An added dimension to 'cool'

MANILA, Philippines – Food items that cool and refresh are always appealing in tropical climes such as ours. Thus, we quickly hightailed it to the supermarket for tubs of ice cream shortly after Selecta announced that it had launched its new Gold Series. Not surprisingly, we found it difficult to choose a particular favorite among Chocolate Truffles, Hazelnut Brownie and Berry Strawberry. True to Selecta’s heritage of superior quality, all three ice cream variants were delicious and had definite potential for becoming classics.

What makes the ice cream even more interesting is that the premium flavors were created by three of the Philippines’ equally interesting and talented chefs: Sau del Rosario, a former protégé of Michelin-star chefs Jacques Divellec and Christian Plumail; J Gamboa, Culinary Institute of America-trained third-generation restaurateur/chef and creative force behind Cirkulo and AzuThai; and Rolando Laudico of Bistro Filipino, who sings and maintains a band alongside his kitchen duties.

“Selecta is an institution even in the culinary field,” says chef Sau, who considers it a compliment to be asked to develop a flavor for the brand. “It is really nice to be part of something you grew up with. To collaborate and be identified with such a good brand is a wonderful thing.”

While his childhood fondness for brownies was the inspiration behind Hazelnut Brownie ice cream, the ground hazelnut paste is a reflection of his enduring interest in travel and discovering new cultures.

“Hazelnut Brownie is essentially based on an Italian traditional specialty called gianduja,” he explains, describing a treat that combines cocoa and hazelnut. “I wanted to capture its essence and translate it into a fun and modern ice cream flavor.”

What is it about this ice cream flavor that captures his personality? Sau laughs before replying, “It’s fun, it’s unpredictable and it is very Sau. There are a lot of things going on. But in totality, it is balanced — just the way it should be.”

He is pleasantly surprised that the television commercial to endorse the brand has brought old friends and long-lost acquaintances out of the woodwork, so to speak. 

For Chef Roland Laudico, on the other hand, it had to be Chocolate Truffles — creamy milk chocolate with swirls of dark chocolate fudge and bits of bittersweet chocolate. “I’m a bittersweet kind of guy,” he quips. But the contrast of slightly bitter was wonderful with the creamy milk-chocolate base; with the swirls of chocolate fudge not only adding flavor but also visual appeal to the scoops of ice cream.

“I don’t have a sweet tooth but I love chocolate,” he says. “I use the same kind of chocolate in my restaurant, so it wasn’t very difficult to make up a flavor profile.”

Chef Roland shares that ube and macapuno Selecta ice cream were childhood favorites, owing to the fact that these were what his father usually bought.

 “Mine is the best flavor, according to my family,” says the amiable Chef J, who is gifted with not only superior cooking skills but also a great sense of humor. “My kids Lucia and Emilio and their cousins get a big kick out of the television commercial.”

For Selecta Gold Series he created Berry Strawberry — plump, whole, sun-ripened strawberries with French vanilla ice cream. “It was all about taking something familiar and updating it. I concentrated on upping the luxe factor a bit by giving it a creamy smoothness and a very natural taste.” He recalls summer vacations spent in Baguio and happy memories associated with strawberries.

The creative process followed in creating an ice cream flavor is essentially the same as what is usually followed in the kitchen. “The main difference is that we had to follow certain parameters set by the company,” says Chef J. “We made the flavor profile and it was up to them to duplicate the flavors for mass production.”

For me, however, the Berry Strawberry was the best indication of Selecta’s excellent manufacturing process and meticulous attention to detail. Knowing that the strawberry is a delicate fruit that can easily be mashed to a pulp, I discovered, to my delight, whole berries in my ice cream — definite proof that extra care was taken in making it. These were mildly tart and pleasant, like strawberries in their natural state, and so unlike strawberries steeped in sugar, so that the taste of the real fruit is indistinguishable. And thus, Berry Strawberry is my number-one favorite in this particular Selecta series. But of course, I also grew up in Baguio City. Call me biased.