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