Aired (September 29, 2024): In this sweetest episode, let us join our guests Atching Lillian Borromeo and Chef Pixie Sevilla, as they share how to make the Pinoy favorite—the sweetest treat, Brazo de Mercedes.
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00:00There are also a lot of traditional sweet treats that you can enjoy in Pampanga.
00:04The culinary expert, Aching Lillian Borromeo,
00:07is known for making different kinds of panghimagas
00:11that were cooked by the Filipinos during the time of the Spaniards.
00:15One of them is the amazing brazo de maiz,
00:18which has its own twist to the brazo de mercedes.
00:22Brazo de mercedes is one of the foods that the Filipinos learned to make
00:26during the time of the Spaniards.
00:28It is included in a lot of pastries
00:30that are a product of the efforts of the Filipinos
00:33for the excess material from the eggs that were used in the construction of churches.
00:52But nowadays, you don't need to convert to another religion
00:56to learn how to make brazo de mercedes
00:59because it will be taught to us by our friend pastry chef, Chef Pixie Sevilla.
01:04I chose this recipe for today's sweet episode
01:08because brazo de mercedes is very traditional,
01:11especially for people from Bulacan like me.
01:14This is our favorite.
01:16And we know that Filipinos have a very sweet taste.
01:20So, let's start with the egg whites.
01:23Then we add in the cream of tartar,
01:27and sugar.
01:32We wait for the egg whites to become stiff peaks.
01:36Let's prepare a pan like this,
01:38lined with parchment paper.
01:40If you don't have parchment paper, you can just use wax paper.
01:52Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
02:09Okay, so egg yolks, flour.
02:14So whisk together.
02:16Let's beat it together.
02:18This is to thicken our filling.
02:20And then, we'll add the evaporated milk
02:25to the pan.
02:27Let's heat this up a bit.
02:32And then, we'll add the condensed milk.
02:36For sweetness.
02:37This is the traditional brazo de mercedes.
02:41Let's heat up the evaporated milk and condensed milk a bit.
02:46It doesn't have to boil.
02:47Just heat it up a bit.
02:51That's why we're doing this,
02:53because we can't pour the hot milk on the eggs,
02:57because we'll end up with scrambled eggs.
02:59And we don't want that.
03:00We want the brazo to have a custard-like filling.
03:04So, we'll just introduce the hot milk to the eggs.
03:11Then, we'll also solidify the eggs.
03:13We'll also add it to the milk.
03:15We can't do this all of a sudden.
03:17It's like, you know, it's just love.
03:19We can't do this all of a sudden.
03:20Let's start with the intro, right?
03:21Let's heat it up a bit.
03:25Let's thicken this.
03:28There.
03:29Until it bubbles.
03:30We'll let this boil.
03:32But we need to keep stirring.
03:35For me, it's sweet,
03:36because there are different degrees of sweetness.
03:38But for me, my personal taste,
03:40I don't put too much sugar.
03:42I don't put too much sweetness.
03:44So, I just want the sweetness to be balanced
03:46with the other flavors.
03:47Not just the sweetness.
03:49Okay.
03:50So, we need to remove the paper.
03:54So, let's just be careful with the steam.
03:56The merengue, because it's a bit hot.
03:59It's hot.
04:00It needs to be removed while it's hot,
04:02because when it's cold,
04:04it's harder.
04:05It's more sticky.
04:06So, brazo is easy to make,
04:08but you can't leave it.
04:11That's the complicated part.
04:17But it's worth it.
04:19Because if I leave it,
04:20and I don't peel the paper right away,
04:22it will be too sticky.
04:24So, it won't be straight.
04:27The sides won't be straight.
04:29So, let's go back to the filling.
04:31Let's go back.
04:32It's a bit thick already.
04:34You can see that the filling is bubbling.
04:37So, when it bubbles,
04:39it's just right.
04:40It's also thick.
04:41So, let's stop the heat.
04:45And then,
04:47we'll add the butter on top.
04:54Then, we'll add vanilla.
04:57If you want a different flavor,
05:00instead of vanilla,
05:01you can add pandan, strawberry, coffee.
05:05Anything you want.
05:06So, let's mix it.
05:08Until the butter melts.
05:12Normally,
05:13this needs to be cooled down to room temperature.
05:18So, we'll add the filling that we cooled down.
05:22You can see that it's a bit thick.
05:25Of course, this is colder and thicker.
05:29But it might be hard for you to roll
05:31if it's too cold.
05:32It's hard to spread.
05:34So, let's spread it.
05:37I want to put more at the end
05:40to make it look like there's a lot when you roll it.
05:45So, this is our brazo de mercedes.
05:52The sweetness of the food
05:53gives a lot of benefits.
05:55From instant energy and happiness
05:58to enriching culinary experiences
06:01and building a culture.
06:02Doodle overload.
06:05However,
06:06it's also important to maintain its consumption
06:09to maintain a balanced diet and health.
06:15Five different flavors.
06:17A lot of delicious possibilities.
06:20On the other side of our unique food adventure,
06:23we got to know the elements and the basics
06:25of the flavors of each food that we taste.
06:29Each one has an important part
06:31on how we can make each bite more delicious.
06:36Each flavor serves as an inspiration
06:38to us Filipinos
06:40in cooking and building our culture.
06:44Whether it's street food,
06:46home-cooked food,
06:47or even 5-star food.
06:50To good health?
06:51Yeah, good health.
06:52This flavor is what makes
06:54our love for the foods that make us rich
06:59not only in our stomachs,
07:01but also in our hearts.
07:08DOODLE OVERLOAD