Currently nursing a broken heart and still figuring out how to move on and heal from it? Well, 2 Good 2 Be True stars Gillian Vicencio and Bianca de Vera could help you out not just through their sensible pieces of advice, but also via the alcohol-infused recipes they shared in Rise Artists Studio’s “Plate Twists.”
We have different ways of coping with a heartbreak. But most of the time, arguably, it involves drinking booze and eating our comfort food or anything we're craving for. And in this episode of "Plate Twists," our two adorable and talented chefs whip up level-up versions of the well-loved bread pudding and the classic pork adobo by infusing them with alcoholic beverages.
Bianca was in-charge of the “Beer Bread Pudding with Brandy Caramel Sauce” and the first one to demo. The ingredients for the Honey Beer Bread are 1 loaf of whole wheat bread cut into bite-sized pieces, 3 tablespoons of butter, 2 cups whipping cream, 4 eggs, 12oz dark beer, 2 tsp vanilla, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp ginger. Meanwhile, for the Apple Brandy Caramel Sauce, you should prepare 2 cups sugar, 1 tbsp light corn syrup, ½ cup water, 1 cup whipping cream, ginger powder, 1/3 cup brandy, and vanilla extract.
She started off by placing the bread into a greased 9x13 pan and soaking them in beer for one hour. She set the bread aside for the meantime and proceeded on making the cream, beginning with melting the butter in a sauce pan over low heat. After putting the vanilla extract, Bianca imparted that she always looks for something sweet whenever she is brokenhearted or going through tough time in order to increase her sugar level.
While Gillian utters how some of us tend to lose appetite because of the extreme sadness that we feel and how she craves for a warm soup whenever she’s lovesick since it is her comfort food, Bianca added the sugar and the whipped cream.
When asked by Gillian how she moved on from a heartbreak she had in the past, Bianca jested calling that person who broke her heart. But in a serious note, she confessed, “Wala akong mabigay na advice kasi ako rin, it took me some time kahit na hindi naman niya deserve ‘yong love kong ‘yon. Well, kasalanan ko rin naman ‘yon because ako naman ‘yong umasa.” Gillian comforted her by saying that it wasn’t her fault since she just loved.
Bianca then added the cinnamon powder and whisked the cream mixture until it’s smooth. Afterwards, she asked for Gillian’s help in pouring the warm cream into the bowl of beaten eggs and mixed it. They then poured the cream and egg mixture over the bread and placed cinnamon bark to make it more aromatic.
As she placed the bread pudding in the preheated 350-degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes, Bianca proceeded on creating the sauce. In a saucepan, she combined sugar, light corn syrup, and water. While she was busy stirring, Gillian remarked how really difficult it is to move on, saying, “Mahirap naman kasi talaga, hindi naman talaga siya madali kasi puso mo ‘yong binigay mo. Buong pagkatao mo ‘yong binigay mo, ‘di ba? May mga nababasa akong ‘how to move on’, pero ako, sa experience ko, hindi ko ma-let go kasi love ko pa ‘yong tao saka ‘di ko maintindihan bakit naging gano’n.”
She also added that we must know ourselves better and explore on our own, and admitted that she already got into a relationship before. Bianca, on the other hand, has never been to any romantic affair, yet had her biggest heartbreak because of a special friend of hers that she thought would be by her side forever. That made her realize, “People come and go. And you have to learn how to accept that because life keeps going.” She also jestingly expressed how much she misses that someone and how she wishes for him/her to come back.
Going back to the sauce, Bianca added the cream, a pinch of ginger powder, brandy, and vanilla extract and continued stirring it until she got the consistency she was aiming. While waiting for Bianca to be done, Gillian began demonstrating her “Adobo Beer,” which is comprised of ½ kg liempo, 1 cup apple flavored beer, a tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp garlic, salt and pepper to taste, oil, and water.
She started off by marinating the pork in a bowl by putting salt, pepper, beer, garlic, apple cider vinegar, and soy sauce. For tastier meat, she recommended it to be done for 24 hours or overnight. After marinating, she fried the pork in a pan until brown, then put water to deglaze the marinade that was stuck in the pan and poured the rest of the marinade. She let it boil until they achieve the consistency they desired.
When asked by Gillian, “Ano ‘yong mas masakit? Naging kayo o hindi naging kayo?”, Bianca chose the latter as it made her ponder about the what-could-have-beens between them and her self-worth.
Upon checking that her bread pudding was already cooked, Bianca took it out of the oven and proceeded on plating it. Gillian did the same with her Adobo Beer. While both of them were busy with their respective dishes, their fellow Rise Artist and the “may-ari ng bahay” River Joseph joined them and helped Bianca out by putting a scoop of ice cream on top of her bread puddings.
Arguably, viewers were not only inspired to create their version of these dishes, but are curious as well about River Joseph, too! So, watch out for the next episodes of “Plate Twists” to see if he’s going to join Gillian and Bianca again in their next kitchen adventures!