Woke up early one Saturday morning to attend a baking class. Yes, I am a nerd who loves going to school and learning from different people. For this class, I was fortunate enough to sit-in with CCA’s Fundamentals in Baking and Pastry Arts Course. I chose to learn about making Filipino Desserts or Kakanin.

“Fundamentals in Baking and Pastry Arts Course,” is for those who are really interested to enter the baking and pastry field but do not have much time in their hands.

This is a 13-day comprehensive hands-on program, which will introduce students to the essential skills and give them knowledge on food safety, baking math, green chefmanship, baking techniques, and methods. There is also an intensive application of principles and techniques allowing students to become knowledgeable to produce various baked and patisserie products including breads, cakes, and cake decoration and chocolate confectioneries. Advantage of this short course includes sessions concluding with a group tasting as a critique of the day’s work by the chef-instructor.

For the said class, we learned how to make Suman, Biko, Cassava Cake, Puto, and Palitaw. The class started with the Chef Instructor giving instructions, and discussing each recipes before the actual hands-on.

Everyone will get the chance to make the recipe as the class is relatively small, there were only 3 people for each group, and there were only two groups, total of 6 students for the class.

 

What I really enjoyed with the class was learning about techniques and processes not written with the recipe. Like how to cook Biko and Suman faster than how it normally would go.

Also, the class provided a different look to the normal kakanin. Like serving Palitaw with Tablea, or Suman with Garlic Oil, or serving Biko with a Latik Syrup. These are things you would not normally learn outside of school.

For inquiries on CCA Manila and its various programs and short courses, call (02) 218 8566 or (0917) 505 9370, e-mail: talktoccamanila@gmail.com or visit website: cca-manila.edu.ph

In the end I would just say, there is nothing better than going to school and learning a skill or relearning a skill.

Stay hungry,

thehungrychef

Nathaniel C. Uy