With two new cookbooks out now, award-winning author Gene Gonzalez brings both timeless and au courant delights to a new generation of home cooks

As one of the leading proponents of Philippine cuisine, award-winning chef Gene Gonzalez has written numerous books extolling the merits of Filipino food while, at the same time, helping preserve the nation’s rich culinary heritage.

Gonzalez continues to enlighten readers and home cooks through his latest publications from Anvil Publishing. The chef-author recently launched two new books that are bound to pique the interests of aspiring bakers and those interested in the art of confectionery.

Breads, Cakes, Pastries, and More is a modernised reissue of The Golden Treasury of Baking and Candymaking published in the 1960s by the late food technologist and cerealist Efren G Bunquin as a way of promoting bread as a basic food among local households. From panaderia classics like pan de sal and ensaimada to continental favourites like brioches and baguettes, Gonzalez has adapted the recipes to suit modern kitchens and has annotated the text with interesting and informative notes.

Gonzalez’s Modern Philipine Confections, on the other hand, is a must-have tome for both professional and aspiring pastry chefs as it features recipes for macarons, truffles, and other sweets that make use of local ingredients and play up both traditional and contemporary flavours.

The launch was held last 6 June at the new Café Ysabel in San Juan where guests enjoyed a spread prepared from recipes featured in the two books.