mommy's Birthday Dinner - March 7, 2011 -
Restaurant: Isla Restaurant
Address: 422 San Mateo Avenue
Phone Number: (650) 872-5008
Cuisine: Filipino
Date Last Visited: March 7, 2011 & August 2010 before
Dining Partner: Mi familia

I love sharing the same birthmonth with my mom. I made a reservation at Isla, a Filipino restaurant in San Bruno along El Camino. This is not the first time I went to Isla. I went last year with Bub [by accident]. We were going to hit up either Kuya's or Patio Filipino close by, but we ate here because they were new. Before I write about Mommy’s birthday, I’ll recap on our Fall dining experience.


“Friends, the food here is delicious.”
translated from Kapampangan
- August Visit -
During our first visit, we ordered the kare kare. We were craving kare kare that day and were glad to find it on their menu.


Kare Kare
"Ima Marilyns special recipe - Choice of: Beef Oxtail / Beef Short Ribs
or combination - cooked in savory peanut sauce with vegetables"
We ordered the oxtail version and honestly, we were underwhelmed. We have tried many many versions of kare kare and while it was filling, it lacked something. It was maybe the restaurant was so new that they were still perfecting their recipes? Who knows, but it was just okay.


Crispy Shrimp-Silog
"Dagupan style deep-fried crispy shrimps”
Everyone here should already know what a “silog” is. No? Obviously, you’re a noob to my blog. =D A “silog” is a Filipino breakfast platter complete with your choice of protein (shrimp in this case), “si”nangag (garlic fried rice), and “it”log (fried eggs).

I ordered this dish blindly because I didn’t know how the shrimp were going to be prepared. Were they battered? Butterflied? Shell-on? I also find it interesting that though this is a Kapampagan restaurant that a dish from Pangasinan (Ilocano), would be on the menu. I have actually never heard of “Dagupan-style” shrimp before.

Turns out the shrimp are fried with their shells ON. The bad? I hate peeling shrimp. The good? I didn’t need to! The shrimp heads and shells are fried enough so that they are good to eat also. No need to peel! Yay! They were so addicting. Just dip the head or shrimp body in the vinegar and pop in your mouth. Crispfully delightful.


Our Supper
Though we didn’t have an epiphany with the kare kare, I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor of the Dagupan shrimp. It is such a unique dish that you won’t find anywhere else.

On to March!


Jayla is Happy It's Grandma’s Special Day
Isla is a great place to gather many of your friends and family for a dinner like our’s. There was about 12 of us and the service was great. They catered to everything we needed. I hope you forgive me for the pics. I forgot to put my SD card in my camera. Fail. Plan B: camera phone. I apologize for the difference in colors - I got filter happy. =) FYI: The descriptions of the dishes came straight from the restaurant menu.


We ordered tons of dishes and still had leftovers to bring home. Let the eating begin!

1) ORIGINAL SISIG KAPAMPANGAN: "The Pride of Pampanga" - spicy grilled minced pork sautéed and spiced up then served in sizzling plate for a mouth watering feast - I really like it when a restaurant serves their sisig on a sizzling platter. I feel you get more flavor from the char left on the meat and a more concentrated flavor when the acid of the citrus or vinegar hit’s the cast iron. Sisig was invented in Pampanga, so it was nice to eat an authentic version of it knowing there are so many out there.

2) CRISPY BINAGOONGAN - diced crispy pork sautéed in shrimp paste with eggplant, diced mangoes and tomatoes - I love pork and I love bagoong. Again, this is a dish, I’ve had many times at other restos, and I am glad this version is on point with the rest of them. Great dish. The mangoes and tomatoes really make a difference.

3) PANCIT MIKI-BIHON - thin rice stick noodles & egg noodles cooked with chicken, quail eggs, squid balls, shrimps and kikiam Of course, in pure Filipino fashion, we ordered noodles for Mommy’s birthday to ensure long life. I really liked the combination of ingredients from the quail eggs to the kikiam which is a type of Asian fish cake. Squeeze on the lemon and you have a perfect celebration dish.

