SWANNIE'S... Heaven in a Jar

 During my childhood days, I would remember the times when my Nanay would be preparing Leche Flan for our handa for the Town Fiesta. This will be one basin of a mixture of milk and eggs. She would always make sure that the mixture is smooth with no air bubbles and that it is strained well in a katsa or cheese cloth. And of course, who would forget the diap… an infamous additive in leche flan during the 80’s. Everybody would wait for the freshly cooked dessert from the steamer. A firm and very rich custard made with lots of patience and love.

All we know is we mix eggs with milk and carefully prepare the caramel and place it in tin pans and steam it forever. We chill the flan and have it ready for the following day. It was simple as 1-2-3. But a friend of mine made something really interesting about these local desserts of ours. Something that makes you exciting which allowed fun in eating this typical fiesta dessert…. I call it my Heaven in a Bottle.

Swannie’s as they call it, are dessert jars specifically flavored flans. It made me curious at first since I am a flan person. Nothing really beats good custard… And mind you making good custard is not easy. So here comes a Facebook invite to like a page. And the only thing I saw was an ink-blot logo on cheese cloth which at first I thought was misspelled. I ended up clicking the like button. 

This handsome friend of mine – which they call papalicious in a way – is a person who loves to cook. His family knows the definition of good food. Hence the credibility of this dessert made me more curious. To cut it short I ended up ordering all the flavors to taste. So this handsome, cute looking, papalicious, friend of mine came delivering may jars… And now let me tell you the story.

I love the packaging… I LOVE THE SPOON. It is wood and it helps enhance the palate. Good job on this. Now that covering made of cheese cloth… That was intelligent. Traditional Leche Flan we strain using this material. And having to place this element in the packaging makes it A+.

The Classic... Salted Caramel and Roasted Almonds

Now, close your eyes… Imagine a spoonful of rich, not too sweet, creamy, smooth leche flan in your mouth… Wait… let me add that caramel dripping that we all love plus a hint of vanilla then that crunch of fresh roasted almonds… Ok open your eyes. THAT IS CLASSIC… a true flan. I define it as simple but very elegant. It just made me smile while that spoon is still in your mouth. Love it that much.

Now Swannie’s made some fruit additives which I can say are my favorites. These are their Strawberry-Kiwi and Mango-Cashew. Sounds complicated but let me explain. Strawberries are sweet and tart and have this punch that makes it really interesting. Kiwi, on the other hand, would complement the fruitiness of the strawberries and would break its strong flavor making a very subtle mixture. Now These fruits you place on creamy dairy custard. What do you get -- Unimaginable Excitement! It really is soothing.

Strawberry-Kiwi and Mango-Cashew

Now let me talk about my other favorite. Mangoes and Cashew. Who will go wrong with this. Let me keep this simple… I AM SPEECHLESS. Just come and taste it chilled so you can tell me how you cannot describe how good it is. I LIKE IT… Plainly I LIKE IT… But beware… Kulang nalang SAGO… Mango pudding na. But I JUST LIKE IT!!!

Ok now my least favorite. Don’t get me wrong. All of the flans are good but off course we have our opportunities to improve. Let me start…

Banana Oreo Lemon… SO GAY. Confused and it sounds like it is really GAY. Yellow is the color with bits of Oreo and Banana Chips. Plus it is BANANA… So GAY. Kidding aside, the banana flan is to die for. Not all would like bananas but this one you should taste. The crunch of the cookies made it interesting but it can do without it. The banana chips are fine but when chilled it becomes hard and places a break in that luscious experience… Who would want a break in something orgasmic? Lemon? Is there Lemon… really? Maybe I am expecting zest or some sort of a lemony punch but what I got was just bananas… But again, remove the fancy accessories… this concoction is a standalone WINNER.

Banana Oreo Lemon and Chili Choco Cherry

C3 as I call it. The Swannie’s Chili Choco Cherry or Cherry Chili Choco or Choco Chili Cherry… Whatever it is, I like it but it is the least of my happiness. The cherry was fine but it was not significant. Was expecting something like Black Forest or Kirsch, but nothing really interesting. The chocolate was not aggressive. It was playing safe. It could be nice if it was Dark Chocolate but it was just chocolate. The Chili was kind of soft for me but some would not want a spicy bite. But for this chili dessert, chili was nowhere to be found. The fact it is sweet and made of dairy would kill the chili. Maybe being more aggressive would help this little thing. It was a bold approach but again the custard was perfect. As my professor was in Culinary School was saying… If it is not a contributor, remove it from the recipe. The flan is a big WIN but the cherry and chocolate syrup… a little sadness lurking beside a happy smile.

These creations are good and should be tasted by all. These are my take on the flavored flans as they call it. The experience is different but that feeling of comfort while eating it in a small jar in a cozy bench or chair with a good friend or a loved one would definitely create good talks and lots of interesting conversations.

So, grab one now and let me see what stories you can tell as you take this little bite I call HEAVEN.






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