Monday, March 15, 2010

Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips

I'm a junkie. I love potato chips, lime doritos or any salty crunchy snacks. Since I was on another diet I decided to make a healthier alternative to those store bought junk food. I did some research on the net and came up with my own recipe for garlic parmesan pita chips. I can't believe how delicious they turned out. The only problem was I couldn't stop eating them.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-7

1. There aren't many choices for pita in Manila but I'm quite satisfied with the pita pockets of Village Gourmet. These are available in most supermarkets. I'm still looking for whole wheat pita. Does anyone know where I can buy those in Manila?
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips

2. Slice the pita in half then separate the top and bottom layers.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-1

3. Slice it into thirds. I found this to be the ideal munching size.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-2

4. You will need the best evoo, salt, freshly ground pepper and parmesan cheese. Bring out your best ingredients for this because you will really taste it on the pita chips. If you have special sea salt or fleur de sel that you've been keeping for a special recipe, this is the time to use it.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-3

5. Mash a couple cloves of garlic and let it sit in the olive oil for at least 30 minutes to infuse the oil with the flavor of the garlic. Add salt and pepper to the oil.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-4

6. Brush the olive oil mixture on the pita chips. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake it at 350 F or 180 C for 5 to 7 minutes. Monitor these in the oven because they burn easily. You have the option of flipping the triangles and returning them to the oven to brown the other side. I did this with the first few batches but for the rest I just baked one side and they still turned out good.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-5

7. All ovens have different hot spots. My oven browned the middle pita chips faster than the ones on the sides. If this happens to you simply remove the brown ones first and return the baking sheet to the oven until the rest are the same color.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-6

8. Serve the pita chips with store bought or homemade hummus.
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-8

The garlic parmesan pita chips are also great eaten by itself sans dip. Don't blame me if you get addicted to these pita chips!
Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips-10

Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips
6 pcs. pita pockets
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper, freshly ground
3 tbsp. parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

Split the pita into two then cut it into 6 triangles. Place triangles on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Put the the mashed garlic into a bowl and add the olive oil. Let it infuse for at least 30 minutes. Add the salt and pepper to the oil in the bowl.

Brush each triangle with oil mixture. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 to 7 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Watch carefully, as they tend to burn easily! Let cool before eating.


Other flavor combinations:
  • just salt & pepper
  • cumin & garlic
  • dried basil, dried chevril
  • Italian seasoning & paprika

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Friday, March 12, 2010

Peking Garden at Greenbelt 5

We finally ate at Peking Garden's branch at Greenbelt 5. They opened their new location last December 2009.
Peking Garden Greenbelt 5

Peking Garden Greenbelt 5-1

Peking Garden Greenbelt 5-2

The place was packed that Sunday.
Peking Garden Greenbelt 5-3

Peking Garden Greenbelt 5-4
function rooms

Check out the detailed decorative woodwork surrounding the lights.
Peking Garden Greenbelt 5-5

Even the aircon vents were decorated.
Peking Garden Greenbelt 5-6

This was our set menu. Several items I've already featured before but I was glad that there were new dishes that I was going to try for the first time.
set menu

four kinds of appetizers
four kinds of appetizers

I ate only one of the 4 appetizers, the honeyed fish butterfly shape. Strange name but it's the best appetizer in Peking Garden. It's sweet, thin and crispy fish. I've never eaten this anywhere else.
four kinds of appetizers

fried spring onion cake
fried spring onion cake

The soup was extremely tasty and flavorful. I just didn't eat the papaya or the whelk.
double boiled chicken soup w/ & whelk
double boiled chicken soup w/ papaya & whelk

The Peking duck was a staple in most tables in the restaurant. This is what they are famous for. I heard they sell several hundred ducks in a day. No one can cut up a duck as fast and as prettily as they do in Peking Garden. They even manage to scrape of the fat from the crisp skin.
Peking Duck
Peking duck

I loved these crispy prawns flavored with salted egg. They were simply sublime.
golden prawns w/ salted egg
golden prawns w/ salted egg

This seemed like a healthy dish, using only egg whites and a lone egg yolk on top. I was told that this type of dish needed a lot of oil to cook it. No wonder it was so good.
scrambled egg whites w/ minced fish & dried scallops
scrambled egg whites w/ minced fish & dried scallops

The crabs and rice were very good. Perfect for crab lovers!
lotus seafood rice w/ garlic crabs
lotus seafood rice w/ garlic crab
lotus seafood rice w/ garlic crabs

I loved the marinated flanked steak that was seared and sliced thinly. It lay on a bed of shredded lettuce thus the name beef fillet salad.
seared US beef fillet salad
seared US beef fillet salad

I didn't like the dessert at all. I wish it were just plain almond soup but it had egg whites in it. It tasted strange. Good thing since I was already so full from lunch.
hot sweetened almond puree w/ dumplings

Peking Garden
4th level Greenbelt 5,
Ayala Center, Makati City
telephone: 729-0567

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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Jenny's birthday at Restaurant CiÇou

We celebrated our dear friend Jenny's birthday at Restaurant Cicou. Before going I checked out some blogs that have featured this restaurant. I read mostly negative reviews so I was kind of hesitant to try it. I even wanted to suggest Aubergine instead. But I'm always eager to try a new restaurant so I went with an open mind and a hungry stomach.

