Hot to handle chefs and their cool concoctions
With Manila temperatures reaching almost 40 degrees this year and El Niño looming over our heads, three of the hottest chefs in Manila help cool things down with their own signature desserts. But then again, with these chefs around, will days and nights ever be cold?
CHEF JEREMY FAVIA, 29
For Chef Jeremy, a man can never go wrong with a dessert and cocktail in one. According to him, making the strawberry mojito aspic—with layers of fruits and gelatin, a shot of rum and a hint of fresh mint, and a zing of lime—symbolizes how courting a girl should be: done with a lot of patience and accuracy. In addition, he added three red roses with the fresh strawberries. “This dessert is all about the ‘setting.’ Also, you don’t need to buy chocolates and roses, because you’ve got them all in one rock glass. It’s a terrine of flavor, texture, and color. Waking up all your five senses.”
His favorite dessert:
“Let me tell you a little secret. I (hate is such a strong word) am not fond of sweets. But I do like Pinoy “kakanin”: Puto, kutsinta, bibingka, and puto bumbong.”
The desserts he creates to impress the ladies:
“I would make crepes, sweet, and savory alike. Also flurry ones that need not much time for prepping, like ice cream, sorbets, or semifreddo. Making a crepe is quick and easy, thus giving you more time to spend with your significant other. Same goes for the cold ones, just mix/combine the ingredients and pop it in the fridge. Again, more time to cuddle or talk.”
The most elaborate dessert he’s done for a girl:
“I once made a spiced pineapple compote (jam) from scratch and put it on a mason jar. It says on the label ‘Spread a little, then get some for yourself.’”
Chef Jeremy Favia’s Strawberry Mojito Aspic
Ingredients:
1 pack fresh strawberries
1 pack powdered strawberry gelatin
1 fresh lime
1 pack powdered lime gelatin
1 shot of white rum
1 pack unflavored gelatin
1 tsp sugar
Fresh mint leaves
1 pack fresh strawberries
1 pack powdered strawberry gelatin
1 fresh lime
1 pack powdered lime gelatin
1 shot of white rum
1 pack unflavored gelatin
1 tsp sugar
Fresh mint leaves
Procedure:
1. Dissolve the packs of powdered gelatin in separate containers accordingly, one container for each flavor. Keep it warm. Dissolve the white rum together with the unflavored gelatin.
1. Dissolve the packs of powdered gelatin in separate containers accordingly, one container for each flavor. Keep it warm. Dissolve the white rum together with the unflavored gelatin.
2. Slice the fresh strawberries and lime into thin slices and set them aside.
3. Arrange the mint leaves in a mortar and pestle. Add a dash of sugar on top and grind until you get the juices out. This will bring out the fresh flavor of your mint.
4. Put it in a glass container (preferably a rock glass) and alternate the fresh fruits, gelatin, and garnish.
5. Allot roughly around two to three minutes for the gelatin to set before you pour another mixture.
6. May be served with pop rocks (crackling candy) on top as a replacement for the fizz of the usual club soda you put in a mojito.
JOSEPH PATRICK ‘JP’ ANGLO, 35
Filipino-Ilonggo restaurant Sarsa owner and Diamond Hotel’s guest chef for its annual food fest, chef JP likes “quick, delicious, and with flair” desserts. To cool off this sizzling summer season, Chef JP prepares a simple treat, melons n’ cream, a fruit salad replete with juicy fruits like watermelon and melon. “Dapat walang complications, parang sa love life,” says the Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef. “You can do this dessert anywhere, anytime you like, with very few ingredients.”
His favorite dessert:
Chef JP doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but he says he likes simple desserts like ice cream sandwich, especially vanilla in a cookie dough and salted caramel.
The desserts he creates to impress the ladies:
Mango jubilee or a mango flambé always works wonders with the ladies. “It’s a tried and tested dessert. Every time I make it, I always get results. Dapat may ‘oh, wow!’ factor eh. Sa ‘oh wow’ may pogi points ka na,” he says with a sheepish smile. A caramelized banana over ice cream, with its cool and hot combination, which stimulates the senses, is an option, too.
The most elaborate dessert he’s done for a girl:
“I won’t do dessert for a girl, maybe with a savory dish because when it’s dessert time, you just want to get it over with and get out of the restaurant or finish the meal. But the main course should be elaborate.”
Chef JP Anglo’sMelons n’ Cream
Ingredients:
150g watermelon
150g melon (orange)
150g honey dews
150g sugar, white
50ml water
10ml mint leaves
120g whipped cream
150g watermelon
150g melon (orange)
150g honey dews
150g sugar, white
50ml water
10ml mint leaves
120g whipped cream
Procedure:
1. Get a baller, a spoon-like device, and scoop out the melons, honeydew, and watermelons.
1. Get a baller, a spoon-like device, and scoop out the melons, honeydew, and watermelons.
2. Make simple sugar syrup, and add four drops of pandan extract.
3. Chop mint leaves and throw into sugar syrup. Add in your different melons as well.
4. Serve with whipped cream and a mint leaf on top. Chill before serving.
ROB LOPEZ ANGELES, 31
From a basketball player to a bibingka soufflé maker, Summit Ridge Tagaytay C2 Classic Cuisine head chef Rob has gone places. The Hotel and Restaurant Management student from St. Benilde College has worked in Miami, Florida for five years as a steward then, later on, became a head cook and a sous chef. “You got to start somewhere, you got to start below,” the tall, tattooed chef says. To beat the summer heat, a simple and classic halo-halo, for Rob, is the best option. Incidentally, in C2 Tagaytay’s summer fiesta buffet, you can create your own halo-halo with its DIY bar complete with classic ingredients like ube, langka, and macapuno.
His favorite dessert:
“I like palitaw because it’s very traditional. My mom and lola used to cook it at home. But for me, being a chef doesn’t stop there, you need to learn new concepts, so what I do with my version of palitaw is I put chocolate, Chocnut, or caramel syrup on it.”
The desserts he creates to impress the ladies:
“Bibingka soufflé has a ‘wow’ factor. I’ll make this simple dish to win their hearts because it’s a classic Filipino dish with a French twist. This savory dish has coconut custard, salted egg, lemon zest, queso de bola, and toasted coconut shreds. It looks simple on the outside but the flavors burst once you taste it.
The most elaborate dessert he’s done for a girl:
“I made choco-overload cake with KitKat and M&Ms on it.”
Chef Rob Angeles’halo-halo
Ingredients:
240 g crushed ice
30 ml sago small
60g nata de coco
30 g cooked saba
5g corn flakes
30g macapuno meat
60g red kaong
10 ml arnibal
30 g langka
30 g ube jam
120ml evaporated milk
10 ml condensed milk
30 g leche flan
10 g corn flakes
2 g pinipig
30 ml vanilla ice cream
30 ml ube ice cream
240 g crushed ice
30 ml sago small
60g nata de coco
30 g cooked saba
5g corn flakes
30g macapuno meat
60g red kaong
10 ml arnibal
30 g langka
30 g ube jam
120ml evaporated milk
10 ml condensed milk
30 g leche flan
10 g corn flakes
2 g pinipig
30 ml vanilla ice cream
30 ml ube ice cream
Procedure:
1. Arrange the ingredients according to sequence.
1. Arrange the ingredients according to sequence.
2. Top it with ice cream, pinipig, leche flan, and cornflakes.
No comments:
Post a Comment