Banana Date Tea Cake

So, there are a few of you who are probably wondering what happened in the almost 2 weeks I didn't post on this blog. Big changes. HUGE changes. They are changes in plans, though-- as in real life, what I instead have is a giant stop sign in front of my face. You see, I failed to match for a hospital (read: the four hospitals I interviewed for went another way). What followed is almost a week of malaise, juggling trying to "feel the feelings" (as my friend Allen puts it), smacking myself in the head for inadequacies, smacking myself more in the head for realizing that there are people out there with real problems and this: coming to the United States to grab an opportunity, missed as it was, does not even rate. However, even though we can argue about what the factors were that led to this outcome were-- internal or external-- the fact remains that I could only have really influenced the internal factors, and that's what really kills me. (Especially since it worked for some of my Filipino peers, but not for me.)

"It's time to go back to the house, pack your belongings, and go. Home." In all probability I'll give it another $hot. Even though there are $ome problem$ a$$ociated with that. But frantic sublimation a week after falling flat on your face is a little superhuman, don't you think? (The start of the next application period is September.) Though I try to be a Tiffany, I usually end up a Rebecca, which is probably for the best because the last thing I need is Tyra yelling at me how to feel. But I am trying, Tyra! I want to take control of my destiny!

So I whizzed past the stages of grief into acceptance (oh, Lawdy, you should have SEEN me when I was bargaining. Was not a pretty sight/sound, and some people can attest to that). Because there is really nothing to do but face the music, build a better CV, and hope for the better next time. By the way, do any of you in the US have physician-friends (or are physicians, heh) who can help me get US clinical experience (or, barring that, observership)? I realize it's extremely tacky to tack this on to my blog post but screw it, I just got held up a year, okay? :) I am an extremely hard worker... Sigh.

So, partly as an apology for ranting, here's this month's recipe from the Tartine cookbook, a joint project of Lisa and I. She is, however, supposed to be making scones this week, which I didn't do a few months back because there's no buttermilk in the Philippines (though I know I could have soured milk), and making scones in the midst of all the Christmas eating wasn't a great idea. In its place I have this tea cake, which I did see at Tartine (more on that when I write about San Francisco, again). A great way to get rid of all the bananas in the freezer. I couldn't stop lopping of slices to eat that day!

Banana Date Tea Cake adapted from Tartine
155g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
255g (3 medium) unpeeled bananas, very ripe
2 large eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
85g (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
170g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar
115g (1 cup) walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped (I omitted these)
225g (1-3/4 cups) pitted dates, coarsely chopped
Topping
1 medium banana (I omitted this one)
2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F). Spray or butter the bottom and sides of a 9x5 inch loaf pan. In medium bowl, stir together the flour and cornstarch. Peel the bananas and mash them in a second bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt, and combine thoroughly.

In a large mixing bowl, add the butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda over. Beat the butter until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add the sugar while beating until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Beat in the banana mixture until incorporated. Sift the flour-cornstarch mixture over the batter and fold in gently with a rubber spatula. Add the nuts and dates. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue folding until everything is well-combined. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth with a spatula. Peel the banana for the topping and cut lengthwise into 4 quarters. Lay on top of the batter and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool, then invert onto a cooling rack, then flip right side up. Serve at room temperature.

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Reading, Between the Lines

(or, Trains, Trains and Automobiles.) I think I have to make something clear about my travelogues: I don't write about a place where my itinerary isn't up yet. So, when I wrote about Akron, I'd already left. And I'm not going to write about New Jersey, New York, or San Francisco till a few weeks after I've gone back to the Philippines (which is April 4). Now, last January 26, I headed to Reading, Pennsylvania, which was my last stop in my interview tour. It would be self-contradictory to say that it exceeded my expectations, because I had none. Before I applied for the hospital there, all I knew about it was that it was one of the four railroads in classic Monopoly. Trips to Wikipedia and various other sites were needed. And now, I'm going to be one of those sites. I think.

I totally dropped the ball as a commuter, though. After my $45 Amtrak trip to the nearest Amtrak station, which was Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I had to spend $70 plus tip on the 30-minute taxi ride to Reading. And then another $45 and $70 for the trip back. Ouch. Greyhound ($45) would have taken me straight to Reading, though it would have been nearly a 6-hour trip from New Jersey. Although if I'd gone the extra mile and gotten a license valid in the States (and enough driving chutzpah), I could have driven from New Jersey or New York, which would have taken 2 hours. Grrr.

Anyway: Reading. Remember when I first arrived in California during last year's trip and the friendliness blew me away? Well, Reading is even friendlier than that. The faculty and staff in the hospital I interviewed in were so warm and welcoming (I could've sworn even the patients were smiling). My taxi driver, who admittedly got lost, stopped the meter till he found his way. I had a nice chat with the owner of the local coffee house. One of my co-interviewees Chris, a Philadelphia native, offered to take me, nearly a complete stranger he'd only met 5 hours before, back to my hotel from the hospital. Are all Pennsylvanians this awesome?

