Knickerbocker: A fruitier, fresher halo-halo all the way from Zamboanga

In Zamboanga, a dessert called the Knickerbocker is giving halo-halo a run for its money. In lieu of sugary fruit preserves, this tall glass is filled with fresh in-season fruits, nuts, jelly, fruit syrup, ice cream, and whipped cream. 

[READ: Food origins: The halo-halo’s macapuno, nata de coco and kaong and how they’re made]

Watermelon is usually favored but you can also experiment with melon, dragon fruit, honeydew, and even papaya as we did in this recipe. Just stack everything together in a tall glass, top with ice cream and nuts and a ruby red piece of cherry.

Summer may be over but in this perpetually humid land, any sweet cool dessert—other than halo-halo—is welcome.


Knickerbocker recipe

Ingredients 

½ cup each assorted fruits (watermelon, dragon fruit, honeydew, papaya) 

¼ cup ube nata de coco

2 scoops ice cream/frozen yogurt 

1 scoop whipped cream (chilled) 

1 tbsp nuts of choice

2 tbsp fruit syrup

Cherries, optional

Preparation

  1. Peel and chop fruits into small cubes. Set aside. 
  2. Whip chilled cream until medium peaks are achieved. 
  3. In a chilled tall glass, layer fruits and nata de coco followed by whipped cream, scoops of ice cream or yogurt, syrup, nuts, and cherry.
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