The Maya Kitchen Presents: Chef Jessie Sincioco (The Event)

You may recall a few weeks back that I posted about an upcoming class at the Maya Kitchen. Well, the schedule fell on January 26, and because I couldn't be in two places at the same time, I went to attend a cousin's wedding in La Union, and I let my brother attend the event on my behalf. I did tell myself that I hoped to attend all of the Featured Classes in the Maya Kitchen this year (as the three classes I attended last year were all awesome), and brother attending the class, and sharing the story to me afterward sort of made me feel I was there as well.


January's class featured Chef Jessie Sincioco, who's culinary history traced back into 1980s when she joined and won a contest by the Maya Kitchen. Her winning Mango Cake allowed her to discover and learn more about food (and cooking), and is now one of the top chefs in the Philippines and is the person behind two successful restaurants - Chef Jessie at the Rockwell Club and Top of the Citi by Chef Jessie.

For this class, Chef Jessie prepared six dishes:


Veggie Chips with Tzatziki
A very appetizing appetizer featuring thin slices of sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, and beetroot deep fried until golden brown served with Tzatziki, a Greek dressing made of yogurt, sour cream, cucumbers, mint leaves and seasonings.


Salad From My Garden
{with Chef Jessie's Very Own Dressing}
This salad had the usual salad greens, what made me so interested with this salad was that it also had young kamias, ashitaba (first time for me to hear such a herb), and pansit-pansitan, which was something I used to play with when I was a kid. I only knew it's some sort of a medicinal plant, now I found out it can be used for salad, too!



Local Sea Bass en Papilotte
Such an interesting dish this was - using parchment paper to seal off the juices and aroma before it was served. Brother told me the fish was seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon juice and was sandwiched between two layers of vegetables and herbs. A very healthy dish that made me wish we have oven here at home so I can cook this one, too!


Grilled Ostrich Steak in Bourginon Sauce
Something that made me sad that I wasn't there at the event. I still haven't tasted ostrich meat (brother already ate some when he traveled in CDO many years ago), so until now I am still wondering how it tasted like.


Chocolate Souffle
The key to this dessert was the timing (from baking to serving), and brother said this would be one tricky dessert to make because within moments, the souffle deflated. If one has to make and serve this, they have to be quick in serving it.


"The Award Winning Mango Cake"
Chef Jessie pays homage to the Maya Kitchen by baking the mango cake that won her top awards in the 1980s contest. Brother told me it was the best mango cake, truly an award winning cake. Awww... why wasn't I there again? Hahaha.

It is now February, and I am so looking forward to the next featured class. I already know who the guest chef will be, so stay tuned anytime soon for an update.