The Milkmaid Epicureum:The first dessert concept lab in the Philippines

  Chef Miko Aspiras

I am a kid from the 90's and I can still clearly remember about this famous condensed milk. Milkmaid, a premium condensed milk brand made with 100% pure cow's milk, wants to change your mind about condensed milk, and desserts for that matter. To do that, it is teaming up with the country's gastronomic thought leaders to create the first dessert concept lab in the Philippines called The Milkmaid Epicureum.

Mikaela Lagdameo-Martinez, Chef Miko Aspiras, and Maggie Wilson-Consunji

  

Milkmaid is challenging the city's hottest pastry chef, Miko Aspiras, to redefine our concept of indulgence. The multi-awarded chef shares his vision. "Too often we equate indulgence with excessiveness. But indulgence can also be about allowing ourselves to feel, taste or experience something new. This is the reason why I'm so excited to collaborate with Milkmaid, because we're really trying something different in the realm of desserts."

Milkmaid challenged Chef Miko to create new desserts based on the passions of two of the city's most exciting personalities: professional shopper Mika Lagdameo, and travel show host Maggie Wilson. 

Indulgence In Full

The first dessert, called Chai Tea Floral Leches Cake, was inspired by Maggie Wilson’s love for travel. Taking its cue from world cultures, it fuses Italian, Japanese, and Moorish elements. The base is a delicate chiffon cake, trimmed with a tres leches mixture infused with chai tea. Candied pistachios, playfully sweet and spicy with a hint of Japanese togarashi, are carefully added to the cake. Finally, the entire piece is covered with Italian-style mascarpone whipped cream. It is a coy invitation to get lost in layers of sweetness, creaminess, and crunch.

 Chai Tea Floral Leches Cake -inspired by Maggie Wilson-Consunji     

His second dessert is called Tropical Fruit Pastillas Cheesecake, inspired by Mika Lagdameo's exuberant love for shopping. This dessert is built on the same time-honored tradition we see in fashion. It’s classics, reimagined for the season with a handful of standout elements. A bright lemon cheesecake is the base, made rich and luscious with Milkmaid condensed milk. Then, various fresh fruits are topped onto the cheesecake, representing the riot of choices one would make at a shopping spree: The tropical freshness of watermelon and the cool flesh of lychees, accented by pops of green sweetness from mint leaves. Finally, soft buttons of pastillas chantilly, demure in its creaminess, bring cohesiveness to the entire dessert, similar to the contentment one would find after a full day of shopping.

Tropical Fruit Pastillas Cheesecake - inspired by Mika Martinez

Collaborating for the Future

According to Harvey Uong, Marketing and Business Development Director of Alaska Milk Corporation, "When you've got a product as rich and unbelievably delicious as Milkmaid, it really inspires all of us to reimagine what food and desserts can be like. This is the first of many steps that Milkmaid is taking to reinvigorate the very concept of indulgence, so expect more exciting concepts in the near future."

   Chef Miko Aspiras & Joey Mead-King

The intimate event was hosted by Joey Mead-King with her bubbly yet elegant personality. It was a full-house of foodies and dessert lovers who got to taste the two creations of Chef Miko. Milkmaid's collaboration with Chef Miko Aspiras to push the boundaries of confection was a sweet success.