Be warned: Dessert is dangerous to your figure
August 11, 2005 | 12:00am
Warning: Reading this column could wreck havoc on the whistle bait figures of the species that knows the delicious excesses in life and enjoys sensational, almost sensual, pleasures.
"That means us, women," Mary Ann quickly says.
"No, not necess-arily," I refute.
"Sige nga. Write about men and desserts, and see how much you can write," she challenges me.
And she’s probably right. I could not go beyond one sentence. It seems desserts are made by women for women. I imagine the cliché "having your cake and eating it too" was coined by an angry husband for a wife craving for two cakes and still wanting to keep her whistle bait figure.
Once, I read that to teach a child how to spell "dessert" as against "desert," tell him that "dessert" has two "s" because he will always want two desserts. I am certain that spelling tip came from a female teacher.
The famous, heart-breaking quote "Let them eat cake" was made famous by another female, the royal Marie Antoinette. Fate had it she was beheaded by – irony of ironies – men.
If a man faces the death penalty and is asked for his last meal, he normally asks for lechon, fried chicken, alcohol and cigarettes. Maybe French convicts request for foie gras, while Russians might have caviar and vodka as their death chair wish. Mary Ann says that if a woman was asked, she would most likely, if not certainly, ask for nothing but dessert.
My cousin Gerry once noted, "What is it with women and desserts?" He noticed that they will complain of being full after a big meal, but when dessert is served, they eat again with much gusto, as if they have a little secret compartment in their stomachs that only opens when the dessert course is served. I notice that men can pass up or skip dessert, and instead go for the more desirable brandy or liqueur.
In the 16th century, sugar was often referred as "white gold." It was prohibitively expensive and only the aristocrats and rich homes could afford it. Queen Elizabeth was reputed to have a very sweet tooth. By the mid-17th century, sugar became more widely available when English colonists in Barbados developed their land for the growing of sugar cane. From then on, even poor homes enjoyed fine tarts, cakes, and puddings. They made grand and beautiful desserts, and these were almost always placed at the center of the table. Today, women –and some men, too – ogle them before they have the chance to devour them. For me, some are too beautiful to be eaten. I especially like the whimsical effect of white and brown chocolate curls marbling a simple cake.
Modesty aside, I am not a bad cook, but I will not dare bake a cake. Baking is too precise and rigid for me that there is no room for even a slight error or for a little alteration lest the cake flops or rises too much. So, what can men do if we want to please our commanders and keep our bed warm in this miserable rainy weather? Take them out for dessert, what else?
Last Friday, I took Mary Ann and her cousins to the lobby of the Peninsula Manila for their dessert buffet called Sweet Indulgences After Dinner Delight. We braved the rain and entered the chi chi formal lobby with our pants dripping wet. Mary Ann would not have us postpone the trip for the next day.
Traffic was bad, made worse by the rain, and worst by the impatient drivers. We initially planned to have dinner in one of the joints along Jupiter St. By 7:45 pm, we were still on the road, and the dessert buffet starts at 8:30 p.m.
Mary Ann decided we turn around and go to The Pen instead and forego dinner because she insisted on being there when the desserts are first rolled out and before the other guests destroy their delicious, tempting beauty or artistry.
I found myself nodding, even though I wondered how I could give up dinner and go straight to dessert?
When we reached The Pen, I suggested we have a light dinner at Spices. It was the wisest decision I made that night, although the decision to have dinner was made by the ladies. (Majority rules!) As we entered Spices, the smell of delicious food wafting in the air, redolent of spices and herbs, worked on our appetites.
We ordered roti canai, that flaky, fried Indian flat bread served with a chicken curry sauce, Malaysian Crab with black pepper sauce, asam goreng, Malaysian beef short ribs with tamarind sauce (which is close to our native humba, so tender and sweet), tom yum goong, that famous Thai sour soup with shrimps, which Mary Ann eats like our native pesa (She puts rice into the bowl, sprinkles chili powder on it, and scoops it with a spoon.), and kway teow rad ng goong, (Thai-style stir fried noodles with shrimps, pork, chicken, and beef flavored with oyster sauce). It was more like a hearty chop suey smothered with flat noodles. A superb bottle of shiraz (chilled lightly for five minutes) complemented our sumptuous meal. We finished everything, and I forgot that we were only supposed to have something light to leave room for dessert. I could have gone home then had Mary Ann not nudged me to get up quickly for the dessert buffet at the lobby.
At the lobby, the ladies were pleased to see that the waffles, crepes, and light soufflés were to be made on the spot. Avita, Mary Ann’s cousin who is visiting from Washington DC, asked the chef to make her a mini coconut pandan crepe, which she topped with banana slices and smothered in thick caramel sauce. Cousin Chona wanted the same thing, but with vanilla crepe. Chona’s pretty daughter, Camille, had a mango crepe and topped it with Nutella and hot cherries, which she made even richer by adding caramel sauce and ice cream. Then, Mary Ann asked for a big chocolate crepe, filled with banana and topped with caramel syrup.
"Oh, their not so little magic compartments have opened," I thought, as they proceeded to our table, smiling from ear to ear.
I decided to go to the waffle station and got a vanilla Belgian waffle, thin and crisp, unlike the waffles we know. I dabbed it with strawberry and mango syrup, a large dollop of Nutella and topped it with fresh strawberries, mango chunks, and almond slivers, and finally added a scoop of strawberry ice cream.
I was already full from the sumptuous dinner we had, but the sight of the variety of ingredients laid out on the two dessert stations got the better part of me. It was like being confronted with an empty canvas – a dessert plate, in this case – and challenged to create something out of a kaleidoscope of colors and textures available. Just imagine the different sauces: Mango, strawberry, choco, caramel, and vanilla. The toppings: White and choco chips, nuts, raisins, marshmallows, and rainbow-colored candy sprinkle, fresh fruits, like mango, strawberries, kiwi, melon, and more, and five kinds of ice cream.
I offered the ladies a try of my waffle. Aba, tinutoo nila. They bit the bait! They liked it so much that they asked me to go back and make exactly the same one for them. And not just once, but twice.
As always, The Peninsula lobby is the perfect place to be after dinner. The service is excellent. Your cup of coffee comes hot with very thick crema. The wonderful desserts are all within your reach. The chocolate fondue arrives at your table on a small tealight candle to keep the chocolate hot as you skewer fresh fruit, marshmallows, cakes, and chocolate cigars for dipping. You sit ever so comfortably on plush armchairs and sofas while soft live music from the mezzanine serenades you.
We were so comfy and were enjoying ourselves that by the time I checked my watch, it was almost 12 midnight, and we still had to head back home to Pampanga.
"One for the road," Mary Ann said, and that was my clue to share with her a Grand Marnier soufflé. I knew she was tempted to have a chocolate soufflé, too, but I guess her little compartment door had closed by then.
Fast forward to our bed, as we were about to doze off. Mary Ann started to talk about the sweet night.
"Dessert gives so much pleasure," she said. "It should never be seen as an unnecessary extra, but as a delicious ending that leaves a lingering taste or a lasting impression."
"But how can one still eat dessert when he is so full and about to burst," I asked.
"Well, that is not the problem of the dessert. If you cannot find room for dessert, it means you have ordered badly or eaten too much beforehand. Dessert is a must in every nice meal, and must be appreciated as so," she declared with so much conviction. "And by the way, next week, we go back for their chocolate soufflé and chocolate fondue."
I dared not disagree with my darleng in bed.
The Chocolate Dessert Fondue is offered nightly with four flavors to choose from, priced at P390++ to P 460++ per serving.
For inquiries and table reservations, call 887-2888 local 2276 or 2205.
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