WHILE melamine-laced milk and food products still hog the headlines, it?s business as usual for Florabel Co. The chef behind renowned restaurants Florabel?s, Café Ten Titas, Commons, Floring?s Famous BBQ, Sumo Sam and Felix has no reason for anxiety; she has used Milkmaid full cream condensed milk since she was in high school at the Immaculate Conception Academy. In school she sold sweets to classmates.

The chef continues to use it today, demonstrating how to make two family recipes?Milkmaid Chocolate Cupcake with fresh strawberry topping and Milkmaid Creamy de Conditos?before a room full of hungry guests at Felix, Greenbelt 5, for the re-launch of the 30-year-old milk brand, now manufactured and marketed in the Philippines by Alaska Milk Corp.

Besides the fact that Milkmaid?s milk comes from Australia and New Zealand (meaning it?s melamine-free), its sweet, rich taste made from 100-percent pure cow?s milk explains why it remains a staple ingredient among chefs and moms after over three decades. Basketball courtside reporter Patricia Ann Bermudez-Hizon, who hosted the Milkmaid event, says she uses it to make a mean buko salad, and added that her mother and grandmother favored the full cream condensed milk as well for their leche flan.

Yema balls with ube jalaya, chocolate cake with yema filling, coconut jelo and coffee jelo espresso all made with Milkmaid were also prepared by Chef Florabel and served in a filling lunch buffet that capped the event. Wish you were here? Whipping up these two recipes by Chef Florabel is the next best thing.

Milkmaid Chocolate

Cupcake with fresh strawberry topping

Ingredients

2 c crushed Grahams
? c cocoa powder
1 c chopped dark sweet chocolate
1 can Milkmaid full cream sweetened condensed milk
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Procedure

1. In a bowl, mix crushed Grahams, cocoa powder, and ? cup dark sweet chocolate. Set aside.

2. In another bowl, mix the Milkmaid full cream sweetened condensed milk, egg and vanilla. Pour in graham mixture and mix.

3. Divide into muffin pan lined with paper cups and bake for 15 minutes.

4. When cooked, sprinkle the remaining chopped dark sweet chocolate in muffins until it is melted.

Milkmaid Creamy de Conditos

Ingredients

? k macaroni elbow noodles
1 can Milkmaid full cream sweetened condensed milk
2 c mayonnaise
100 g chicken fillet, boiled, shredded
150 g bacon bits
75 g chopped shallots
225 g pineapple tidbits
100 g cashew nuts
Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Boil macaroni noodles. Set aside.

2. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients then add the noodles.

3. Refrigerate before serving.