Sweet Potato Pudding
Serves: 4

WINNER: Rafia Q. Shah

3 medium size sweet potatoes
4 cups whole milk
1 can condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon cardamon powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup cane sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
blanched almonds and raisins

Cooking Method:

Remove the skin of sweet potatoes and wash under running water. Then cut into small squares. Boil the whole milk in a heavy bottomed skillet on medium heat. Add sweet potatoes to the boiling milk and lower heat. Continue to cook until sweet potatoes are well done, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and mash potatoes until smooth.

In a separate skillet, heat 1 tablespoon unsalted butter. Add blanched almonds and raisins and fry on very low heat until they turn light brown. Remove from skillet to a plate and set aside. In the same hot skillet, add brown sugar and cardamon powder, keeping heat low. Next, add mashed sweet potatoes along with condensed milk and sugar. Turn heat to medium, cook, stirring constantly until the consistency becomes desirably thick.

Remove from heat. Immediately transfer the dessert to a serving bowl and let set to cool. Garnish with almonds and raisins. Chill in refrigerator. Serve with a dash of heavy cream on top.

Avocados `N' Ice Cream 
Serves: 2 - 3

WINNER: Carmelita Lavayna
Ms. Lavayna is a librarian. She was a Fulbright Hays Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh. Avocados have been traditionally used in the U.S. as a vegetable, and in salads and soups. In the Philippines, they are eaten fresh from the tree or sprinkled with sugar and eaten as a dessert.

1 medium sized ripe avocado
vanilla ice cream (or flavor of your choice, except chocolate)

Preparation:

Scoop out the avocado meat by tablespoons and arrange around or mix with the ice cream scoops in a dessert dish or bowl. If preferred, top with syrup and garnish with cherries.

No Bake Sago Cake with Langka    
Serves: 8 - 10

WINNER: Jyothi Setty of Staten Island, NY

2 cups sago (tapioca balls)
1 tablespoon clarified butter
3 cups water
2 cups coconut milk
1-1/2 to 2 cups granulated sugar (to taste)
4 cups milk
1/2 cup roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon cardamon powder
8-10 clove ripe langka (jack fruit), if canned, drain excess liquid

Cooking Method:

In a thick pan, heat clarified butter. Put in sago and fry about 10 minutes on low heat until they are slightly golden in color. Heat water and add to sago, stirring constantly to avoid forming lumps and to prevent scorching. Let it cook until all the water is absorbed by sago and it turns transparent. Add coconut milk, stirring constantly to prevent sago from sticking. When most of the coconut milk is evaporated, stir in sugar. Heat milk in separate pan. Pour and mix it slowly into the sago mixture as it is cooking. Keep stirring. The milk starts thickening and reaches dropping consistency. Mix in cashews, raisins and cardamon powder in the final stages of cooking.

Pour the mixture in a well greased cake or loaf pan. Cool until it reaches jello like consistency approximately 8-10 hours or refrigerate overnight. Run a sharp knife around the edges and carefully remove sago mixture from mold right side up on serving plate. Garnish each portion with a clove of sweet ripe langka just before serving.

Corn and Milk Candy    
Serves: 8 - 10

WINNER: Ruchira Handa

Ingredients:

Cooking Method:

In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast rice flour until light brown. Set aside. Mix corn, 2 ounces water, butter, dry milk powder, dry coconut and sugar in a pan. Cook on medium/high heat, stirring constantly. Slowly add mixture of corn starch and cold water, stirring to avoid lumps. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add roasted rice flour a little at a time. Mix well with spatula or hand. Make tiny balls and press each ball with spatula or hand. Place on a serving tray and decorate each piece with two or three pieces of cut pistachio. Put wax paper between the layers as it is a sticky candy. Will be chewy and soft.

Leche Flan ala Pangasinan    
Serves: 6 - 8

WINNER: Antonia A. Suller
Ms. Suller was an educator and has a M.A. in Education. She is currently a facility administrator for a large company. Her hobbies are traveling, reading and writing. She is second in a family of eight children.

1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
12 egg yolks
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla or lemon extract or any fruit flavor of your choice

Cooking Method:

Caramelize the sugar. Pour caramelized sugar in a molder. Beat condensed milk, evaporated milk, and egg yolks. Pour mixture in the molder and steam in a double boiler for twenty-minutes or you can bake it in a pan with water about half as high as the molder for about forty-five minutes until it's soft and settled. Can be served with ice cream or halo-halo.

Mango Candy

WINNER: Suzanne Olipane
Mango candy is a wonderful treat to be served at special family gatherings such as Pasko. Her twin daughters, Emily and Jocelyn, especially enjoy this dessert.

Ingredients:

8 ounces dried mango, finely cut
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
2-1/2 cups flaked coconut
2/3 cup nuts, finely chopped

Preparation:

Mix mangos, coconut and milk. Shape into 15 (approximately 1 inch thick) balls, roll in nuts. Let stand for 2 hours or until firm.

Halo-Halo with Pili    
Serves: 1 - 2

WINNER: Roosebelt Balboa
This recipe is Mr. Balboa's version of the frequently-imitated Filipino dessert called halo-halo.

Preparation:

Layer fresh as well as cooked fruits and vegetables in a tall glass. (Note: cooked and/or preserved fruits and vegetables are available in Asian-American stores.) Fill with shaved ice. Add honey. Pour evaporated milk and young coconut juice over contents. Top with pili nuts. Serve immediately.

Makapuno Pound Cake   
Serves: 10 - 12

WINNER: JoAnn C. Gayomali of Great Lakes, IL
Ms. Gayomali learned how to cook from her father who is a chef. Her hobbies are reading, traveling, music, stamp collecting and cooking.

Ingredients:

Cooking Method:

Bake pound cake according to directions on box. Set aside to cool.

In sauce pan, mix evaporated milk, egg, sugar, lemon extract. Slowly add mixture of water and cornstarch, stirring constantly until thickened. Add chopped makapuno. While cake topping is warm, put filling in-between pound cake and on top. Wait 5-10 minutes for topping and filling sets to harden. Place in refrigerator for faster setting of topping on cake.

Almond Gelatin with Fruit Cocktail and Lychees
Serves: 12

WINNER: Florence T. Cua
Ms. Cua is a consultant in radiation and environmental sciences.

Preparation:

Follow the instructions to make almond gelatin, let cool and refrigerate overnight. Cut the cold almond gelatin into square blocks in a big bowl, pour the fruit cocktail with juice and lychees with the juice in and slightly mix together.