4) GINATAANG SITAW AT KALABASA - green beans and squash cooked in coconut milk with chicken and shrimps - Back in the day, I hated squash and I hated coconut milk. Now I love them. I am a bit biased when I say that this lacked the “umph” I like in my favorite version of sitaw at kalabasa. My favorite - Bicol-style - has both bagoong and chilies in it. This version at Isla is a tamer version without those two ingredients, but I must say that the delicate flavor of the coconut milk and the sweet squash made a winning combination. Delicious.


More Dishes!
5) KALDERETANG KAMBING - Lolo Nes' specialty; spicy goat stew with carrots and potatoes - as much as I wanted to, I wasn’t able to try it. I have a fear of goat meat…just blame it on a childhood experience in the Philippines. I am glad that we got to order it though because our family is known to slaughter and butcher our own meat - goat especially - for special occasions. I remember the times Tatay and Inang would drive me to Half Moon Bay to pick out a goat to eat. I used to eat goat as a child, but after that experience in the Philippines, I haven’t been able to stomach it since.

6) CALAMARI - deep-fried squid in a flavorful batter - fried squid. Need I say more? I swear, everytime my cousins and sister see this on the menu, it’s one of their menu selections by default. Can’t blame them. Fried squid. Good stuff. Here's a rap showcasing the love for PUSIT (squid in Pilipino) - Ahhh, pusit. Pusit's real good.

7) KARE KARE - beef short ribs cooked in savory peanut sauce with vegetables - they were out of the oxtails that night, so we got the short ribs instead. Not as gelatinous or fatty as the oxtail, but still good. I am glad we came back to try out Isla because it was evident that the kare kare this time around was a lot better. The veggies were cooked nicely and the short ribs were tender. Gotta love the bagoong on the side.

8) Mommy blowing out her birthday candles. Props to my sister and my husband for pretending to go to the bathroom to get Mommy’s cake from the car and lighting the candles.


Dessert time!
9) Jayla eyeing Mommy’s delicious-looking birthday cake. Yes, that’s a replica Academy Award/Ocsar on the table for Mom being “The Best Mother.”

10) MANGO CAKE - A light vanilla cake filled and iced with a mixture of whipped cream and chopped fresh mangoes - on our way to Isla, Keat and I dropped by Golidlocks in South San Francisco for Mommy’s cake. She loves mangoes so we knew this would be perfect. After a hearty meal like the one we just had, it hit the spot.

11) BUKO PANDAN - pandan flavored gelatin and young coconut topped with cream - I love buko pandan - it’s a light dessert that is fruity and creamy.

12) TURON a la MODE - sweet fried banana lumpia served with mango ice cream - I love hot and cold desserts and this was another ideal dessert to have at the end of the meal.

Of course the dinner would not have been as great as it was without our guests - Auntie Gloria, Roxanne, Michael, Jennifer, Manang Yolly, Keanu, Chloe, PJ, Sherri-Anne, Jayla, and Keaton. Mom was so happy to have her loved ones there with her to celebrate her special day.

We love you, Mommy! Here’s to many many many more birthdays to come!

And to YOU my lovely reader, hope you have a chance to try Isla. It’s the newest Filipino restaurant in the area, and you know how I love to support Filipino restos and businesses. I hope they stay open for a long time. Cheers, and thank you for reading today’s blog!

xoxo,
Jo

Long Time No Blog

hi everyone,

well here are in april. i cant believe a fourth of the year is already gone. as you can imagine, march being my birthmonth, things have been a bit crazy since my last post. i was tested in march, emotionally, financially, physically. im glad i made it to april ok.

i have tons to recap on like my birthday, #fildishcrawl, tahoe, #outsideinx...and april is full of goodies as well! we have birthday celebrations galore, our monthly #fildishcrawl, and many other foodie events. thank you for hanging in there with me. i hope to have a new post up this weekend.

speaking of this weekend, my cousin star is taking me to Incanto for dinner! havent been there in a while so we we we so excited. lol rebecca black.

anywho, i popped a benny pill not too long ago and i feel my eyelids drooping. i bid thee farewell...for now.

xoxo,
jo

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