FAMOUS PINOY PANGHIMAGAS (DESSERT)

BIKO

Biko is a Filipino rice cake made from sticky rice (locally known as malagkit), coconut milk, and brown sugar. Like other rice cakes, this is referred to as kakanin (derived from the word “kanin” which means rice) and is often eaten as dessert or meryenda (mid-afternoon snack).

Traditionally, this delicious rice cake is placed over banana leaves in a bilao (round weaven bamboo tray) and garnished with latik (cooked coconut milk residue) on top. In addition, Biko is served during special occasions such as birthday parties, family reunions, and town fiestas.

Sticky, chewy, and oh so sweet, biko is a delicious treat that Filipinos all across the world enjoy. Biko is a type of sticky rice cake, otherwise known as kakanin. With a combination of coconut milk and brown sugar, biko is a delicious dessert or merienda to share with your loved ones! You can often find biko at birthday parties, fiestas, holiday parties, and family reunions, usually with other sticky rice treats.

Biko Recipe

Ingredients

▢2 cups glutinous rice aka sticky rice or malagkit

▢1 1/2 cups water

▢2 cups brown sugar

▢4 cups coconut milk

▢1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

Combine the sticky rice and water in a rice cooker and cook until the rice is ready (we intentionally combined lesser amount of water than the usual so that the rice will not be fully cooked)

While the rice is cooking, combine the coconut milk with brown sugar and salt in a separate pot and cook in low heat until the texture becomes thick. Stir constantly.

Once the rice is cooked and the coconut milk-sugar mixture is thick enough, add the cooked rice in the coconut milk and sugar mixture then mix well. Continue cooking until all the liquid evaporates (but do not overcook).

Scoop the cooked biko and place it in a serving plate then flatten the surface.

Share and Enjoy!

FAMOUS PINOY DESSERT

LECHE PLAN

Leche Flan is one of the most beloved and popular desserts in the Philippines.

The word “leche” means milk in Spanish, and leche flan is a local term derived from the original Spanish leche de flan, which means milk flan. Fun fact: egg whites were used in the building of churches during the Spanish colonial era, and the egg yolks leftover were not wasted

Instead, they were used to create leche flan, which resembles crème caramel. However, in the Philippines leche flan is a much heavier version of the original recipe, using more egg yolks and condensed milk.

This special treat is served on all special occasions. It is a simple yet decadent dessert with topping of luscious caramel. It melts in your mouth and has a rich, silky, smooth and creamy custard texture.

This special treat is served on all special occasions. It is a simple yet decadent dessert with a luscious caramel on top. It melts in your mouth and has a rich, silky, smooth and creamy custard texture.

This is a top dessert in the Philippines. Special occassions won’t be complete without it. It is a staple during celebrations parties, fiestas, and Christmas dinner.

What is the difference between Leche flan and creme caramel?

It is a classic Filipino dish that was adopted from the creme caramel of European origins. However, there is a difference between these desserts. Leche flan, for one, does not use cream. And it mainly relies on evaporated milk and condensed milk for the creamy flavor. You also use condensed milk to add a level of sweetness aside from the sugar in the recipe. Furthermore, creme caramel tastes lighter. While Leche flan, at its best and most authentic, usually tastes a bit heavier, with a rich flavor.

How to Cook Leche Flan

Start by beating the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. You can do it the manual way using a fork or use a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Ensure that the eggs are smooth. Gradually add the milk. Start with the condensed milk followed by the fresh milk and vanilla extract. Continue to beat all the ingredients in the bowl until these are well blended. Set this aside for the meantime while you prepare for the next process.

Grab your llanera or baking pan and place some sugar on it. Heat it over a stove top while holding the pan. Wear oven gloves to protect your hands. You will need to heat it until the sugar melts and turns into caramel. Once the happens, spread the caramel evenly on the llanera or mold that you are using. Slowly add the mixture into each mold and then cover the mold with foil.

The last process is to steam the mold. Simply arrange all the mold in a steamer and steam for a good 30 minutes or so until the mixture turns into yummy flan. At this point, you will decide if you want to dig in right away, or let it cook down a bit. I usually try to control myself at this point and wait until it cools down. I then place the flan in the refrigerator for best results.

Leche Flan Ingredients

▢10 pieces eggs

▢1 can condensed milk

▢1 cup fresh milk or evaporated milk

▢1 cup granulated sugar

▢1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Using all the eggs, separate the yolk from the egg white (only egg yolks will be used). Place the egg yolks in a big bowl then beat them using a fork or an egg beater Add the condensed milk and mix thoroughly Pour-in the fresh milk and Vanilla. Mix well

Put the mold (llanera) on top of the stove and heat using low fire

Put-in the granulated sugar on the mold and mix thoroughly until the solid sugar turns into liquid (caramel) having a light brown color. Note: Sometimes it is hard to find a Llanera (Traditional flan mold) depending on your location. I find it more convenient to use individual Round Pans in making leche flan.

Spread the caramel (liquid sugar) evenly on the flat side of the mold

Wait for 5 minutes then pour the egg yolk and milk mixture on the mold

Cover the top of the mold using an Aluminum foil

Steam the mold with egg and milk mixture for 30 to 35 minutes.

After steaming, let the temperature cool down then refrigerate

Serve for dessert. Share and Enjoy!

