All-Filipino Desserts

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