Restaurant CiÇou is located at the ground floor of Hotel Celeste in Makati. There's no parking space so come with a driver.
Restaurant Cicou

The interiors were nice and modern.
Restaurant Cicou-1

Restaurant Cicou-2
Jenny's beautiful family

I forgot what this was but it was very good.
amuse bouche
amuse bouche

The soups were all superb. The onion soup (not pictured here) was one of the best in town according to Jenny. Deb loved her squash soup. I said my prawn bisque was better but she disagreed. So we declared both delicious.
squash soup w/ duck liver flan
squash soup w/ duck liver flan P230

Aida and I shared an order of the prawn bisque. It's the best, best, best seafood soup I've ever tasted! It was very rich and full flavored. It tasted even better than lobster bisque. I was glad I shared an order since it was very filling.
prawn bisque w/ sea urchin flan
1/2 serving of prawn bisque w/ sea urchin flan P300 (full serving)

The risotto was the only disappointment in our entire meal. It was bland and tasteless. Pass on this.
risotto w/ herbs
risotto w/ herbs P260

Coquillettes are a type of pasta that's similar to elbow macaroni but much smaller. According the description in the menu it's cooked in chicken broth, lardons of foie gras, ham, parmesan, mushroom and truffle cream sauce. I couldn't distinguish each one of those ingredients. All I know this was the best pasta dish EVER! It wasn't too rich nor did it have a thick sauce, it was just plain lip smackin' yummy. 8 of us shared two orders asides from our individual main courses.
coquillettes
coquillettes P700

I wasn't able to try the next few dishes since they were too far from me and my dear friends weren't willing to pass the plate to our end of the table. Since all the plates were sparkling clean I assume they enjoyed the food.
tenderloin beef
tenderloin beef P1,200

Restaurant Cicou-10

halibut stuffed w/ king crab mousse
halibut stuffed w/ king crab mousse P750

prawn, scallop, squid, clams fricasee
prawn, scallop, squid, clams fricassee P750

I ordered the ox tongue. It was a pleasant change from the usual Spanish way of serving ox tongue slathered with either a mushroom or tomato sauce. The ox tongue was simply cooked in a ravigote sauce. The classic French sauce was slightly acidic and showcased the ox tongue wonderfully. 
wagyu ox tongue
wagyu ox tongue P580

braised oxtail parmentier
braised oxtail parmentier P550

They gave Jenny a mini croquembouche or profiterole tower. It was yummy!
birthday profiteroles
birthday profiteroles

Even all the petit fours were good.
petit fours
petit fours

Unbelievable but I ordered this light and refreshing dessert. I enjoyed the grapefruit sorbet but I wasn't fond of the soft egg white meringue or floating island so I passed it to Debbie who loved it.  Thank goodness somebody ordered 2 chocolate desserts which I enjoyed much, much more.
floating island w/ grapefruit sherbet
floating island w/ grapefruit sherbet P180

They used maracaibo 65% Venezuelan chocolate in their desserts. It was bittersweet, rich and fragrant. This was the second best dessert. Both chocolate desserts were simple yet sinful.
chocolate creme brulee
chocolate creme brulee P300

This was the best dessert. Sure most restaurants have their own version of the chocolate lava cake but this was something else.
chocolate fondant
chocolate fondant P300

The melted chocolate was magnificent!You can really taste the quality of the chocolate used. You must order this.
chocolate fondant

Thanks for the fabulous dinner Jenny!
Restaurant Cicou-20

The food at CiÇou definitely beats Je Suis Gourmand by a mile. It's a close call with Aubergine. Cicou has better soups, pasta and desserts while Aubergine has better main course. Be prepared to spend at least P1,000 per head without wine. When I go back I'm definitely ordering the prawn bisque, coquillettes and chocolate fondant and call it my happy meal.

Restaurant Cicou menu
top half of the menu

Restaurant Cicou menu-1
bottom half of the menu

Restaurant Cicou menu-2
specials

Restaurant Cicou menu-3
dessert

Restaurant Cicou menu-4
wine list

Restaurant CiÇou
Hotel Céleste
2 San Lorenzo Drive corner A. Arnaiz Avenue
San Lorenzo Village, Makati City

telephone: 889-6728 or 889-6733

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