For those of us who’ve decided to eat at home on Valentine’s Day, here’s an intriguing dessert: a citrusy mousse made with calamansi liqueur, topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate.
After all, what’s Valentine’s Day without chocolates? And yet chocolates alone would be too predictable. Surprise, instead, that special someone by serving this dessert with a kick—and relegate the chocolate only to a supporting role.
The kick comes from the vodka base of Manille Liqueur de Calamansi, the newest product launched by Destileria Limtuaco and Co. Similar to the Italians’ limoncello, Manille Liqueur de Calamansi is made from the rinds of organic calamansi that are grown by an indigenous Mangyan community in Tugdaan Mountain, Mindoro.
The fruits are handpicked every morning by the Mangyan farmers and carried on foot down the mountain to the processing plant.
Though Destileria Limtuaco uses only the rind of the calamansi for the liqueur, it buys the calamansi at a price equivalent to the whole fruits, says Olivia Limpe-Aw, president and CEO of Destileria Limtuaco. This, in effect, enables the Mangyans to double their income.
Proceeds of the sale go to the Mangyan Center for Learning and Development, which aims to educate the children of over 20 tribes in Mindoro and to preserve the Mangyan culture and language.
It’s a win-win situation, no doubt. While helping the indigenous people of Mindoro, Destileria Limtuaco has also released in the market a drink that we can all be proud of and can use in various ways. Developed with the support and assistance of the Department of Agriculture, which linked Destileria Limtuaco with the Mangyan farmers, Manille Liqueur de Calamansi is perfect as a digestif, says brand ambassador chef Stephanie Zubiri.
Calamansi liqueur can also be used as a mixer for cocktails, as a palate cleanser between courses, and even as an ingredient for a salad vinaigrette. Here, I’ve used it to make a dessert that’s light and airy, with just a hint of spirit.
Calamansi Liqueur Mousse with Whipped Cream and Chocolate
¼ c sugar
¼ c water
¼ c Manille Liqueur de Calamansi, chilled
2 tbsp freshly squeezed calamansi juice, chilled
2 c all-purpose cream, well-chilled
2-3 drops green food coloring
1-2 c whipped cream (optional)
Grated chocolate
Combine the sugar and water in a small cooking pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool. When cooled, stir the sugar mixture with Manille Liqueur de Calamansi and the freshly squeezed calamansi juice. Set aside.
Beat the all-purpose cream in an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Pour in the sugar-calamansi mixture. Add the food coloring. Continue beating until the mixture is well-blended and becomes a light citrusy green color.
Spoon into four individual cups or stemmed glasses. Chill until set. Before serving, pipe the whipped cream over the mousse then top with the grated chocolate. Makes four servings.
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Tips:
When dissolving the sugar in the water, do not stir the liquid so the sugar doesn’t crystallize.
Make sure the all-purpose cream is chilled well so it can be beaten to medium peaks.
To make grated chocolate: Freeze a chocolate bar then use a vegetable peeler to grate the chocolate. Or, use a regular grater.
Manille Liqueur de Calamansi comes in 480-ml vintage bottles at a suggested retail price of P320, and in special bottles with designed cheesecloth bag at P374 in SM’s Kultura stores and Family Mart. Soon to be available also in Rustan’s Supermarkets, Robinsons, Landmark, Walter Mart, Shopwise, Puregold, Mini Stop, Cherry Foodarama, Everplus, 7-11 and Duty-Free Philippines. Also comes in miniature bottles.