WOFEX DAY 1: CHEF SONNY MARIANO USES TASTESETTERSⓇ BRAND SAUCES AND PASTES TO MAKE TOFU DISH, HAM SANDWICH, ECLAIR, AND DONUTS



The World Food Expo is back for its 24th year, and if you’re looking to discover new products for your business, our TastesettersⓇ Collab team is excited to meet you there, as they launch a new line of ready-to-use, shelf-stable concentrated sauces and dessert pastes! Our Tastesetters® chefs and SYSU R&D will also be there on each day of this four-day expo, conducting cooking demos and business consultations for attendees. 

On Day 1 of WOFEX, the spotlight went to Chef Sonny Mariano, who prepared a series of dishes using the new TastesettersⓇ line of products. As a corporate chef and consultant for restaurants, manufacturing, and product development, Chef Sonny knows how important products like TastesettersⓇ Brand concentrated sauces and dessert pastes are in elevating and expanding food products and offerings.

VEGAN SWEET & SOUR TOFU

Chef Sonny’s first dish was a Vegan Sweet & Sour Tofu dish, for which he used the TastesettersⓇ Brand Aloha Blend Concentrated Sauce and Clara Olé Sweet Style Pasta Sauce. Made with real pineapple, the Aloha Blend is a simple and easy way to achieve that right sweet-and-sour balance that’s often difficult to perfect.

        INGREDIENTS

        120g TastesettersⓇ Aloha Blend Concentrated Sauce

        100g Clara Olé Sweet Style Pasta Sauce

        ½       block tofu

        30g all-purpose flour

        20g red bell peppers

        188g red onions

        10g garlic

        30g zucchini

        50g white onion

        40g vinegar

        12g white sugar

        – salt & pepper to taste

        STEPS

1. 1. Dredge tofu with all-purpose flour. Deep fry in oil until golden.
   2. In a pan, heat up oil, and sauté garlic, onions, zucchini, and red bell peppers.
   3. Pour in vinegar, water, white sugar, salt & pepper to taste, Clara Olé Sweet Style Pasta Sauce, and finally, TastesettersⓇ Aloha Blend Concentrated Sauce. Simmer until vegetables are tender.
   4. Transfer fried tofu to a plate. Pour vegetables on top.

HAM SANDWICH WITH BACON CHEESE SPREAD

For his next dish, Chef Sonny prepared a Ham Sandwich with a special Bacon Cheese Spread. For this, he used the TastesettersⓇ Brand Cheese Blend Concentrated Sauce, which is made with real cheddar, along with Clara Olé Carbonara Pasta Sauce. Because the TastesettersⓇ Brand Cheese Blend is ready-to-eat, it makes this recipe easier and simpler to produce in bulk–great for food service business like caterers and cafeterias.

        INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE

        200g Clara Olé Carbonara Pasta Sauce

        200g TastesettersⓇ Brand Cheese Blend Concentrated Sauce

        INGREDIENTS FOR THE SANDWICH

        – croissant

        – premium ham slices

        – tomatoes

        – lettuce

        – cucumber

        – microgreens

        STEPS

1. 1. In a clean bowl, combine Clara Olé Carbonara Pasta Sauce and TastesettersⓇ Brand Cheese Blend Concentrated Sauce. Mix until well incorporated.
   2. To assemble the sandwich, spread a generous amount of the bacon spread on the top and bottom part of the croissant.
   3. Layer lettuce, ham, and cucumber. Garnish with microgreens.

ECLAIR WITH VANILLA CREAM FILLING

After his savory selections, Chef Sonny demonstrated the first of two desserts: Eclair with a Vanilla Cream Filling. He showed his audience how convenient it is to make a cream filling using the TastesettersⓇ Brand Vanilla Cream Dessert Paste. He also used Tulip Chocolate Compound to give these eclairs their classic garnish. Pastry-making, after all, isn’t just an art; it’s also a very precise science. Because of the ready-to-eat and shelf-stable convenience of TastesettersⓇ Brand dessert pastes, recipes like this become easier to replicate without compromise.

        INGREDIENTS FOR PÂTE À CHOUX

        1 cup all-purpose flour

        4 eggs

        1 cup water

        100g unsalted butter

        2g salt

        INGREDIENTS FOR VANILLA CREAM FILLING

        1 cup TastesettersⓇ Brand Vanilla Cream Dessert Paste

        1 cup whipping cream

        100g Tulip White Chocolate Compound, melted

        – Tulip Dark Chocolate Compound, melted

        STEPS

1. 1. For the pâte à choux, combine all wet ingredients except egg in a pot, and bring it to a simmer. Slowly pour in and mix the dry ingredients using a wooden spatula until dough is formed. You can also use a stand mixer. 
   2. Slowly add in eggs, and mix until dough becomes slightly flowy. Transfer into a piping bag, and pipe in a lined baking tray.
   3. Bake at 200℃ for 8 minutes, then lower the temp to 180℃. Continue baking for 12-15 mins, then cool down.
   4. In a mixer, whip TastesettersⓇ Brand Vanilla Cream Dessert Paste and whipping cream together until fluffy and stiff.
   5. Slice baked choux across the middle, horizontally. Pipe in a generous amount of vanilla cream on the bottom half of the choux. 
   6. Dip the top part of the choux in melted Tulip Dark Chocolate Compound, and garnish with edible flowers and gold leaf. 

MOJACKO DONUTS WITH CARAMEL FILLING

For his final demonstration, Chef Sonny prepared a classic of Pinoy bakeries, Mojacko Donuts. He gave these donuts a delicious caramel filling using TastesettersⓇ Brand Caramel Cream Dessert Paste and fried them in La Española Pomace Olive Oil. Whether you’re a bakery owner or a pastry shop owner, these donuts are sure to fly off the shelves, so it’s a good thing that TastesettersⓇ Brand Dessert Pastes make them easier to prepare. 

        INGREDIENTS FOR THE DONUT

        500g bread flour

        80g white sugar

        4g bread improver

        11g yeast

        3g salt

        70g unsalted butter, softened

        1 egg

        300g fresh milk

        – TastesettersⓇ Brand Caramel Cream Dessert Paste

        – La Española Pomace Olive Oil for frying

        STEPS

1. 1. Mix all dry ingredients.
   2. Add egg, and mix in a mixer using hook attachment. Slowly add in unsalted butter, and continue mixing until all ingredients combine.
   3. Portion the dough into desired weight and size. Form each dough into small balls, and proof for 45 minutes to an hour.
   4. After proofing, fry the dough in La Española Pomace Olive Oil.
   5. Bore a hole into the doughnuts, and pipe in TastesettersⓇ Brand Caramel Cream Dessert Paste.
   6. In a small bowl, mix powdered milk and sugar. Toss in the donuts.

For a full, detailed demonstration of how to make these dishes, watch the entire video above. And while you’re at it, grab some packs of TastesettersⓇ Brand concentrated sauces and dessert pastes to experiment on your own exciting dishes! They’re an easy and convenient way of testing out new flavors and recipes to expand your menu offerings and to cater to broader palates.

TasteSetters