It is not often that a delicious pastry comes out. There was the crème brulée cake, as well as the chocolate velvet, Big Al’s, Maridel’s of Iloilo, Joy Bustamante’s, Alisons cheese roll, and a few others. You cannot not tell your readers about it. There is no sure way to tell whether or not it is worth shouting about any discovery. 

As a student at Cornell, I discovered a love for pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Once in a blue moon, a pumpkin pie would come out but none really impressed me. Maybe my taste buds have changed or those I tried were not that great. It’s the same with pecan pies. Many make them but only one or two have really impressed me. One, baked by a pastry chef from Cebu, was given to me by my daughter-in-law. Sarap! My kids don’t fancy many pastries I bring home. I love it and I hate it. Love because I keep it all to myself but hate it also because I’m the one who takes in all those calories. Plus I tell them, I only keep the best and give away the rest. So, our kasambahay has become shorter from all the weight she has been carrying around.

One pastry chef I’ve heard so much about is Liza Lorenzo. She makes the best Food for the Gods, a frequent request of visitors from abroad. These goodies reach North America or even Europe. At Christmas, Mia is flooded with orders. 

This is how I look at it: If you’re going to put something fattening in your system, you might as well put the best. I’ll eat steaks, burgers, fried chicken, and pastries, but only if they’re the best. I taste a tiny piece and, if it’s not that great, then I give it away to those who don’t mind gaining weight. 

Just last week, I got a pie from Liza Lorenzo. I was told it was a pecan pie. I was excited. But, when I tasted it, it resembled a pecan pie but it was not. It was better! It was a layered pie. The top was a superior melt-in-your-mouth chocolate, and underneath was gooey, chewy caramel, beneath which, deeper still, was the pecan pie. The crust was also to die for, slightly firm, not too sweet, and with just the right touch of saltiness. It had an outstanding balance to every layer of filling. This pie never reached downstairs. I told my daughter gourmet Ali about it and her immediate response was, “I don’t like pecan pie.” But when she tried this, she sheepishly told me, Pa this pie is delicious. You have got to try this pie or whatever you call it. So far, this year, it’s the best I’ve had. You may compare it to a snickers pie but better. Congratulations Liza! Galing! 

I hate it because most of my kids ignore the food I bring. I only bring home what I believe is the best. Many text me and ask where to buy the best this or that and here are my kids ignoring what I bring home. To top it all, when a friend of theirs tells them something is good, they tell me. “Pa, you have to try this,” they would say. Many times my answer is, I brought that na. It’s probably in the fridge waiting. Kainis! But I still love my kids to death. 

Check out Mia Lorenzo’s salted caramel pecan pie, also her Food for the Gods (0917 544 1105). You will thank me. Happy eating!