| All Filipinos seem to be born with a sweet | | | | Puto a steamed cake made from rice flour, |
| tooth, and most of us never really outgrow | | | | often topped with cheese or salted eggs. It |
| it. We're never too old for a candy bar or a | | | | is often sold with kutsinta, a brown jelly |
| rich filled doughnut. That's why desserts | | | | cake served with grated coconut. The two go |
| have always been a big part of Filipino | | | | together because the soft, grainy texture of |
| cuisine. For many of us, a meal isn't a meal | | | | the puto contrasts the tart smoothness of |
| without something cold and sweet to top it | | | | kutsinta. Both are among the simplest |
| off. It doesn't matter if your meal consists | | | | Filipino recipes; you can make a batch of |
| of rice and dried fish; without dessert, it's | | | | each cake in less than two hours. |
| simply not complete. | | | | |
| | | | Puto |
| However, our idea of dessert has evolved a | | | | |
| lot through the years. Ask any kid what his | | | | Ingredients: 2 cups flour 1 cup sugar 2 |
| favorite dessert is and he'll most likely say | | | | cups milk 6 tsps baking powder 3 eggs (use |
| ice cream, cake, or something not really | | | | only egg whites for a lighter cake) |
| Filipino. If you think the same way, maybe | | | | Procedure: Combine all the ingredients except |
| it's time you tried the old favorites and | | | | the egg whites. Mix well and let stand for |
| rediscover Filipino food. Here's a quick | | | | one hour, then fold in the eggs. Pour into |
| guide to local desserts and some Filipino | | | | baking pan or muffin pans and steam for about |
| desserts recipes you can make on your own. | | | | one hour. |
| | | | |
| Rice cakes | | | | Kutsinta |
| | | | |
| With rice as our staple food, it's really no | | | | Ingredients: 1 cup rice flour 1 tsp lye |
| surprise that we'd turn it into a dessert as | | | | water 3 cups water 2 cups packed brown |
| well. In fact, we have more than a dozen | | | | sugar Procedure: Mix all the ingredients in |
| varieties of kakanin, the local term for rice | | | | a bowl; beat well. Half-fill a muffin pan |
| desserts, most of them sold at practically | | | | with the batter, then steam covered over 2 |
| every corner. Because they are rice-based, | | | | inches of water for about 30 minutes. Top |
| they are seldom eaten after regular meals | | | | with grated coconut. |
| (which already have rice as the main course). | | | | |
| People prefer them for merienda in the late | | | | Bibingka |
| morning or afternoon. Some of the most | | | | |
| popular Filipino rice cakes are puto, suman, | | | | Bibingka is actually an Indian dish |
| biko, bibingka, and kalamay. | | | | (bebinca), but the Filipino variety is unique |
| | | | because it uses rice flour instead of white. |
| Native pastries | | | | It also comes with a variety of toppings such |
| | | | as butter or margarine, cheese, salted eggs, |
| If you're looking for a lighter dessert, | | | | or grated coconuts. Bibingka is a popular |
| Filipino pastries may be just what you need. | | | | snack in the Christmas season, where it is |
| Our native pastries cover everything from | | | | often sold with puto bumbong (same as puto, |
| small bite-size tarts to tropical fruit pies. | | | | but cooked in bamboo vessels and flavored |
| They may seem complicated at first glance, | | | | with coconut or purple yam)and other Filipino |
| but they are actually one of the easiest | | | | cooking recipes. It is traditionally cooked |
| Filipino food recipes. In fact, if you're | | | | in charcoal ovens, which gives it a smoky |
| just starting out, pastries make a great | | | | flavor. Of course, you can also tweak the |
| beginner recipe. Start with simple snack | | | | recipe and bake it in modern ovens. Here's |
| tarts such as this one. | | | | how. |
| | | | |
| Easy Caramel Tarts | | | | Ingredients 2 c plain flour ¼ c baking |
| | | | powder ¾ c sugar 1 ¼ c coconut milk |
| Ingredients: 1 tbsp flour 1 c milk 1 c | | | | 3 eggs, beaten ½ c Edam cheese, grated |
| golden syrup 1 c brown sugar 1 tbsp white | | | | ½ butter, melted ½ c grated coconut 1 |
| sugar 1 tbsp butter 2 eggs, separated | | | | tsp salt |
| | | | |
| ½ tsp vanilla Procedure: Beat the egg | | | | Procedure: Preheat your oven to 375oF. In a |
| whites until stiff, then beat in the white | | | | bowl, dissolve the sugar in coconut milks and |
| sugar. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine the | | | | add in the eggs. In a separate bow, sift the |
| rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, | | | | flour, add the baking powder and salt, then |
| stirring constantly. Pour into baked pastry | | | | sift again. Combine with the egg mixture and |
| shells. Top with the egg white mixture and | | | | beat well. Pour into prepared pans and bake |
| bake for about 10 minutes or until the | | | | for about 15 minutes. Top with cheese and |
| meringue turns brown. | | | | resume baking for another 20 minutes, |
| | | | brushing with margarine occasionally. Give it |
| Puto and kutsinta | | | | a final brush when done, and serve with |
| | | | coconut on the side. |