There was a fantastic comic book shop outside the Lancaster station, which looked like it jumped out of every television depiction of an American comic store. The only thing missing was some sarcastic guy who looks like Mario Batali. You see, in the Philippines, only Magic card/RPG shops are overrun by geeks, and the staff is usually made up of clueless salesladies. The taxi ride from there made me a little nervous, because it took a good 25 minutes before I saw anything other than dead grass and road signs. (I suppose it all looks better in the summer, when the farmers are out.)


The hotel I stayed in (Country Inn and Suites, Wyomissing) was yet another picture of perfection. The lobby had free drinks and cookies by the fireplace. Like Akron, I had two beds, and once I got past the thought that it would've been cool to have a travel companion, I proceeded to dump everything I had on the other bed.



I wish I had the resources to stay for more than a day. Walking through downtown West Reading at night only hinted at the fascinating things I would have seen at the small charming shops lined up.


However, after my interview, we took the scenic route to a cafe, where I saw more ridiculously beautiful residences (the others being in Akron). And, predictable as I am, I was able to sniff out a pastry gem to visit on my only night in Reading: Hauté Chocolate Café.

Hauté Chocolate Café is a lovely neighborhood coffee house that offers a variety of sweet treats, but obviously specializes in chocolate.

Their chocolate bar selection is as complete as any boutique in New York.

And while I wasn't able to try any of their jewel-like confections...

... or their ice creams or sorbets...

... I was able to try their "signature" dessert, the Death by Chocolate Dome. It consists of a chocolate pot de creme covered with dark chocolate mousse and enrobed in ganache. Heavenly, though do have a neutralizer (water, milk, exercise) nearby, as I got a little winded halfway through it. Likewise, their hot and cold chocolate drinks are like chocolate IVs (intravenous fluids, not "4"s, heh), just as they should be.

Here's the rest of their dessert selection. I thought of getting a brownie (they had chili pepper, raspberry, and orange and cinnamon, but I was all chocolate-d out).

I can't share details about my interview but whether or not they accept me on paper, I felt accepted just relating with everyone. I may have only stayed a night and a day but I have warm memories of Reading, and I hope that wasn't my last time to see it.

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Mango Galettes

Oh, hello again! Some of you might be wondering what hole I fell into since the last week. What happened was that my laptop finally decided it's tired of this life and severed its adapter jack from the motherboard. I guess it's served me kind of well over the last three and a half years considering in the last few months its battery no longer worked and wasn't really in stock anywhere. So, not super-portable. And since that time, I flew to San Francisco and didn't acquire a new laptop until recently. And nooo, it is not a Mac. I know some design freaks out there poo on PCs, but I don't really get the belly-aching. I work remarkably well with a PC-- we have a rhythm.

Anyway, so I'm out here, and meeting two of my faaavorite bloggers (and, since my social Venn diagram isn't super-expansive, that means they're two of my favorite people as well), Allen and Joe, and Marvin (more on those later). Without my trusty sidekick, I was able to devote a lot of time to doing fun activities with my host family's kids (my cousins), like cooking lunch, helping with the homework, and indulging the occasional need for a playmate (though chess isn't really challenging against a seven-year-old, Mario Kart on the Wii is). And then there is the simple joy of the Wii fit telling you every day to keep up the good work as you go through yoga poses in the exact opposite way you should be (screaming).

Lent just started for Catholics and I kid a lot about what I would be giving up, but going cold turkey on my blogging habits just made me realize how much time I spend being nearly sedentary. Ah, you thought I was going to mention desserts again, weren't you? Well, combine the two and you have a downward health spiral. But certainly the days when I have two entremets and a tart (oh yes, it has happened) are those when I spend a good 4 hours total walking, and I make it a point to cut back on the savory dish (probably balance it out by boiling a lettuce leaf and drinking the water I've drained from it).

I don't smoke or drink really (and now will likely not for a while after a recent episode of loopy e-mail writing UI), and it makes it a little harder for me to appreciate how hard it is to stop for my patients who do. ("What do I have to show you? A smoker's lung? Sarah Jessica Parker?") I don't nag my friends about it but I give them a concerned look, especially when they express how they really really need one. But no one gives me concerned looks when I go about my day, which is butt planted on the seat, going to the gym only a few times a week. Because the whole thing with blogging and being an academic is about the sitting. But at least it's given me a new perspective on how to talk to people who desperately need help.

So, how should I go about this? Should I get kids already?! (Uh, just stick to the Wii fit for a start.) I'm sure a lot of you have your own suggestions on how I can break the ass-widening cycle. (I expect at least one each of the following replies: babysitting, skiing, and mattress dancing.) Also, what would you consider your vice? No judgment, I promise!

Sooooo.... These mango galettes made from the best mangoes in the world (imagine me saying that with Tyra inflection) are not really going to help matters BUT they are totally worth it as an indulgence. It's part of Lisa's (of Spicy Ice Cream) project with me to work on a few recipes from the Tartine cookbook. Even if I was working in a kitchen at nearly body temperatures (and the pastry looked greasy and gross as I worked on it), the final result is one of the best pastry doughs I've made, and I've even shared it with someone else already. Click here to go to the recipe-- check out her gorgeous berry versions! As the mangoes were already sweet, I only needed a bit of sugar to sweeten them, to taste.

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