The Daily Tribune <<< Without Fear or Favor >>>

»HEADLINES

»NATION

Chef Laudico shows how the humble grape can be more than just about wine

Grape out

By Stephanie Maureen F. Asi, Staff Writer

11/09/2009

“Are you graped out?” asked chef Rolando Laudico some time between the second and third dishes of our seven-course lunch. If by “graped out” he meant overwhelmed by the flavorful berry, then I certainly wasn’t. Going on a culinary adventure where California Table Grapes (CTG) is the star was a delicious way of having my fill of the antioxidant-laden fruit without the effects of wine, but rather a medley of different dishes.

It was a lovely afternoon to hold a gastronomic feast — an introduction and rediscovery of sorts for the familiar, but largely unexplored, fruit. Today, many restaurants offer a diverse selection of wines, but rarely grape-infused food. That’s why I didn’t pass up the chance to see how celebrity chef Laudico transformed the fruit of the vine into several delectable dishes starting from the most unlikely cocktail-cum-appetizer down to a comforting dessert.

The great grape repertoire

“We want the grape flavor to come out and not be overpowered by other flavors,” mused Laudico as he explained how he came out with the dishes he was presenting to our group. The challenge for the chef was to make sure that the star of the menu was CTG.

Using different varieties (red, green and black grapes), Laudico was able to whip up a beverage, appetizer, soup, salad, two main dishes and a dessert.

While waiting for the meal to commence, the waiters served what I initially thought was an odd dalandan drink. It wasn’t exactly white or green so it couldn’t be calamansi juice. There was no fizz either so it couldn’t be a carbonated drink. Parched from my long trip, I hastily took a sip and my taste buds welcomed the fresh flow of the cold beverage followed by a combination of sweet and tangy flavors and a cool, refreshing aftertaste. It was a Fresh Iced Salabat Tea with Green Grape Puree and Wild Honey. What a way to start the meal!

A few minutes later, our luncheon officially started. Waiters brought out small shot glasses. I thought to myself, “Are we drinking now?” It turns out we were, but in a way that caught us by surprise. There were a couple of grapes in the glass that had been “injected” with shots of the Filipino lambanog and coated with labahita flakes. It was a rare treat and a different way of having lambanog. The jolt of the liquor was tempered by the sweetness of the grapes and complimented by the salty flakes.

We knew we were in for more surprises at this point. I was hoping to see flaming or sizzling dishes or palayoks on top of the waiters’ heads after the cocktails, but soup bowls were placed on our tables instead. Still, I wouldn’t say it wasn’t surprising. The soup dish was one of my favorites of the entire meal. Laudico’s Halaan Broth cooked with Corn Mash Topped with Dried Green Grapes was exquisite. The chef revealed that he was inspired by the traditional halaan soup. He, however, took it a notch higher by infusing it with — you guessed it — grapes and, one more treat, chorizo! Amazingly, the flavors of these unlikely ingredients worked well for the soup, giving it great texture and unique tastes.

Laudico’s penchant for using Filipino ingredients all the more became more obvious as he also used Laguna’s pride — the kesong puti — in his salad dish. This was inspired by the Western practice of having salad during meals, but he turned it into a Filipino dish by using local ingredients. The greens of this salad were in the form of mustasa, a bitter veggie used in local stews that’s also known for having a nutty flavor. Paired with cashew nuts that gave an interesting texture and kesong puti for that saltiness, the salad was filled with an assortment of flavors with poached grapes topping it off with its distinct sweet taste.

The main dishes the chef has whipped up also get my nod for taste and inventiveness. Leave it to intrepid culinary adventurers like Laudico to see grapes and think sinigang. The typical prawn sinigang got a makeover. Substituting half of the guava (that gives the dish its signature sour taste) with grapes, Laudico was able to mimic its sour flavor without losing the unmistakable taste of sinigang. Reconstructed to look like a modern “fried” dish with just a sauce, the broth of the sinigang was made into a thick sauce, made possible by the grapes. Then, large, fresh pan-seared prawns were stacked on top of java rice. The result was simply ingenious, out of the box and, of course, delicious.

By this time I was convinced that the sinigang dish was my favorite, but when the second main dish was served, I had to do some rethinking. Laudico’s Slow Roasted Angus Beef Belly on Kamote Blue Cheese Mash served with Black and Green Grape Kaldereta Sauce was just so delectable and beautifully cooked that I could slice the beef with my bare fingers! Laudico lets us in on his secret to this dish: The beef was slow roasted for eight hours. No wonder it was so succulent. And also, instead of olives, he used grapes, giving it the same effect, but with more sweet, tangy mix of tastes for the sauce. The blue cheese and kamote mash also made a good substitute to rice.

The finale, which was the Pandesal Pudding with Trio of Grapes Compote with Raisin Rum Sauce, didn’t let us down. All I could say is that this creation of chef Laudico’s wife is the ideal comfort food. Even if I practically couldn’t close the button of my jeans anymore, I had to finish the entire dessert.

The seven dishes brought out the best in the exciting fruit. The clever use of the main ingredient exemplified how grapes can be taken from simple fruit, dessert, drinks to even main dishes and soups. There wasn’t room for monotony in tastes and culinary style for this repertoire. It was just full of pleasant surprises, one after the other.

More ‘graped’ meals

The meal we partook was part of California Table Grape Commission’s promotion. They are on a quest to help diners understand that grapes aren’t just meant to be eaten raw or drank from wines and fruit juice, but can be inventively used in our daily fare. Grapes, after all, are rich in antioxidants helping us fight certain cancers and defend our bodies from Type 2 diabetes.

Take cue from chef Laudico of Bistro Filipino who developed an entire repertoire in just a span of few hours. Laudico said it wasn’t difficult to do so, attributing this to the discovery that CTG resembles the tastes well loved by the Filipino palate. “Using California Table Grapes has a flavor profile of typical Filipino food — sour and sweet,” he explained.

But even if you’re not exactly a whiz in the kitchen, a little experimentation can lead to wonderful discoveries. With some research, trial and error and a little stroke of luck, you may just stumble into a tasty grape infused salad or yummy grape main dish.

So here’s one more use of the phrase “grape out” that puts the word grape in favorable light: Get the grapes out of the fridge and start whipping up your own culinary grape masterpiece.

***

The grape-inspired dishes that chef Laudico prepared will be available in Bistro Filipino at the ground floor of Net 2 Bldg., 3rd Avenue corner 28th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig until December 2009.

| More