Froodie: The Cool and Casual Foodie: Desserts

Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts

My very first foodie blog post mentioned tupig among the first things I think about when I hear the phrase "Pinoy delicacies."

"The tupig which hails from Norte (Pangasinan, Cagayan region, Ilocandia) is another kakanin that eventually grew on me. It’s not as yummy as the puto bumbong but it has that peculiar authentic taste. Besides, a lot of people earn their living selling these rice cakes made from glutinous rice and grated coconut. Since I was usually assigned to go up North during the election campaign period, almost every stop from Nueva Ecija to Cagayan or Baguio will have the inescapable tupig vendor offering you a bunch of these rice cakes. The way it’s cooked – over live coals – also contribute to the distinct taste."

It has been more than 2 years and I still favor tupig among other rice cakes peddled on the road. The nutty and coal or wood-fired flavor entices me, amid my penchant for sweet things.
'Tis the season to be jolly...and sugar-crazy. Yes, I've spent the holidays baking and snacking on sweets but I'm still craving for my favorite dessert (for 2012): the famed Napoleones of Bacolod.

This year I visited my lola's province Negros Occidental for the first time in my life. I spent the days by the beach or the family lot, watching chickens, ducks and goats, and of course munching on various local delicacies. While I had fun learning how coconut-based sweets and dried fish were made, it was the commercially-produced box of Napoleones (bought at the airport) that caught my heart.

Soft, sweet and crunchy all at the same time, I didn't mind the fact that the two pieces I ate probably exceeded the suggested daily sugar limit of 8 teaspoons.

Napoleones is a puff pastry with a flaky crust and layered with custard cream and glazed sugar. Interestingly, the ones we bought with the brand Merci had custard with jam-like consistency. Still, it tasted terrific. Maybe one of these days I'll attempt to bake home-made Napoleones.

While the best Napoleones are from Bacolod (land of sugar cane and therefore most things sweet), you'll find some pasalubong outlets in Manila offering the local delicacy.
I'm not really a fan of Red Ribbon but their Ultimate Chocolate Cake exceeded my expectations. It was a bit moist and definitely chocolate-y. One of these days I'll make a list of my favorite chocolate cakes...
Besides fruit cake, another Western Christmas dessert that has reached the country is rum cake. While not as popular as fruit cake, this bittersweet, alcohol-soaked cake remains a classic. I was still oblivious to the foodie scene years ago but I'm sure that for a time, rum cake trended in bazaars (think about the cupcake craze).
Location: Trinoma Mall
It's the month of sweets so I hope you don't mind if I write about satiating my sweet tooth. Last Saturday, we dropped by Conti's for a slice of my favorite Turtle Pie and Mango Bravo.

Continue reading...
Look what the office received for Christmas!

I love Christmas. Of course I don't receive gifts that much anymore (leave that to tweeners and below) but I always look forward to the food. Here in Congress, legislators often send out advance Christmas gifts in the form of local delicacies and knick knacks. Fortunately for us, one senator always sends a sans rival cake to his friend-colleagues. We wait for this special cake every year. :)
I don't cook that much but I love to bake since I have one hell of a sweet tooth. While I won't be able to divulge our family recipe for brownies, I'd like to share some baking tips for newbies.

Baking is pretty easy (I'm not an expert though). But you must be patient and in my opinion, exact. Here are some things I learned through the years...
Location: Cebu

New "pasalubong" from officemates. Cebu is known for having among the best mangoes in the world. It is therefore not surprising that they have several spinoffproducts, from the popular dried mangoes to the interesting mangorind and the tasty mango chocolate.

Mangorind

Mango + Tamarind = Mangorind

That's the simple logic behind this local product. And it tastes exactly like that. Pretty yummy. :)

Mango Chocolate

Please, if you are in Cebu make sure you buy a box of Cebu Best's Mango Chocolates. They are the best! The best! You just won't get enough of the dried sweet mango covered in dark chocolate. Sigh. Unfortunately, my officemate informed me that it's not something that is usually seen around Cebu. We think it is only available in the airport. I also read some online posts that it's on board PAL. As seen in the screenshot above, they export.

Dried Mangoes

Unfortunately, the Dried Mangoes brand that they bought was a disappointment. It tastes...well, there's no taste. They look pretty good but not enough taste in there. Don't buy this brand.
2 Responses to “Cebu’s Mangorind, Chocolate Mangoes and Dried Mangoes”
1. Hi! Just want to ask how much is 1 box of your chocolate mango. Appreciate we could receive your response as soon as possible.
  
  Thank you.
  
  Sheila Bantugan said this on November 20, 2012 at 6:51 am | Reply
  
  Hello. Please read carefully. This website is not a shop. It’s a personal blog. As I said in the post, I am also clueless as to where they are sold. Thank you for dropping by anyway.
  
  tine said this on November 20, 2012 at 7:26 am | Reply
Location: Camiguin, Misamis Oriental

Through the course of my work, I have been exposed to various local delicacies. But there are only a few that has that "agawan" factor (meaning, people beg to get more). There's the delectable silavanas from Nueva Ecija (w/c I featured in my personal blog) and of course, the yummy Pastel or yema-filled buns from Camiguin.

