Mais con Yelo #recipe by Mia P. Manansala @MPMtheWriter

Nothing beats the heat better than a good shaved ice recipe, and the one I’m sharing with you today is as delicious as it is unexpected (to the Western palate): mais con yelo, literally corn with ice. 

Mais con yelo: corn with shaved ice, milk, and sweetener

In the Philippines, halo-halo would probably be considered the national dessert (it's also the titular dessert in my second novel, Homicide and Halo-Halo), and the delicious shaved ice parfait/sundae is as pretty as it is tasty. But for the everyday, mais con yelo is more common, especially if you’re preparing the snack/dessert at home. Corn is frequently used in desserts in Southeast Asia (corn ice cream is one of my faves!) and you shouldn’t knock it till you try it.

The sweetness of fresh corn kernels is wonderful in this dish and I definitely recommend trying it with the best summer corn you can find, but it’s also tasty with canned corn and cream-style corn (my preference) as well. Evaporated milk is commonly used, but feel free to substitute with whatever milk or milk alternative you prefer.

Mais Con Yelo Recipe

Ingredients:

• Corn kernels or cream-style corn
• Milk of choice
• Sugar and/or condensed milk
• Ice
• Corn flakes, optional

Directions:

1. Crush the ice in a blender or shaved ice machine until your desired consistency. I prefer a soft, fluffy snow-like texture while others like the crunch of crushed ice.
2. Layer the ice, corn, and sweetener several times in a tall glass or bowl.
3. Top with milk of choice and corn flakes, if using.
4. Eat as is or mix everything together, if you choose.
5. Enjoy! 

Cast of characters: granulated sugar, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream-style corn, ice

Crush the ice in a blender or other device until your desired consistency.

Layer the ice, corn, and sweetener in a glass or bowl, then top with milk and corn flakes, if using.

Enjoy as is or mix before eating (I like to mix).

Have you ever tried corn in a dessert? Do you have a favorite frozen dessert? Let me know in the comments!

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Homicide and Halo-Halo

 

Death at a beauty pageant turns Tita Rosie’s Kitchen upside down in the latest entry of this witty and humorous cozy mystery series by Mia P. Manansala.

 

Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can’t bring herself to open her new café after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt’s Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started.

 

To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila’s little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago—a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case—because it looks like one of them might be next.

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