Filipino Desserts You Should Definitely Try!

By: Group 7

It is a not a fact nor a lie that most Filipinos have a sweet tooth.  Many eat these desserts for an after meal sweet or for snack time, also known as, merienda. Due to the wide variety of islands and regions, the Philippines has made its way of making different types of sweets made out of native ingredients.  Take a look at these desserts with recipes.

1. Leche Flan

This creamy dessert is a staple dessert in celebratory feasts. Leche flan is the local term for the original Spanish flan de leche, meaning "milk flan". 

Recipe:

Ingredients:

- 1 cup granulated sugar

- 1/3 cup water

- 8 egg yolks

- 2 packs all purpose cream

- 1 can (400g) condensed milk

Procedure:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius. Have ready a 24 cm (8") round stainless steel aluminum cake tin or 3 traditional oval llaneras. Put a kettle of water to boil.

*You can also steam the leche flan over the boiling water for about 30 minutes.*

Step 2: Make the caramel. In a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the granulated sugar and water. Stir frequently as the mixture heats to dissolve the sugar. Once mixture comes to a boil, do not stir again but occasionally swirl the pan to distribute the heat. Keep boiling unti the edges start to caramelize and the syrup stops bubbling. When it starts to color, frequently swirl the pan until the sugar is caramelized. The caramel should be a rich amber color with a distinct caramel aroma. Before the caramel turns dark amber, pour it into your cake tin or llaneras. Swirl the tin so that the caramel coats the bottom evenly. Leave it to cool on your counter top.

Step 3: Make the custard. In a large bowl, gently whisk the egg yolks to loosen them. Pour in the all purpose cream and condensed milk. Continue mixing gently until combined. Try to make the mixture bubble. Pour the mixture through a very fine mesh strainer into the caramel lined pan, trying to avoid forming bubbles. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Step 4: Bake the flan. Place the pan into a large roasting pan or a large cake tin and put this into the oven. Take your boiling water and pour it into the larger pan/cake tin, until the water comes up about 1/3 to halfway up the sides of the smaller cake tin. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes. Lift up the foil and insert a thin knife into the center of the custard to check if the custard is done. If you can see the lines made by the knife, the custard is done. If the knife comes out with bits of custard sticking to it or if the point where it enters looks curdled, give it another 5-10 minutes and then check again. When it's done, take it out of the oven and out of the large, water-filled pan. Refrigerate for at least  6 hours or overnight. 

Step 5: To serve: Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cold flan. Invert a serving dish over the cake tin. With 2 hands, hold the dish firmly against the tin then quickly flip both over. carefully lift the pan off the dish. Use a spoon to scrape the syrup that's stuck to the tin and pour it over the flan. Whack the hardened caramel on the tin with the back side side of the spoon so that it breaks into shards. Scrape the shattered caramel onto the top of the flan for a decorative finish and added crunch.

2. Biko

This is a sweet rice cake dish that is usually topped with latik. It is a type of kalamay dish which is similar to suman but, not grounded into a paste.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-1/2 kg glutinous rice, rinsed well

-1 1/2 cups water

-2 pcs pandan leaves

-1 cup freshly squeezed coconut cream

-1 pack 125ml all purpose cream

Procedure:

Step 1: Cook rice with water and pandan in a pot or a rice cooker for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Simmer 1/2 cup of coconut cream in a pan while the rice is being cooked. Cook until coconut cream curds starts to separate from the coconut oil and turns golden brown. Strain and set aside.

Step 3: Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut cream, sugar, all purpose cream, and coconut oil in a large pan. Add cooked rice and gently mix until well-mixed.

Step 4: Transfer on a serving container and top with the golden brown coconut curd. Serve warm.

3. Turon

This is a typical merienda and dessert which has gained popularity throughout the years. 

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-saba banana

-lumpia wrapper

-sugar

-jackfruit (optional)

Procedure:

Step 1: Dredge the sliced banana in sugar until completely coated.  Arrange the banana on a lumpia wrapper (Add jackfruit slices if you want to). Secure the filling by wrapping. Perform this step until all bananas are completely consumed.

Step 2: In order to achieve the glazed on the outer part, pour the remaining sugar in hot oil. Wait for the sugar to melt completely, then start to fry the wrapped bananas in batches. Remove the fried turon from the pan, and then let the excess oil drip. Let it cool down for 5 minutes before eating.

4. Halo-Halo

Halo-Halo is the ultimate summertime treat. Halo-Halo, in Filipino terms, means "mix-mix" or mixture. This is one of the most popular Filipino dessert among foreigners.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

-2 cups sweetened garbanzos, drained

-1 cup sweetened beans, drained

-1 cup red kaong

-1 cup green nata de coco, drained

-1 cup sweetened macapuno

-1 pack 250ml all purpose cream

Procedure:

Step 1: Combine garbanzos, beans, kaong, nata de coco, and macapuno in a bowl.

Step 2: Toss with all purpose cream. Set aside to cool in the refrigerator.

Step 3: To assemble, arrange on a salad bowl or a serving plate.