Ensaymada challenge on hold; cast iron pan obsession

My self-imposed ensaymada challenge has been temporarily put on hold. This despite all the hard work and effort that I have extended on researching all about ensaymadas- from reading about recipes, techniques and equipment to sampling a few last Sunday. I coerced H to drive Yap and I to the mall after dinner so we can buy a few at Mary Grace. After the second serving, I remember now why their ensaymadas never registered in my palette as a favorite. It was too... for lack of a better term- blah..

Sure the bread was soft and they used some cheese other than local cheddar, but there does not seem to be any cohesive magic created when it passes my lips on to my digestive tract. It felt like I was eating regular bread with butter, sugar and cheese. No magic. Blah.

I had to do a lot more research on the matter and decided to share my dillema with my younger brother Kev, also a major foodie. Where do I begin my search for ensaymada that is to die for?

Now, if you know Kev and I, you will know that our conversations always start out with a sharing of an experience or idea then just out of nowhere- at the most inopportune time, with little or no reason- the subject will go to any other random thing. Kinda like what happened last Monday.

"Ei Kev, do you know where I can get good ensaymada? I wanna make one but I dont know what makes a good ensaymada so I would like to one that will be the benchmark of future experimentation."

"That's dumb." That's my bro. Always encouraging.

"So if you were in a lavish buffet, what would be the top three main courses that you will put on your plate?"

"Steak" he immediately replied "and more steak" he added

"Yeah, you know that I read that the best cookware for steak is a cast iron pan. I found one at a hardware store but didn't buy it cuz t'was pricey"

"The best way to season cast iron pan is to use animal fat or cook a huge slab of bacon on it. Its a tedious process" He says with the confidence of a Food Network star.

"Well, it should be do-able, given the number of people who swear its the best there is. Man, those things are heavy!"I exclaimed.

"Yep" says my baby bro. "Read Market Manila. I think he wrote about cast iron pan seasoning".

So my ensaymada obsession has been temporarily overtaken by a new one: my search for cast-iron pans. I want to learn how to season them and cook steak in it. It may have been a shift of focus but the side tracking has been truly rewarding for in a mere two days, I was able to accumulate 6 pans! Woohoo!

Now, I did not overspend on these babies. True to what we read in the net, these are unbelievable cheap. The first one was a find at a supermarket. It has Japanese markings, a flat surface on one side and grooves on the other for making paninis and for getting grill marks on steaks and such. Cost? PhP 275 or just about USD 6! I found two miniature ones in our stockroom, purchased many months ago but remained unused because we already threw away two due to rust. They cost me Php 100 each as they were on sale then. The other three were a bargain purchase at a discount store for about PhP 500 or a little over USD 10 for all three pans. I am a happy Mommy.

Naturally, when I reached home, I rushed to the kitchen to season the pans. I ended up spending many grueling hours trying to get the desired black sheen to denote that it has the non-stick properties. I did everything that can be considered wrong: not rinsing off the salt (duh!), oven not hot enough, use of wrong oil. I called it a day past midnight, feeling much like a failure.

The following day, I had a brilliant idea. Capitalizing on what I read that morning that animal fat is best for seasoning cast iron pans, I cooked H's bacon in one of the pans. I got carried away and made carbonara for lunch, just so we can cook more bacon. We then brushed the residual oil in all the other pans (brushing ensured that there are no 'puddles'), heated the stove top and have all the pans heat up to smoking point, turned off the flame and left the hot pans alone to cool off. The result? The most beautiful black sheen.

So now I am a proud owner of cast iron pans and I am proud to declare that I was able to season them properly. This morning I cooked omelets for breakfast and H said that they came out fluffier, tastier. The man truly loves me.

As for me I love my pans. The ensaymadas can wait a few days. I still gotta cook steak.

MrsA.