Sweets for my sweet this Valentine's Day

VALENTINE'S DAY. It’s the time of the year when love is felt all around; when red is the dominant color and how everybody is having a sweet tooth all of a sudden. Desserts and everything sweet play a major role during heart’s day, whether as gifts, giveaways or food around us. As the cliché goes, the way to one’s heart is through the stomach and yes, let’s talk about nothing but food - what to buy, where to dine and how to prepare … Sweets for my sweet!

BUY AND BRING HOME

Heart Cakes

Tinapayan Bakeshop has a wide variety of special Valentine cakes and yes, they are all heart shaped. They do not only look good but also taste good as they come in different colours and flavours inside out. And you can personalize them for your sweet Valentine.

Butterscotti

A trademark of Rgies Delicacies, butterscotti comes from the words butterscotch and biscotti. They were remnants of butterscotch that stick to the pan after being baked but after being discovered to be delicious on their own, they become among the pasalubong shop’s best sellers.

Cupcakes

Valentine is among the best times to have cupcakes as gifts and giveaways for they are easily personalized and creatively prepared. Tinapayan has special love themed cupcakes that come in pinks and reds and full of hearts, literally plus they come in specially packaged boxes.

A bouquet of cupcakes

Not sure whether to buy flowers or chocolate this Valentine? Why not combine the two with Hotel del Rio’s fabulous chocolate Cupcakes Bouquets. Seven cupcakes displayed in a glass and wrapped to look just like a bouquet of flowers - and the best part is you can eat them!

Chocolates

Forget those Belgian, Swiss and American brands there is on the market, why not try a local brand? I personally love Tinapayan’s heart-shaped chocolates that come conveniently packed in boxes of 4’s and 9’s. They also have these chocolate bars that come with a love quote – just perfect for Valentine!

DINE WITH PLEASURE

Maridel’s

Like Marie Antoinette, this dessert shop at Plazuela de Iloilo seems to say “Let them eat cake” to everyone who enters. And I can recommend a lot of good cakes - Death by Chocolate, Chocolate Explosion, Ube Damier, Guava cake, Vodka cake, Heaven and Hell plus Frozen Lemon Meringue, Snicker’s Pie and Banoffee Pie.

Nothing But Desserts

The name says it all as you’ll only have sweets in this shop at The Avenue. They have different varieties of trifles and pavlovas – all too beautiful to be eaten. The French macaroons are among the best I have tasted. Also check out their Italian ice cream or gelato offerings.

Amular Studio + Cafe

Their signature Super Gooey Caramel Pie makes it on top of my list. But they also have delicious cheesecake and cupcakes – Vanilla Buttercream, Black Forest, Nutty Carrot, plus Lemon Bars and Cheese Tarts. Try their Vanilla Vertigo shake topped with vanilla ice cream too!

Dulgies Cafe

Tres leches and Bread Pudding ala Mode lead my list favorites from the dessert shop that started it all. Dulgies’ best sellers also include their Caramel Pecan Cheesecake, Limoncello and Mango Nostalgia. Also try their Cassava Pie, Ensaimada and Cheese Roll plus Alfajores and Raspberry Cheesecake Satin.

Bluejay

More than their brew, Bluejay has lots of good dessert to offer among them - Molten Lava, Banoffee Tart and Crème Brulee. Also try their Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Cake, Pistachio Torte, and Walnut Cappuccino Roulade. All these are perfect with their Siam Pearl Jelly drink.

Days Hotel Dessert Buffet

If you’re looking for the ultimate experience, why not try the only dessert buffet in town – Sweet Cravings at Days Hotel Iloilo. Coinciding with their scheduled lunch and dinner buffets, this smorgasbord of cakes, pies, verrines, panna cottas, crème brulees, crepes, ice cream, is the ultimate dessert destination.

COOK FROM THE HEART

YSL

You can create this designer dessert (courtesy of Chef Maridel Uygongco) by simply frying ibos. Place it on a bed of a butter and cream concoction sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon powder and ginger brew. Add fresh fruits like ripe mangoes, langka, kiwis or strawberries.

Sago Fruit Salad

Instead of strips of buko, why not try sago as base for your salads? With fresh and canned fruits mixed with cream, evaporated and condensed milk, you’ll surely have a well loved dessert with a new dimension in taste and texture.

Pineapple-Cheese Ice Cream

It used to be just a sandwich filling but I decided to bring it further as I added condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream to a mixture of crushed pineapple and grated cheese. The resulting ice cream flavour is among the most unique as it has the creaminess of the cheese and milk yet tangy courtesy of the pineapples.

Instant Dulce de Leche

It is just as easy boiling a can of condensed milk for at least 4 hours and when done let it cool first for about an hour, before opening. The resulting caramel can be used as cake icing, sandwich filling, dip or coating and whatever that may seem delicious.

This article appeared on page 3 of the Valentine's Day Special supplement

of the The News Today released Feb. 14, 2012

Ready-to-cook Pancit Molo balls

It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

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Valenciana

A close relative of paella, this dish originated in Valencia, Spain and probably brought by the Spaniards when they colonized the country. Always a staple in family gatherings, this yellow rice is a complete meal in itself, with pork, chicken, liver, chorizo, shrimps, bellpeppers, peas and raisins to name its basic ingredients. RECIPE Saute your choice meats and vegetables. Cook malagkit rice with turmeric and broth cubes then mix sauted meat and vegetables when almost done. Garnish with hardboiled eggs and onion leaves.

SIDRO: Iloilo's very own gourmet doughnuts

Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father. The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year. It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at 100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours. Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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