Leche Puto and Yema Cake: New Christmas Traditions at FV Foods

Leche Puto and Yema Cake: New Christmas Traditions at FV Foods

By Jennilee Austria

At FV Foods, Christmas is a time to get innovative.

This year, there are two new desserts to try. Leche Puto is soft puto cakes topped with a layer of creamy leche flan. “This process is hard to make, very time-consuming, but it’s worth it,” says owner Melchor Galeon. “It’s two of our all-time favourite desserts in one, and this is the bagong (new) product sa Pilipinas, especially in Quezon and Manila.” Customers can buy 100 pieces for $50, or 12 pieces for $7. Sweet and remarkably light, Leche Puto would be a welcome new addition at any Christmas dessert table.

LECHE PUTO

Another new offering at FV Foods is Yema Cake. Condensed milk and egg yolk is mixed to make yema, which is spread on a vanilla cake and topped with grated cheddar cheese. “Yema is a traditional Filipino dessert, but Yema Cake is the new thing—even in the Philippines, it’s so uso (fad), it’s so trendy,” says Galeon. A log-sized Yema Cake serves 8-10 people for $12, and a party-sized cake serves 30-40 people for $45.

However, Galeon knows that even with these new desserts, in Filipino culture, Christmas means ham: “There’s no family dinner, no Noche Buena without ham. It’s the #1 purchase of Filipinos for Pinoy pasko.”

At FV Foods, the Fiesta Ham is soaked in pineapple juice for a day, then cooked in the juice, dried, glazed with brown sugar, and baked. “If you buy ham from us, it’s ready to eat,” Galeon says. “You just slice it, warm it up if you like, and serve. It comes with our homemade pineapple sauce.” At $50, an 8-pound ham serves 15-20 people. For those who may balk at leftovers, Galeon enthusiastically recommends many uses for ham after the holidays: “If you microwave it with the pineapple sauce, or if you top it with queso de bola, it tastes great with our FV Foods pandesal. Or, you can take the leftovers, layer them with plastic wrap, and freeze them. It’s perfect for breakfast, dinner, or even baon after Christmas.”

For those seeking a perfect gift, FV Foods also offers Christmas Baskets with an assortment of yema, pastillas de leche, buko pandan, and ube. Galeon’s favourite addition to the Christmas Baskets is Food for the Gods. “When I was a child, only the rich people could afford the dates and walnuts– that’s why it’s called Food for the Gods, because only the land-owners could buy these ingredients,” he recalls. “But nowadays, it’s not exclusive anymore, and everyone can enjoy it.” The baskets range from $5 to $20 each.

YEMA CAKE (Photos courtesy of Mel Galeon/FV Foods

And for groups who need a special space for their festivities, the Bathurst and Wilson location has a party room for 50-80 people. With the purchase of an FV-catered meal for the party, the space is free to use.

At any of the five locations across the GTA, customers can buy the traditional Fiesta Ham, and the new dessert innovations of Leche Puto and Yema Cake. Galeon urges customers to note that pre-payment is necessary for any party-sized orders.

“To make sure that your family dinner is complete and worry-free, visit any FV location and make your special order ahead of time. It can be picked up at any of our five locations,” he promises.

This Christmas, FV Foods honours traditional food like Fiesta Ham, and with the additions of Leche Puto and Yema Cake, it offers some exciting new ones, too. With the holidays fast approaching, visit FV Foods to create your own Christmas feast to remember.