A CAN of condensed milk is a symbol of happy occasions. When actress Audrey Hepburn was a girl poking through the ruins of the Netherlands after the Second World War, she celebrated the end of the war and of her wartime privation by eating an entire can of condensed milk. In a less extreme example, a can sitting on a countertop can mean delights like leche flan and dulce de leche (achieved by caramelizing the sugars in the condensed milk), to be served at parties.
Condensed milk is a fairly simple product: it’s milk in which the water has been removed, resulting in a thick and sweet product.
Milkmaid, a brand of condensed milk by Nestle licensed in the Philippines by Alaska, is making a way for the tinned milk to go past its humble reputation and achieve a certain sexiness through a project called Milkmaid Epicureum. Milkmaid Epicureum is a dessert concept lab by the brand, and for this, it tapped celebrity chef Miko Aspiras.
Mr. Aspiras, at the helm of several restaurants like Le Petit Souffle, has presented at Madrid Fusion Manila in 2016.
Mr. Aspiras created two desserts for his collaboration with Milkmaid: a Tropical Fruit Pastillas Cheesecake, and a Chai Tea Floral Tres Leches Cake. BusinessWorld got a taste of the tres leches cake during a tasting in Mr. Aspiras’ Le Petit Souffle on Sept. 25, and found the cake light and spongy, with just the right amount of sweetness, and a taste reminiscent of fragrant perfumed gardens.
“I remember it as a staple in our kitchen as I was growing up,” said Mr. Aspiras.
He recalled using a knife to open cans of condensed milk in their home as a child (a huge kitchen no-no), and eating the contents out of the can with a spoon. In his career, he’s used it as a sweetener that prevents cakes from getting soggy, and used it in its form as dulce de leche in his other desserts (he notes that in other cultures, the brown and sticky product is called “milk jam”).
Marlei Conserman, Marketing Manager for Alaska Milkmaid, agreed about condensed milk’s reputation as a wholesome product, but says that since their product is made of 100% cow’s milk, “Indulgence is [about] not cutting corners,” indulgence being the theme for Milkmaid Epicureum.
“There is really something indulgent about condensed milk, if you look at it. It has the power to translate our life’s indulgences into a dessert.”
While many chefs constantly reach for the stars for the next best thing, it’s apparently possible to just reach for it on your cupboard. Pushing the limits doesn’t mean just exerting yourself further, but actually moving into yourself to find that the next best thing has always been actually there. Speaking about using such a wholesome ingredient for luxurious desserts, Mr. Aspiras said, “As a professional pastry chef, I can’t limit myself.”
Mr. Aspiras’ creations will be available in Le Petit Souffle until the 30th, while the desserts will be made available at his bakeshop in Rockwell’s The Grid on a longer basis. The recipes, meanwhile, will be shared by Milkmaid on its Instagram, @milkmaidindulgence. — JLG

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