Hidden Treasures in Tam-Awan Village in Baguio

Nothing makes you feel more comfy than good food and good ambiance.  I’ve been to Baguio several times but this is the first time I got to visit Tam-awan Village. 

It’s an old Igorot village, about 30 minutes from Burnham, they restored the village’s paths and huts and turned into an artist’s haven. What caught my interest was the old Igorot huts, they were preserved in their original condition and were offered for rent at Php500 night per person.  Imagine being able to live like an Igorot for one night (or more if you chose to J ) you can wear the bahag too if you want a total immersion thing,  but you’ll probably freeze your arse because it gets really cold there at night.

The artworks were superb and not limited to paintings, there were handsewn bags and trinkets….there are no two alike so you are not in any danger of being in an awkward situation where you have the same bag or earrings as the lady sitting next to you in someone’s wedding.

The best part of the village is the quaint little café at the top of the hill inside the village.  Oh anyone would fall in love with the warm decors and the delicious food. Actually delicious is an understatement, the food was not only good it was heart warming in its authenticity. The Bagnet was fabulous and the Pinikpikan was divine, but nothing beats the hospitality and the warm smiles of the people working in the café. 

Only one problem, there were too many things on the menu and we couldn’t eat them all at the same time J…We will definitely come back…

Baguio All Over Again... Slideshow: Ave’s trip from Batangas, Luzon, Philippines to Baguio was created by TripAdvisor. See another Baguio slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.

First Stop the Sweet Tooth Booth : Peach Panna Cotta

I believe that everyone has a sweet tooth so for my first run its going to be something that will make that sweet tooth shiver with anticipation.

I first tasted panna cotta when we ordered the dessert sampler at Pizza Hut, I fell in love with it and so did my husband.  I just have to know how to make it, and I was pleasantly surprised that it's so easy to make. Here I am making Peach Panna Cotta, a little twisted version of the regular panna cotta. If you can't swing this one you are not meant to cook at all :)

 Peach Panna Cotta






What You Need;
1 sachet of unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup fresh milk
2 cans of Nestle Cream
1/2 cup white sugar
1 can peach halves
2 vanilla beans ( you can use 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead)

Lets Get Cooking! 

1. Drain the peaches and save the syrup.  Divide the gelatin in two, dissolve the first half in the syrup from the peaches and the other half in the 1/3 cup of fresh milk. Get your vanilla bean, split it in half and soak it in the milk and gelatin mixture. Set aside.

2.  Carefully slice the peach halves, make wedges or cubes, whatever suits your fancy. Line them in the base of your bowl mold in a pinwheel, flower or any design you like. Heck you can even spell you name with it :). This should be good enough for three molds.

3. Lets get back to the gelatin you soaked in the peach syrup. Pour that into a stainless pan and cook in low heat.  Make sure you stir the mixture slowly while its heating up so you get a smooth and even texture. Watch it carefully, don't let it boil, as soon as you see that the mixture is starting to thicken up and tiny bubbles start to form then its done. Pour that on top of  your sliced peaches and set aside. Oh make sure you only fill the bowl mold half way as you are still going to pour the panna cotta mixture on top. Refrigerate for an hour.

4. Check that the peach and gelatin that's chilling refrigerator is already firm before you move on to the next step. If you pour the panna cotta mixture while the peach gelatin mixture is still soft this may cause the gelatin to collapse.
 

5. Mix the cream and sugar and cook in medium heat, as soon as the cream starts to bubble add the gelatin and milk mixture(remove the vanilla beans). Turn the heat low and stir slowly for another minute and pour on top of the peach gelatin mixture. Refrigerate for two hours.