Brendan's Ensaimada and Puto Cheese in Oton

Two weeks ago, Inday Joy of IloveIloilo blog shared another gastronomic discovery - somewhere in Oton was an unassuming bakery that makes yummy lengua de gato. But aside from that they also sell ensaimadas, puto cheese, banana & carrot muffins and brownies as well other pasalubong items and goes by the name - Brendan's.

I then planned my own trip and discover what Brendan has to offer but my schedule won't permit. But as if my silent prayers were heard and answered, a boxful of Brendan's specialties found itself at home.

The ensaimada had cheese, butter and sugar toppings and is light and fluffy. Even though it was refrigerated when I got hold of it, it remained that way (except it was cold) and I think could finish 5 in just one sitting. They also have flavoured versions like strawberry, mango and ube which is by special orders (meaning 1 day before) and costs a little bit more.

The puto cheese which tickled my tastebuds more was more of a cake rather than puto. Cheese was the main topping but it had bit of pineapples that made it even taste even better. Aside from this sliced version, they have whole versions depending on your order or availability.

The ensaimada costs PhP 15 a piece (PhP23 for the flavoured ones) and it already a steal for its price while the puto cheese is also PhP15/piece. Whol puto cheese costs PhP60 for the 6x6 inches box and for PhP200, you can choose between 9x13-inch size or a 10-inch pie type version.

Brendan's Pasalubong is in Brgy. Trapiche in Oton along the national highway. Telephone numbers are 033 510-8975 and 0917-724-8180.

Fruits from the grocery

These packs of cut up fruits were bought from SM Delgado's grocery. Got enticed by their color and luckily, they were as good as they looked, especially the papaya. Each was just less than Php 22, really a bargain!

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home. A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ". Here's the recipe for Valenciana

Batwan

Ilonggos know batwan or batuan by heart as the fruit is almost endemic to the Western Visayas. Its scientific name is Garcinia binucao, derived from the Tagalog name for the fruit, binukaw. It is a large green fruit with large seeds and its a favorite souring ingredient in most Ilonggo dishes especially KBL or kadyos, baboy, langka and the Ilonggo-style paksiw known as "pinamalhan". It is characterized by a tamed sourness compared to tamarind and kamias . The fruit is sold by pieces or kilo in wet markets and even big grocery stores. Batwan is the preferred souring ingredients for the Ilonggo favorite- KBL. The photo shows boiled batwan with skin and without skin (right) A favorite riddle when we were young - "Among the many fruits in the forest, but one (batuan) is the best. What is it?"

Takway

The gabi (taro) is just one of those plants which is edible from "roots to tops". The most popular of which is the tuber part which is used in a variety of dishes and mostly in combination with coconut milk. Its leaves, of course, is the main ingredient of a Bicol specialty, laing . It is dried then chopped and sauteed with other ingredients including, again, coconut milk. Then there is takway . The local term for its tendrils/runner, that part which is torn between being a stem or a root for it neither grows upwards nor downwards - it grows sideways . Scraped off of its outer skin, takway is often a key ingredient in vegetable dishes like laswa and the gabi tuber with coconut milk and local snails know as bago-ngon . It is also popular when cooked adobo style with guinamos , the local bago-ong . It is very popular in the region that even big supermarkets sell takway in style - cleaned and plastic wrapped in styro with some additions to make it easier to prepare.

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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