A 'sweet' course

Chef Anne Atanacio

By Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon

We cannot deny that Christmas is indeed in the air! Christmas songs are now playing on every radio station. Lanterns and decors are set again while the lights blink again around the newly-installed Christmas trees. People have started to buy gifts and presents for their loved ones. With just about three months before this special occasion, we may already be thinking of what food to serve. Ham, lechon, quezo de bola, salad and other dishes will be surely present on our tables.
On Yuletide season, how can one forget the favorite of kids and adults alike — the mouthwatering pastries. They are often reserved for dessert but sometimes we cannot wait and we eager to take a bite of delightful pastries such as pies, cupcakes, cookies, croissant and macaroons.
However, making a pastry needs a combination of culinary ability and creativity in baking, decoration and flavoring. Many baked goods require a lot of time and focus. Presentation is an important part of pastry and dessert preparation. The job is often physically demanding, requiring attention to detail and long hours.
But not every one of us has the skill to make pastries as baking is often a meticulous chore and a simple incorrect measurement can easily mean disastrous results. Thus, sometimes we would buy pastry in stores rather than making it.
Leave that problem to the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA) Podium, one of the country’s top culinary schools, which offers short courses on the art and science of baking.
CCA Podium now offers its newest class, Pastry Essentials, which is designed to solve the commonest baking mistakes and enhance one’s baking skills.
CCA’s baking coordinator, chef Anne Atanacio, will wow her class with hands-on demonstrations on how to create treats such as Red Velvet cupcakes, oatmeal raisins cookies and salted caramel macaroons. With 10 years of experience in the kitchen under her belt, Atanacio knows the tools of the trade in the baking world.
Atanacio is a product of the CCA, Manila. She graduated in 2003 with a diploma in Culinary Arts Management. She trained under chef David Pardo de Ayala for four years before working for Discovery Suites Ortigas and Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay. And now, Atanacio is in her fifth year of teaching in the CCA where she is the resident baking coordinator under chef Melissa Sison. She is a certified working pastry chef by the American Culinary Federation.
At the recent event held at the CCA Podium in Ortigas, members of the press were given free baking demonstrations by Atanacio and new foodies like this writer learned so much from her. From selecting of ingredients to the measuring their quantity, from the procedures to even the food’s history — all led me to say that Atanacio is a master of her craft.

A free lecture from Chef Anne

She guessed the question in her audience’s minds. “One of the biggest problems that I often hear with baking is that the end product comes out too tough and dry,” explained Atanacio. “The solution is simple: don’t over mix the ingredients. Beating the mixture brings too much air into concoction and creates a drier product.”
Atanacio stressed that baking also entails the correct measurements and proper ingredients in order to succeed.
“If a cookie recipe calls for brown sugar, you put brown sugar and not white. Brown sugar helps develop a moister product. Using white sugar will produce a product with a different texture.”
While taking this lesson, our minds were filled with sweet facts as this lady chef told the story and the background of each goodie that she made.
Pastries are not only for dessert purposes served on our table because these can be gifts, too, for this holiday season.

After the free baking lesson, Atanacio taught us the next important thing after cooking demo, which is packaging for the finished products. She shared that instead of buying wrappers we may use recyclable materials to decorate pastries.
She gave a sample demonstration using egg cases, used jars and boxes, and even CD wrappers as containers, while wrapping it with either cellophane or Japanese paper and sealed them with cords or ribbons.
“The more creative you are the better results you will get,” Atanacio quipped.
As a sort of contest, Atanacio challenged the members of the press to create their own style of packaging, adding that a prize awaited the winner whose packaging was more unique and creative.
Unexpectedly, this writer, together with my co-writer, won the contest and shared the prizes. Everyone was laughing when I called my creation an “Ondoy-style” of packaging.
This and other fun and learning moments await everyone who wants to learn baking and cooking as Christmas draws near. CCA Podium is the best school for future chefs who want to become “kusina masters.”

Chef Anne carefully arranges these mouthwatering pastries

The first of its kind in the country, the CCA Podium Culinary School Market Café is an events place, a market café and a culinary school — all in one posh venue — The Podium Mall in Ortigas Center. Located on the fifth floor, CCA Podium is considered a chef’s world with three function rooms for small parties and intimate events, a market store where customers can take home freshly cooked products and ingredients; a restaurant where one can immediately satisfy their cravings for good food; and a pastry and catering school for those who are passionate about cooking.
CCA Podium also boasts of a roster of American Culinary Federation-certified chefs who give its baking and pastry courses.For more information about CCA-Podium and Pastry Essentials, visit http://www.cca-manila.com/.  Like CCA Podium on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CCAPodium or call CCA Podium at 509-3466 or 502-5651. -- Jaimes R. C. Sumbilon

The author (second from right), along with fellow writer, won the first prize.