Plus my own ice cream flavor—Japanese Sweet Corn with
Miso-Cured Smoked Bacon
Corn has had a profound effect in my life—or for any Atenean from my batch, for that matter. I fondly remember walking around a campus adorned with a corn field and savoring hot-off-the-steamer corn on the cob sold in pushcarts outside the university. When I was growing up, corn also made its way to my mom’s picadillo, which was her reliable cook-in-no-time dish for busy days, and summers were made refreshing with full-to-the-brim bowls of mais con yelo (at times made extra with the addition of cornflakes).
This three-in-one ingredient (it’s a fruit, a vegetable and a grain), has become a personal favorite, owing to its natural sweetness, so when asked to collaborate with local artisanal ice cream brand Kurimu for the second time around, Japanese corn easily came to mind. Our first collaboration was the yuzu toasted rice, which had a nutty and slightly zesty taste.
Last week, we released our follow-up: the limited-edition Japanese Sweet Corn with Miso-Cured Smoked Bacon. Owners Bryan and Maxine Kong worked on the base and the contrasting texture component for months. In the end, we settled on steeping the boiled corn in milk then blitzing the liquid with the kernels. To add a layer of flavor and texture, we candied the smoked bacon, much like bakwa or Chinese pork jerky, and threw it in the ice cream. The result is an endearing and addicting mix of sweet and savory in delightful, cold and creamy form. (Order via kurimu.ph; visit any of their boutiques located at Mitsukoshi Mall, BGC; SM Aura; SM Mall of Asia; SM Megamall; Robinsons Magnolia; Uptown BGC; and Glorietta 4,
Makati.)Queso de Bola Crispwiches
Another frozen treat to enjoy is Sebastian’s Queso de Bola Crispwiches. Born out of Ian Carandang’s creativity, it’s made of four kinds of ice cream flavors (peach mango pie, gatas, mantecado and ube) in between crispy discs of cheese. He also has a Christmas line of ice cream cakes and scoops like Puto Bumbong and rema de fruta, but it’s the range of sweet and salty sandwiches that will be the talk of the town. (@sebastiansicecream on Instagram)Edible Christmas wreath
Leonisa’s Kitchen gives you a delicious alternative to cakes and ice cream this holiday season. They have a two-tiered edible Christmas wreath adorned with cream puffs with a raspberry and pistachio filling dotted on round almond shortbread cookies. It is then joined by colorful macarons, chocolates and meringues, making for a festive and pretty centerpiece. (@leonisaskitchen on Instagram)Golden lava bibingka
Bibingka Manila released a suman latik and an ube cheese variant in years past. This time, their latest release will unquestionably be another hit as they come up with a kind of rice cake that’s oozing with golden lava. Springy and custardy bibingka is cloaked with salted egg sauce that’s simply hard to resist. (@bibingkamnl on Instagram)‘Buko’ flan
The French-owned gastro group Fluffyummy has been churning out premium artisanal baked goods and pastries like mango tarts, croissants and strawberry shortcakes since 2021. This year they added the innovative buko flan in their roster. Marrying the Parisian flan and buko pie, Fluffyummy’s dessert is like a delicious egg pie with fresh coconut strips encased in crispy, buttery shell.
@fluffyyummyphManchego and figs Burnt Basque cheesecake
Chef Chele’s Kitchen’s holiday drop is nothing short of special—as it has always been. The Burnt Basque cheesecake base is already delicious to begin with, and to top it with seasonal items or delectable specialties only makes it more irresistible. For the whole month of December, they have one that’s studded and crowned with chocolate crinkles. For Dec. 24, 25, 31 as well as Jan. 1, they will be offering the manchego and figs Burnt Basque cheesecake, something indulgent and very fitting for the season.
@chefcheleskitchenBaked rice with chorizo
A most welcome alternative to the usual paella is the arroz con costra by Marco Rodriguez. He got to try it the first time at Elche, Alicante and it had been haunting him since, so he replicated it, and the response from family and friends was so encouraging that he decided to offer the baked rice with chorizo, morcilla, butifarra and chistorra chicken with an egg crust to his customers.
@xanchophNoche Buena ham
One of the things no Noche Buena table should be without is ham, and when it comes to that, Manila is spoilt for choice. One of my all-time favorites is China Mommy’s, and they only make a limited number every holiday season so their avid followers always make a beeline for it. They marinate their pork with flavors and spices then cure it for a couple of days before broiling and torching it with glaze to finish. Each order comes with a packet of pineapple sauce.
@chinamommyphSmoked ham
If you prefer smoked ham, Gastronomo Deli’s is a great option. Their ham is pure muscle made from real pork hind leg, unlike other brands that use compound meats. It is brined and smoked for hours, producing a delectable flavor. It comes with a sweet and savory sauce for a tinge of sweetness.
@gastronomodeli‘Pancit palabok’
“When I decided to conceptualize a merienda cena menu for Casa Luisa, I thought pancit palabok was a definite must in the menu,” says Jen Gerodias. Aligned with the Filipino-French food concept of her brand, she developed a palabok sauce using French-style crab stock that’s reduced, thickened with rice flour, and mounted with French butter. In this vat of flavor, she tosses in rice noodles and tops it with soft-cooked eggs, toasted smoked tinapa, lump crab meat, tobiko (fish roe), fried garlic, and chicharon. An order comes in a covered tampipi bilao and serves five to six people.
@casa_luisaChef-crafted roasts Bizu Patisserie and Cafe has a ton of desserts to adorn your Christmas table with, but their range of chef-crafted roasts makes for some mouthwatering options. They have a whole leg bone-in ham, Beef Wellington encased in golden pastry as well as a salmon version, leg of lamb and lamb rack, 10-hour roast beef, and slow-roasted suckling pig. To complement any or all of these, they have pasta dishes like spinach and mushroom ravioli, mushroom rice pilaf and seafood numbers like sole with shiitake capers.
@bizuphFirebrick char-roasted ‘cochinillo’
Ang Kusinero already has Peking Roast Duck and Chinese Roast Platter on its menu, but nothing can beat their firebrick char-roasted cochinillo when it comes to drawing oohs and ahhs from guests. Theirs is prepared for a minimum of two days before it meets the glowing heat of the firebrick oven, slow-roasting for six hours. The result is a bronzed roast baby pig with crispy skin and flavorful meat. An order comes with three condiments: soy garlic, mango salsa, and salsa verde.
@angkusineroph; @mnlffoodcoFollow the author @fooddudeph on Instagram.
Angelo Comsti writes the Inquirer Lifestyle column Tall Order. He was editor of F&B Report magazine.
