A Seriously Calorie Packed Merienda!
Eating is obviously the main event at a gathering of ladies from the International Wine and food Society…so it is no surprise that the hybrid tea/merienda last weekend was some major eating extravaganza. On arrival at the Legarda home, we were greeted with a bar 
filled with three choices of cold drinks: Iced Lemon Grass, Iced Basil Tea and Iced Gumamela Tea. Hmmm, interesting, but not my cup of tea, as I like tea that comes from tea leaves. But kudos for the choices and I am sure with some time I would get to like most of the choices on offer. Continuing on the beverage selection, along with the merienda proper, they served Hot Tarragon Tea, Hot Mint Tea, and thank goodness for me, some nice Hot Chocolate. While walking around the home on a brief tour, waiters followed us around with platters of Tita Moning’s Warm Queso de Bola Toasts that are really quite good. I think Mrs. MM ate half a plate, frankly, while I remained steadfast in my goal to eat at least one of every food item presented that afternoon…so I had just one QdeB toast…ah, such self control I gloated…
Next up, the merienda proper and I decided to the start with the savory buffet which included a SUPERB pancit guisado that was light, clean on the palate, delicious 
with kalamansi and clearly a well-honed/perfected recipe that they should be proud of. The pancit was delicious; and I like pancit so I am curious how they managed to get this just “so” right. I passed on the homemade Dinuguan with Puto Manapla (still have those dinuguan fears), but Mrs. MM reports the dinuguan was also very good. Finally, the savory buffet had small Lumpia Ubod that were good, albeit a tad on the sweetish side and with the easier to make egg based wrapper rather than the elusive drier wrapper I have given up on learning how to make for myself. I only managed to get a photograph of the buffet with the dishes still covered so I apologize that you have to imagine the three dishes I write about above…
Kakanins were a major group of offerings on the afternoon’s menu and besides the budbud kabog that I brought along (in two versions, using white and muscovado brown sugar), there 
was an utterly superb Sapin Sapin by Jessie Sicongco which was unusually white through and through and not the colorful version I grew up with. It was light, flavorful, layered and delightful. Yum. We also had kutchinta from Antipolo, White puto Kalasiao and Bibingka Pinipig (the first time I had ever tried this delicacy). Needless to say, I skipped the budbud and had a serving of everything else, not to mention taking home some of the extra Sapin Sapin for The Kid.
As if that wasn’t enough caloric intake for an afternoon, there was still one more buffet to “tackle.” The “Dessert” sideboard or buffet included a selection of Spanish inspired desserts from a bakery in Quezon City (I will add the name when i remember it, MILA HELP!?) that included Tarta de Madrid, 
Assorted Madrilenos, St Jorge, Canarios, Moritos and Naranja. Hot Ensaimada from Chef Gene Gonzalez’s mother was also served off of silver trays and La Cocina de Tita Moning’s famous Bread Pudding and some Masa Podrida were also on offer. Egads! Yes, I did actually try every single one of theose desserts! The ensaimada was very good, though again on the fluffier, more cake-y side than bready, and the masa podrida brought bake childhood memories for Mrs. MM whose major doma/cook used to make as well but with brilliant homemade mango jam sandwiched in-between. The Spanish desserts were good and reminiscent of several decades ago sweets but they all started tasting like one another…I think the sponge cake base was the same for several of the treats. Never mind, they were good as well and would satisfy anyone with a serious sweet tooth! Wow! Now that’s what you call a serious merienda/tea!!! Thank you so much to the IWFS Ladies Chapter for inviting me and Mrs. MM and to La Cocina de Tita Moning for such a wonderful afternoon with excellent food/sweets!
I also love tita moning, it’s a bit far form Makati though. But the travel is worth it every single time.
March 3rd, 2007What a treat! I surely miss home just looking at the pics.Never mind,I’ll make up for it when I get there next month. Thanks for sharing,MM!