FILIPINO FRUIT SALAD

Filipino Fruit Salad is a quick and easy dessert perfect for the warm weather. This dish makes use of canned fruit cocktail, cream, and condensed milk. The mixture is chilled inside the fridge overnight before serving, to get the best result

No Filipino gathering is complete without our version of fruit salad — a creamy, luscious concoction that’s brimming with juicy fruit and drenched in sweetened condensed milk.

FILIPINO FRUIT SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients

▢2 cans 30 oz. fruit cocktail

▢1 can 7.6 oz. cream

▢7 oz. 1/2 can condensed milk

▢Cheese(optional) i like when it has cheese

Instructions

1.Open the fruit cocktail and drain the syrup by pouring it on a colander. Let the liquid drain totally.

2.Arrange the drained fruit cocktail in a mixing bowl. Add the cream, condensed milk, and cheese.

3.Gently fold the mixture until all the ingredients are well distributed.Add cheese on top. Cover the mixing bowl with sling wrap then refrigerate overnight.

4.Remove from the fridge and transfer to a serving bowl.

5.Serve. Share and enjoy!

FILIPINO MANGO FLOAT:

Filipino mango float is a no bake dessert with layers of cream, mango and graham crackers. The mango float is super easy to make but waiting to eat is agony! You will need to refrigerate the dessert overnight to ensure that the cream settles and the crackers become soft.

This dessert is perfect for ripe fresh mangoes. I’m not much of a baker myself, so this mango dessert was very easy for me to assemble. The filipino mango float also only uses 5 ingredients! It’s light, creamy, and perfectly sweet – the perfect dessert for hot summer days.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR MANGO FLOAT:

Heavy cream, chilled overnight Sweetened condensed milk, chilled overnight Ripe mangos Graham crackers Crushed Graham Crackers

HOW TO MAKE FILIPINO MANGO FLOAT:

1.Make sure your mangos are ripe and sweet. Peel the skin and slice mangos thinly or you can chop the mangos. Set aside.

2.Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. Then add condensed milk. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Tip: chill the heavy cream, condensed milk, and bowl in the fridge for a few hours or overnight for easy whipped cream!

3.Crush graham crackers until desired crumb or use the whole cracker without crushing. I like it crushed for a soft crumble texture.

4.Let’s start layering the mango float in a 8 x 8 inch glass container or a large container. First lay the graham crackers. Then, whipped cream. Lastly, add sliced mango. Repeat one more time. For the last layer, add whipped cream and sliced mango. You can also add more graham cracker crumbs at the top for decoration.

5.Cover the container and refrigerate overnight. Served chilled for soft texture (like bread pudding). Another option is to freeze overnight for ice cream like texture. Before eating, thaw for 30 minutes or less depending on what texture you like.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Halo-Halo

Halo-halo is one of my favorite summertime desserts.The refreshing dish layers shaved ice and condensed milk on top of all sorts of ingredients for an end result that packs in lots of contrasting textures, from chewy to crunchy, creamy to sticky. While components vary, you'll find some common add-ins at most halo-halo carts and bars: jellies, flan, macapuno, palm seeds, sweetened red beans, shaved ice, ube ice cream, fresh fruit, toasted coconut flakes, pinipig. My version uses mango jelly with fresh fruit set into it as well as pandan-infused sweetened condensed milk.

The words “halo-halo” translate to “mix-mix” because before you eat the treat, you mix everything up. And while shaved ice is essential, the mix-ins are really the stars here. Ranging from creamy to chewy to gelatinous and even crunchy, the textural contrasts are what make this treat so much fun to eat.

My Favorite Halo-Halo Ingredients

Minatamis na saging (bananas in syrup):

which are saba bananas cooked in a caramel syrup. They add shaved ice, evaporated milk, and macapuno (or coconut sport), then top the halo-halo with a couple of pieces of leche flan. Their halo-halo is famous in the Philippines. In my version, I add small tapioca pearls to the sweet bananas.

Macapuno

Also known as gelatinous mutant coconut, macapuno is chewy, soft coconut meat with a jelly-like texture. It adds coconut flavor and coconut texture to the dessert.

Milk mixture

I bring in the flavors of leche flan by using a milk mixture made of coconut milk, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. For a vegan version, you can use coconut-based evaporated and condensed milk or omit all together.

Ube halaya:

Some versions of halo-halo will include ube, or purple yam, whether that’s in ice cream form or by using ube halaya (purple yam jam). Ube is a popular ingredient in Filipino desserts. I use ube halaya because I felt it was easier to source than ube ice cream.

Coconut ice cream:

If you can’t find ube ice cream, I recommend using an ice cream with a flavor profile that pairs well with tropical flavors. The ice cream brings creamy, milky textures to the dessert and it’s delicious once things begin to melt and combine in the glass. In this recipe, I use coconut ice cream, but you could also try mango sorbet or vanilla ice cream. Need a vegan option? Vegan coconut ice cream would work well here, too. As long as the ice cream complements the rest of ingredients, you’ll be fine.

Jackfruit:

Jackfruit (nangka in Tagalog) is a fruit native to South Asia that can be eaten in both unripened and ripened form. The unripened form is used in savory cooking and has been used as a faux-meat alternative. The ripened version is used in sweet form. Here, I add chopped canned jackfruit in syrup. The jackfruit is delicious but also has a lightly firm texture that plays with the palate.

Nata de coco:

This coconut water gel has a firm gelatinous texture that I love. It is sometimes scented with flavors or food coloring; however, they do make a dye-free version, if you happen to be dye-sensitive, like me. For me, it’s not halo-halo without jackfruit and nata de coco. Those textures are essential to my halo-halo experience.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!