From myfreshcrumbs.com
Location: Cebu

The banana is among the Philippines' staple food crops. Out of all the countries, the Philippines is second only to India in banana production. This is why there are a lot of banana products out in the market, including the standard banana chips.

I'm not really a fan of banana chips but the ones my officemate brought home from Cebu (brand is Bacaoco's) was the best I've had so far. The chips were thinly cut and really crisp. The sweetness was just right. It looks fresh too - nice bright yellow color.
Location: Daraga, Albay

Here's another yummy treat from Albay...

Wrapsody's pilinut-filled pastries. Definitely world class. :) As their tagline goes: "Uniquely baked for your discriminating taste!"

I'd say it's one of the best pilinut desserts ever. It's basically like baklava, layers of pastry filled with nut and syrup.
Location: Mandaue, Cebu

Masareal is among the special local delicacies of Mandaue City in Cebu. Off white and crumbly in texture, people love it because of its nutty and sweet taste. It is said that it is made by mixing dough, peanuts and sugar or syrup. There are a lot of home-made versions sold in Cebu but they say that the best (and the original) is from Didang's.
One of the small reasons why I love my work is that officemates often bring "pasalubong" from different islands of the Philippines.

The Pilinut candy is the OTOP of Albay. OTOP refers to the One Town One Productprogram of the government. Through the said program, cities and municipalities identify and help develop a specific product or service (like local delicacies). Unfortunately, the OTOP program is now unfunded. :( Now enough of politics for a while. Here's another photo:

According to Wikipedia:The Pili nut (Canarium ovatum) is one of the 600 species in the family Burseraceae.

Although they are grown as ornamental trees in many areas of the Old World tropics of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, only the Philippines produces andprocesses pili nuts commercially. Production centers are located in the Bicol region, provinces of Sorsogon, Albay, and Camarines Sur, southern Tagalog, and eastern Visaya. There is no commercial planting of this crop, fruits are collected from natural stands in the mountains near these provinces.

The Department of Agriculture - Bicol was nice enough to have recipes of Pili delicacies.

PILI CHOCOLATE CRUNCH
Ingredients:
½ kilo pili nut
1 kg. chocolate premium
Procedure:
1. Toast the pili nut in an oven at low temperature.
2. Cool and set aside.
3. Melt the chocolate bar in a double boiler.
4. Distribute the nuts in moulders.
5. Pour the melted chocolate while hot to coat the nuts.
6. Place the mixture inside the freezer for a few minutes or until the moulder becomes cloudy.
7. Unmold
8. Wrap using chocolate wrapper.
9. Pack and store.
PILI TART
Ingredients:
Crust Filling
1 kilo ordinary flour ½ kilo ground pili
2 bars fresh butter 1 can condensed milk
1 cup sugar 1 cup sugar
1 cup cold water
Packaging Material: Colored cellophane
P.E. Plastic
Procedure:
1. Measure ingredients needed for crust and filling.
2. In a bowl combine sugar and flour, with a pastry blender or two knives, cut in fresh butter until it is the size of small peas.
3. Add cold water a little at a time, moving to the side the pieces of dough as they hold together.
4. Form into balls. Roll each ball into 1/8 inch thick.
5. Press dough to shape of tart. Prick sides and bottom.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. In another bowl, combine condensed milk and sugar. Mix well.
8. Fill up baked crust tart top with sliced pili.
9. Bake until golden brown.
10. Let cool before wrapping, pack.

PILI KISSES (Note: I personally love this one)
Ingredients:
1 cup pilinut-roasted
2 pcs. egg white
½ cup refined sugar or confectioner sugar
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
Procedure:
1. Grind the pilinut.
2. Separate the eggwhite from the yolk.
3. Beat eggwhite till fluffy.
4. Mix cream of tartar.
5. Continue beating until mixture form bubbles or foam.
6. Add sugar gradually while beating the mixture. Beat until stiff foam is formed.
7. Add the ground pilinut and fold the mixture.
8. Place small cones in baking sheet.
9. Bake for 40 minutes at 135 degree Fahrenheit.
10. Cool and pack.More recipes here.
Location: All Branches (promo still going on! - as of April 2012)

Whew! I went to the TCB Kamias branch with my officemates last month and we availed of the Unlimited Coffee and Cakes promo for (only!) P150.

My sweet tooth failed me. It was certainly "sulit" since I was able to eat four slices but the slices were thin and I thought I would be able to at least be able to eat six slices. But no. I was on my fourth slice when I felt it. The sugar rush was too much!

I think they should ban these kinds of promos! Haha. I don't think I'll be bringing my parents there (bad for their health).

Anyway, just don't expect that all of the cakes in the flyer are available. And they can only serve you three cakes at a time. They'll serve you the same three cakes until they are all consumed, after which you move on to level 2 (see picture below). :D

Gluttonous dessert-lovers will definitely get a kick out of this. And it's sooo affordable, right?

We had (see level 1) ube cheesecake, devil's food cake and sans rival (sinfully sweet). Oh and Kamias branch is also offering rice toppings which are very affordable (around P50 - think Chowking's pork chao fan).

P.S.

Promo only covers brewed coffee.

Apparently TCB is under Cravings which is also offering the same promo.