March 3rd, 2007Everything looks divinely delicious! I bet you the ensaimada are to die for. The second picture on top the greenish one with brown topping kakanin which one is that - what is the name of this kakanin? My guess is bibingka pinipig?
March 4th, 2007“merienda” i think is one of the filipino food traditions that leaves a lot of memories, you know, even just sitting in the porch with your grandparents eating bibingka or even pandesal with different “palaman”, or serving merienda to visiting friends. . . just a small and simple gathering but really filling. . .satisfying. . . sometimes after eating merienda you couldn’t even have dinner. . . merienda for me is so different from tea or snack time, I don’t know but it has a different feel. . .
March 4th, 2007“the greenish one with brown topping kakanin”, i would guess, is bibingkang pinipg made with fresh (as opposed to dry) pinipig. in its raw state, fresh pinipig is chewy and smells of pandan. love it!
March 4th, 2007I love green pinipig, I remember our househelp used to buy this when she goes to the market. I think you can get this esp. when they just harvested the rice, that is when it is really fresh and I can remember how it smells, very refreshing. Can you please describe what a queso de bola toast is?
March 4th, 2007MM, as a dessert addict I am SO JEALOUS of you! What a glorious spread! I do love Spanish pastries, probably because I grew up going to Dulcinea practically every week. (My dad’s a creature of habit.) I’ve never had — or even heard of — bibingkang pinipig either. I do like pinipig, though. Would you know where this can be bought, MM?
I’ve tried Tita Moning’s QdB spread, which is what they put on the toast. They sell that in bazaars and in the Salcedo market. My lola always used to make this. I grew up with her serving it (whether on toast or just with crackers) every Sunday. It’s basically just grated QdB mixed with butter. It may just be nostalgia on my and my family’s part, but so far neither Tita Moning’s or Joyce Aragon’s (she of the best dulong in olive oil) versions are as good as my lola’s. I think they don’t put enough QdB in the mix.
March 4th, 2007Yup, the green dessert is the bibingkang pinipig…it was good…a bit chewy but nice…and unfortunately, I don’t know where to buy it…unless one of the organizers leaves a comment and lets us know the secret…heehee.
March 5th, 2007Hi MM, the spanish desserts came from Pastelleria Mallorca, which supposedly inherited the recipes of the spanish desserts (postres) from La Cibeles (although when I tried their lengua de gato, I was not transported back to my childhood when La Cibeles had the thinnest and butteriest biscuits, but I digress). If anyone wishes to get their next assortment of tasty sweets from them, they’re located at 18 Scout Fuentebella QC. I think I might have their phone number somewhere. Will post when I find it. I think the naranjas go well with a good cup of the hot chocolate and the ensymada. The others were ok, but, I agree, it got way too similar in taste after awhile.
The bibingkang pinipig came from Farmer’s Market in Cubao. We went at 7 am to the market one Saturday morning and tried several of the kakanins for the tea, and that bibingka got our attention. The row of kakanin sellers are behind all the vegetable/fruit stands, so just ask around and you’ll find them. They all sell the same things, mostly Luzon-based kakanins from Pangasinan to Quezon. Wouldn’t it be great to have a place where you could get all the interesting kakanins from Luzon to Mindanao?
March 5th, 2007Try the ensaimada of Pastelleria Mallorca. The best I’ve tasted so far!
March 5th, 2007The ensaimada was also from Pastelleria Mallorca.
March 5th, 2007For those interested in fresh pinipig, there is a regular lady vendor in the aile with a bilao at University of the Philippines shopping center that sells fresh pinipig and I believe the pinipig bibingka. I might try to visit her soon at UP. Thanks MM .
March 5th, 2007I really want to learn how to make Biko’s topping. Dark, malatik but creamy and sticky. makunat. I hope that you can send me the instruction on how to make them.
September 25th, 2007Puto and Kutchinta as well. the pictures that I saw are all fantastic.