Mango Pearl Layers

Infuse the popular dessert Mango Float with the equally popular drink of mango sago and you have a deliciously sweet and creamy dessert in a flash.

Yield 5 to 6 small glasses  Prep Time 15 minutes  Chill Time 20 to 30 minutes

Things You'll Need

• 2 cups all-purpose cream
• 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) condensed milk
• 2 ripe mangoes, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup cooked sago, small
• 1 pack crushed graham crackers
• chocolate wafer sticks for garnish

Procedure
1  In a bowl, pour in all-purpose cream and gradually add condensed milk (you may opt to add more or less to achieve your desired sweetness). Mix until well blended.

2  Fold in half of the sago to the cream mixture.

3  Assemble the layers: Start by putting a thick layer of crushed graham crackers on the bottom of individual glasses, pour cream mixture, top with sliced mangoes, and sprinkle with sago. Repeat process to make 2 or 3 layers, ending with sprinkle of crushed graham crackers on top.

4  Garnish with sliced mango, a dollop of sago, and chocolate wafer stick (if desired). Chill and serve.

Sago cooking tip: Cook 1 1/2 cups sago in 3 cups boiling water. (Like it sweeter? Add 2/3 cup of brown sugar.) Stir constantly to avoid clumping. Boil until the sago pearls turn translucent. Rinse in cold water. Drain.

Photography by Miguel Nacianceno │  Food & Prop Styling by Elaine P. Lim

Mango Float

Mango Float dessert can be made with two layers of filling or three depending on the size of your baking pan. In this preparation we used a smaller glass baking dish so we can make 3 layers, and with the glass you can see the pretty layers.

Things You'll Need

• 3 ripe mangoes (over ripe is best)
• 1 pack of graham crackers
• 1 pack of crushed grahams
• 1 can condensed milk
• 2 pack Nestle cream
• Tupperware or dish to put on your mango float

Procedure

Step 1

Peel and slice mangoes into thin wedges. Set aside.

 Step 2

In a mixing bowl, combine the condensed milk and the all purpose cream. Mix until combined.

Step 3

Arrange a layer of graham crackers on the bottom of the tray.

Step 4

Pour the mixture evenly over the graham crackers.

Step 5

Arrange a layer of mango wedges on top of the cream.

Step 6

Repeat the procedure depending how much layers you prefer.

Step 7

On the last layer, use all of the remaining mixture. Top with crushed graham crackers and your preferred design and sizes of mango wedges.

Step 8

Chill it in the fridge until it becomes firm. Serve. Enjoy!

Bacon Carbonara Pasta

INGREDIENTS

1 pack (175 g)	DEL MONTE Spaghetti (Merienda Pack), cooked (reserve 3 tbsp pasta broth)
1 pouch (250 g)	DEL MONTE Carbonara Sauce
80 grams	bacon, sliced

1/4 cup (28.75 g)

grated cheddar cheese

PROCEDURE

1. FRY bacon until crunchy. Set aside bacon, reserve drippings.
2. COMBINE drippings with DEL MONTE Carbonara Sauce, pasta broth. Cover, simmer for 3 minutes.
3. ADD cheese and half of bacon, then pour over pasta. Toss. Top with remaining bacon.

Maja Jubilee

INGREDIENTS

2-3 pcs (90 g)	pandan leaves
1 can (439 g)	DEL MONTE Fiesta Fruit Cocktail, drained (reserve 2 tbsp syrup)
3/4 cup (90 g)	cornstarch, dissolved in buko water
1 pc (535 g)	buko, shredded (reserve buko water)
1 cup (245 g)	thick coconut milk

1 1/2 cups (369 g)	buko water
1/2 cup (149 g)	condensed milk
1/4 cup	water

PROCEDURE

1. SIMMER pandan leaves, ¼ cup water and reserved syrup in covered pan for 5 minutes.  
2. REMOVE pandan leaves then add cornstarch mixture and buko. Cook over low heat with continuous stirring for 10 minutes.  
3. ADD DEL MONTE Fiesta Fruit Cocoktail, coconut milk and condensed milk. Cook for 10 more minutes with continuous stirring.  
4. POUR into 12" x 8" pan. Cover and chill until set.

Pasta Carbonara

INGREDIENTS

175 g (175 g)	DEL MONTE Spaghetti
2 strips (50 g)	bacon, fried until crisp crumbled (reserve drippings)
2 tbsp (30 g)	butter
1 pouch (200 g)	DEL MONTE Carbonara Pasta Sauce

1 tbsp (18 g)	grated cheese
1 sprig (2 g)	parsley, snipped

PROCEDURE

1. HEAT 1 tsp bacon drippings, butter, 1/4 cup water and DEL MONTE Carbonara Pasta Sauce for 8 minutes, with continous stirring. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add bacon and parsley. Combine with cooked spaghetti, bacon, cheese and parsley.

Fiesta Float

INGREDIENTS

200 g (200 g)	graham crackers
2 packs	DEL MONTE All Purpose Crème, refrigerated
168 ml	sweetened condensed milk

1 can (850 g)

DEL MONTE Fiesta Fruit Cocktail, drained

PROCEDURE

1. ARRANGE pieces of graham crackers to cover bottom of an 8"x8" or similar pan.  
2. MIX DEL MONTE All-Purpose Crème and milk. Spread a portion on top of graham crackers. Arrange a portion of DEL MONTE Fiesta Fruit Cocktail over cream. Repeat layering using the remaining graham, cream mixture and fruits.  
3. COVER and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Slice and serve.

Homemade Crème Fraiche

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons cultured buttermilk

Mix together and leave in a warm spot (about 70-75 degrees F.) for 24 hours, or until thick. Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. Should last a week or two. 

Crème fraiche is French for "fresh cream," which makes it one of the most ironically named foods ever, since it's made by leaving cream out in a warm spot until it’s soured and thickened by a growing colony of bacteria. Yeah, fresh.

Regardless, making crème fraiche is very easy and as the title implies, once you taste the magic of homemade sour cream, you'll have a hard time not repeating this somewhat esoteric exercise. Sure it takes a couple days, but the effort is minimal for such a marvelous payoff.

As I mention in the video, besides the amazing taste and luxurious texture, maybe the best thing about crème fraiche is its ability to be cooked. Because of it's composition and fat content, it doesn’t curdle and separate when you heat it like sour cream.

This makes it an incredibly versatile addition to countless recipes. I can't think of many pan sauces that don’t benefit from a spoon or two. Yesterday on this blog, you saw it stirred into fried rice. Next week, you'll see it turn an ordinary pan of braised beef into a world-class Stroganoff. I could go on and on, and for SEO purposes I probably should, but you get the idea.

As long as your jars and utensils are very clean, preferably sterilized, there isn’t a lot that can go wrong. Be sure to get your hands on the best, freshest cream you can find. In the supermarket you'll want to look for "pasteurized," not "ultra-pasteurized" heavy whipping cream. Also, be sure to use cultured buttermilk otherwise you’re going to be waiting a full day to see nothing happen.

By the way, I'm extremely proud of this video recipe and blog post, but not for the usual reasons. It's because I didn’t make one single Randy Marsh joke! You South Park fans know what I'm talking about. Enjoy!