Taste of Philippines: Brazo De Mercedes

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Brazo De Mercedes

Brazo De Mercedes
(Crème-filled Log Cake)

A MOUTH-watering dessert of Spanish origins named after the mysterious Mercedes, who was perhaps the lady who introduced this extravagant dessert to the Philippines

INGREDIENTS:

Butter Filling:

5 cups milk
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla essence
8 egg yolks
1 cup toasted and finely ground cashew nuts

Meringue:

10 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sugar

PROCEDURE

For the filling: in a saucepan, simmer the milk over low heat until reduced to 2 cups. Add the sugar, butter and vanilla essence, stirring all the while. Remove from the heat.

Beat the egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Combine the milk mixture and egg yolks in a double broiler over low heat, beating all the while. Stir well to avoid curdling.

Add the cashew nuts and continue cooking entire mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture has the consistency of a paste. Set aside.

To make the meringue, preheat oven to 160C (325F). Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and vanilla together. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating continuously until the meringue is stiff.

Line a 12 in x 18 in baking tray with baking paper greased with butter and spread the meringue evenly on top in a 1/4-in layer. Bake until brown, about 20 minutes, or until set.

When set, remove from the oven and invert hot meringue onto another sheet of greased baking paper. Peel away used parchment. Spread the filling evenly on top of the meringue and roll into a log. Brush with butter and brown again in the oven. Serves 6 to 8.

Serves: 6 to 8

(Source: Periplus World Cookbooks’ “The Food of the Philippines”)

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Exotic or Bizarre????

Street Foods to Eat in the Philippines

Filipinos are known to enjoy the average three meals a day plus desserts or “merienda” as most Filipinos call it. One of the qualities that Filipinos possess is their ingenuity to make up almost anything into something new, creative yet cost-sufficient, including food. People of other countries may prefer dining and eating pizzas when hunger pangs strikes. Filipinos on the other hand race to the streets to satisfy their hunger for favorite Pinoy street food for a few pesos.

Everywhere you look, it is common to find people crowding make shift or portable stalls in the streets. These street foods are easy to find outside school gates, churches, parks and even in malls where they offer most exotic delicacies. Let’s take a trip to the streets of Philippines and rediscover Pinoy street food.

Balut or Boiled Pre-hatched Eggs
It is no surprise to hear somebody shouting the word balut in the middle of the night. It is a common and everyday food in some countries such as Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is a fertilized duck or chicken egg with a nearly developed embryo inside, boiled and eaten in its shells. Balut is rich in protein, hearty snack and believed to be an aphrodisiac. This chicken egg can be bought usually from balut vendors who roam around the city at night.

Adidas or Grilled Chicken Feet
When someone hands you Adidas as a food, don’t be surprise to see sticks of chicken feet. Chicken feet are a common delicacy of Filipinos. After the claws and tips of the toes are sliced off, the feet are washed in hot water and tough layer of the skin is scraped off.

Tokneneng and Kwek-kwek
Here’s an inexpensive yet delicious snack. Tokneneng is a boiled chicken egg, dipped in orange colored dough and fried in deep oil. It tastes best when paired with sliced cucumber and vinegar with chili. Kwek kwek is almost the same street food compared to Tokneneng but quail eggs are used instead of chicken eggs.

Isaw or Grilled Chicken Intestines
Who says intestines of chickens should be thrown away? Isaw or grilled chicken intestines can serve as a dessert or a good meal with rice in Philippines. The intestines are prepared with repeated process of being turned inside out and cleaned again and again until it is clear from anything inside it. They are then either boiled then grilled or immediately grilled in barbeque sticks.

Betamax or Dried Chicken Blood
Chicken blood is not spared to be an addition to the list of street foods of Filipinos. Betamax is the term for dried chicken blood served and cut into small cubes resembling the aged Betamax tape. Betamax is served in barbeque sticks which are grilled until cooked.

Walkman or Grilled Pork Ears
Pork ears are so tender that Filipinos made it a street food to hit the local eating scene, in streets. It is dubbed as Walkman as it means ears of the pig. These tender ears are cleaned, seasoned then grilled in bamboo sticks.

Ukoy
Ukoy pronounced as Okoy is a batter-based, deep-fried street food in the Philippines. It normally includes bean sprouts and very small shrimps shells and all in the batter. It is commonly dipped in a combination of vinegar and chili.

Fried Squid Balls, Fish Balls and Kikiam
Processed deep fried snacks are also part of the line of Pinoy street food known assquid balls, fish balls and kikiam. They are skewered on bamboo sticks then dipped in a sweet or tasty sauce. These processed snacks are usually sold frozen in markets and peddled by street vendors.

Helmet or Grilled Chicken Head
Chicken heads can be made into street food too. These tiny heads of chickens are grilled to perfection and are widely savored by hungry Filipinos.

One Day Old Chicks
Poultry farms reject one day old male chicks because they only pick female chicks for egg production. One day old male chicks wind its way to streets as one day old chick street food. The baby birds are eaten batter-fried. You eat the whole chick because the bones are so soft. These chicks are usually dipped in vinegar and/or red chili sauce. One-Day Old Chicks are also a popular pulutan (finger food) while drinking Red Horse Extra Strong or San Miguel beer.

It is fun to try and see which street food you like the best, or hate the most.