“Ginataang mais butter mochi is my newest addition. I came up with them this morning to fulfill a request for a gluten-free seasonal treat, and honestly, they might be my new favorite." I hadn't expected much when I threw together what ingredients I had to fulfill my friend Valerie Thompson's request, but the results blew me away. The dense, chewy texture paired with the unique flavor combination of corn and coconut was out of this world. I had my aunt, grandmother, and godmothers test my creation that morning at breakfast and all of them bestowed upon it the highest honor an Asian person can give a dessert: "It's not too sweet!” CornFilipinoButterPastry ChefRice PuddingMochiCoconut Milk Book:Guilt and Ginataan Source: Guilt and Ginataan
“Jae's signature beverage was a honey butter latte--- Adeena based the flavor profile on his favorite brand of Korean snacks and tweaked it until the honey butter syrup perfectly complemented her hand-roasted coffee. The honey came from Elena's uncle's aviary, and high-quality butter was something we always had in stock, so it was the perfect addition to our menu.” HoneyInventoryButterCafeLatte Book:Death and Dinuguan Source: Death and Dinuguan
“Hey, what's that?" Jae reached past me and pulled a tub of honey butter out of the fridge. "When Adeena was coming up with your drink, I was also playing around with how I could incorporate it into one of my bakes," I said. "It's great on the scones and with the corn and cheese muffins, but I haven't been successful with any of my experiments yet." Jae glanced around the kitchen before grabbing a box of puffed rice cereal, several bags of marshmallows, and a container of mini mochi that I'd ordered but not used yet. I planned on incorporating them in a new dessert for Yuki's restaurant but hadn't had time to play around with them. "What about honey butter mochi Rice Krispies Treats? My mom likes to dip fresh ddeok in honey, so I know it'll go well with the mini mochi since they're basically the same thing. But do you think it'll be too sweet with the marshmallows?" "If I brown the butter and add a good pinch of salt, that should balance everything out," I said, picturing the flavor combinations in my head. "Or maybe some shiro miso for extra umami?” HoneyButterFlavor CombosRice KrispiesMarshmallows Book:Death and Dinuguan Source: Death and Dinuguan
“I ignored their banter because my mind was still stuck on what Jae said about creating something crunchy but not too sweet with the honey butter. We didn't do deep-frying at the Brew-ha Cafe, so that was out. I could maybe incorporate our honey butter into a biscotti, but that didn't really excite me. Unless... "Biscocho!" "Is that like a Filipino version of eureka? You look like you've had some kind of revelation," Adeena said. "I mean, I did have a lightbulb moment, but biscocho isn't some exclamation. It's like a budget Filipino version of biscotti, using day-old pandesal. Jae gave me the idea of trying to make a honey butter version." Jae's eyes were practically sparkling. "Crunchy honey butter snacks?" I laughed. "If it turns out well, then yes, we'll be able to serve crunchy honey butter snacks.” HoneySnacksButterPastryFilipino CuisineCrunchy Book:Death and Dinuguan Source: Death and Dinuguan