Filipinos love to eat, and after a hearty meal, they always have their desserts. These desserts not only look good but tastes good as well. They also look so mouth watering that at times you want to ask for more after eating one. These desserts may range from some simple ones to more complicated recipes. Here are some easy to do recipes of well known Filipino desserts.

1. Leche Flan (Philippine Custard) - This is an all time Filipino favorite dessert.

Ingredients:

1 can (390g) evaporated milk

1 can (390g) condensed milk

10 egg yolks

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or lemon essence for the caramel

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Procedure: Mix sugar and water well and boil in a saucepan for a few minutes till the sugar is caramelized. Pour this into aluminum molds. You can choose any shape - oval, round, square or triangle. Pour the caramelized mixture into the bottom of the molds. Mix evaporated milk, condensed milk and the egg yolks in a deep bowl and mix well by hand. For easier mixing, you can also use a blender. You can now pour the mixture into the molds, about 1 to 1 1/4 inch thick. Individually cover the molds with aluminum foil and steam for 20 minutes.

If you want to bake the mixture, place the molds in a large baking dish half filled with hot water. Preheat the oven to 370 degrees before baking. Bake for 45 minutes. After cooling, you can put them in the refrigerator.

Serving: To loosen the flan from the molds, use a knife and run it around the molds. Place a platter on top of the molds and quickly turn it upside down, so the flan comes out with the brown caramel on top. This dessert is always served cold.

2. Turon (sweet fried banana wrapped in egg rolls) - Very sweet and tasteful. Eating two or 3 pieces of this makes you full enough to skip the next meal.

Ingredients:

oil for frying

8 egg roll wrappers

4 ripe bananas

brown sugar

slices of jackfruit (optional)

Slice the banana lengthwise and roll into brown sugar. Then wrap each slice with an egg roll and roll over a few more times on brown sugar. To seal in the wrapper, brush with a little amount of water. Then each roll is deep fried till the sugar is caramelized.

If you want to include the jackfruit, wrap a slice of jackfruit around the banana then roll into brown sugar. Wrap with the eggroll wrapper and follow through with the same steps as above.

This dessert is best served when hot.

3. Halo-Halo - This is the best dessert during summer that has mixed essential sweet ingredients. One that is truly enjoyable to the last drop. Basically, you just have to put everything into a tall clear glass or big bowl. Then put shaved ice into the glass or you can slightly have more ice over the rim of the glass. You can add some milk, a little sugar and some roasted pinipig. Top it with your favorite ice cream and you are ready to eat!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp kaong

2 tbsp leche flan

2 tbsp langka (jackfruit)

2 tbsp of macapuno (sweet coconut meat sold in bottles)

2 tbsp kidney beans, garbanzos

2 tbsp of sweetened banana

2 tbsp of sweet yam (ube)

2 tbsp of sweetened corn kernels

evaporated milk

crushed or shaved ice

tall clear glass or bowl

scoop of ice cream

Most of the ingredients are preserved and easily purchased from the grocery. This then makes it convenient for anyone to make this dessert an everyday treat.

4. Cassava Pudding - Sweet and sticky but still a favorite dessert for all occasions.

Ingredients:

2 pounds grated cassava

6 tablespoons coconut cream

2 cups of coconut milk

5 whole eggs

6 tablespoons of condensed milk

one 13-ounce can of evaporated milk

grated coconut and ½ cup sugar

toppings

2 egg yolks, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients and mix well in a mixing bowl. Save the 6 tbsp of coconut cream for the topping. Mix well and pour the mixture into a buttered 11 inch shallow rectangular pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. Mix the egg toppings well and spread evenly on top of the pudding and bake for another 25 minutes. This served best after cooling time.

5. Easy Caramel Tart - Sweet bite sized dessert that can satisfy anyone who is fond of sweets.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1 cup golden syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp butter

2 eggs, separated

½ tsp vanilla

Procedure: First beat the eggs till you come up with a stiff white whip, then put in the sugar. Continue beating this mixture for a few more minutes. Set this aside. Using a saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook till mixture starts to boil. Remember to constantly stir the mixture while boiling. Then put the mixture into baked pastry shells. Put the white egg mixture on top and bake for about 10 minutes or till the meringue turns slightly brown. This served best when cooled down to room temperature.

There are a lot more varieties of delicious Filipino desserts to feast on. These may range from fresh fruits to cooked and baked desserts. With the Filipino ingenuity to come up with their own delectable recipes, one can always look forward to tasting all these delicious desserts anytime. It's really worth the time to taste and savor these Filipino desserts.

Mark Perry

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