It All Started with Halo-Halo

  

I first read about this popular, in some places, dessert, Halo-Halo, in my copy of Filipinx, Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora, which I reviewed  and posted about last year. Then just recently, after experimenting with various versions of the treat, I wanted to do a post on it, but with a Filipino authored book to go along with my post. Well, searching the internet for authors, preferably of cozy mysteries, brought me to: Arsenic and Adobo, by Mia P. Manansala.  Which book, luckily I enjoyed very much.  Also, her covers are so striking! From the Publishers:

"The first book in a new culinary cozy series full of sharp humor and delectable dishes-one that might just be killer.... When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She's tasked with saving her Tita Rosie's failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case."  And from the Publisher's Weekly:

"Lila Macapagal, the narrator of Manansala's outstanding debut and series launch, notices two unwelcome customers at Tita Rosie's Kitchen, a Filipino restaurant run by her aunt in Shady Palms, Ill., where Lila has moved after a devastating breakup with her fiancé. Ed Long, the restaurant's landlord, is trying to close the place down, and Long's stepson, Derek Winter, a steady customer, consistently writes negative reviews about its cuisine on his blog....... Chock-full of food lore, this delicious mystery will leave readers hungry for more of the adventures of Lila, her friends and relatives, and her chunky dachshund (who is named after a kind of short, fat sausage). Cozy fans are in for a treat.

Is this a wild looking dessert or what? From Filipinx

Curiously enough, the next book in her new series is Homicide and Halo-Halo.  Ha, I'm looking forward to reading that one, but am starting here with the first.  That's ube ice cream on top in the photo above.  Also a big foodie item, and maybe vegetable of the year, locally anyway, don't know about other states.  I haven't even tried it yet, despite having bought some of the plants for our garden.  It's hard to find the root in any grocery stores around. At least the ones I frequent. Probably because it's all being processed for things like ube chips, jam, ice cream, etc.  Ube is a brilliantly colored yam from Southeast Asia, popular in their desserts. Check out some of the other ingredients on that photo, and you'll see why a revised for Western tastes version of halo halo was called for.  Too many specialty items from specialty aisles in the market.  Most of which I have no desire to even try, due to the high sugar content, processed fruits, and mystery ingredients, etc.

So, what I came up with, was a nice edited collection including: tapioca pearls, flavored with a bit of molasses, jello (or agar agar) made with organic elderberry fruit juice, coconut haupia, soursop ice cream, all of which I made; additionally blueberries, and fresh mint leaves, with some toasted coconut flakes on top.  Traditionally condensed milk and crushed ice are layered in.  Which we did for the earliest version.  Though most of us didn't care for all the shaved ice or the too sweet condensed milk.  Regular milk or evaporated milk works fine. 

My granddaughter was here for a small gathering and helped to assemble them.  This is not a quick and easy dessert, at least for more than one or two people, unless you're buying everything made.  Though in retrospect, it could all be done days apart, in stages!  The jello keeps as does the haupia, tapioca pearls and ice cream.  To simplify things even more the ice cream could also be bought from the market.  However, a friend had given us a large soursop, which would have gone off, had it not been seeded and frozen, then made into ice cream.  

In the end, after several trials, delicious!  I'm still into experimenting and love the melange of flavors, textures and color.  Maybe a take on Pina Colada, with pineapple, coconut cream and rum! :) Slices of mango would be good. The possibilities are endless!  Will link up all the goodness at Weekend Cooking, hosted by the Intrepid Reader and Baker, Marge, and with The Foodies Read for May, put together by Heather.  Enjoy!