More Bulacan sweets-to-go

A few months ago, I featured the hardworking and humble Ocampos who have made a name for themselves with their famous Bulacan pasalubongs, such as pastillas de leche, pastillas de ube, and other sweet temptations. Starting off as a modest two-man operation, mainly just the couple, Nenita and Eduardo, their business slowly expanded from simply supplying stores in Bulacan and Manila that sold pasalubong. Now, they share their blessings with their children and in-laws who help in the day-to-day operations of the business.

What makes the Ocampos endearing is their unassuming nature towards their success and their generosity to share their recipes with the public. This is certainly not the practice of shrewd entrepreneurs, but the couple believes that whatever you share comes back to you one way or another a hundred fold.

True enough, I’ve been swamped with positive, glowing feedback for the Ocampos’ recipe for pastillas de ube. Readers who have tried it loved it.

Just recently, the whole Ocampo brood guested in my weekly cooking show to inspire viewers that with a little creativity, hard work, and perseverance, they, too, can never go wrong with food. We were knocked out by their exquisitely-wrapped pastillas, which they brought along to show on the show. Rarely do we see this kind of sweets produced in local stores.

Nenita explained that the elaborately cutout designs of the wrappers are a time-honored tradition kept alive by the older women of Bulacan who still turn these out. Made from multi-colored papel de japon, the women use tiny, razor-sharp scissors to snip out delicate patterns and complicated scenes depicting animals, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Patience, which the Ocampos surely possess, is the key to mastering the craft of paper-cutting. While I could not resist eating the scrumptious pastillas, I kept the wrappers this time instead of throwing them away.

Someone once said that we make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. The Ocampos could have written that quote because they live by this same principle. Out of the abounding generosity of the Ocampos, they share their treasured family recipes for pastilles de leche and yema pastillas with readers of the Philippine STAR.

Pastillas De Leche

4 cups boiled carabao milk

1 cup sugar

In a deep saucepan, combine milk and sugar. Mix continuously with a wooden spoon until thick. Cool mixture, then transfer to a non-stick board. Roll to 1/2-inch diameter. Cut into pieces about two inches long. Roll pieces in sugar and wrap individually in Oslo and white Japanese paper.

Yema Pastillas

6 cups Carnation condensed milk
6 egg yolks
20 slices loaf bread
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 Tbsps. dayap rind, grated
1 cup Magnolia Cheezee, grated
1/4 cup Dari Crème (buttermilk)
butter or margarine to grease hands
white sugar for rolling
Remove the crust from the bread slices. Slice the bread and the crust. Soak in water till wet and squeeze out the remaining liquid. Grind in a food processor or blender.

Combine the first four ingredients in a non-stick frying pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. This will take about an hour depending on the thickness of the pan and the kind of heat used.

After stirring and cooking for about 45 minutes, add the dayap rind and the grated cheese. Continue cooking until it becomes sticky. Add 1/4 cup Dari Crème and stir for about five minutes before removing from the pan. Allow to cool for an hour.

Grease hands with butter or margarine. Knead slightly the cooked mixture and roll into a log about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut into two-inch length pieces with a rubber or plastic scrapper. Roll in sugar and wrap in clear cellophane.