Sizzling sun and rising temperatures? Check. Exciting vacation plans? Double check. Something to keep you cool this summer? Triple check!
The United Kingdom’s number one gelato brand Carte D’Or arrives in Manila just in time for the peak of summer! Manila is the first country in Southeast Asia to get a taste of Carte D’or’s delicious creamy mixtures, so keep your eyes peeled (and tastebuds ready) for this heat-busting treat as it will soon be available in the market.
(Carte D’Or makes its Southeast Asian debut in the Philippines)
In a launch led by renowned pastry chef Miko Aspiras, members of the media were given a preview of the what goes into the much-loved dessert brand’s gelato-making process. The takeaway? Recipes don’t have to be full of complicated ingredients to taste amazing. As chef Miko explains, when it comes to gelato — or specifically Carte D’Or gelato — it all boils down to quality over quantity. When you have the best ingredients to start with, everything else follows smoothly and you’ve already done half the work!
“Carte D’Or Gelato was crafted with the idea of offering something that’s more than just ice cream,” says Carte D’Or brand manager Earl Keh.
Chef Miko further explains that what sets Carte D’or is that its flavors are made with what “provenance” in mind. That means that for every creative flavor they think of, they make sure to source ingredients straight from their countries of origin, ensuring that all ingredients taste the way they were always meant to, with no interference from additives like excessive sugars, syrups and flavorings.
“We take pride in sourcing from only the best, no matter where it takes us; from Australian butter to pistachios harvested from South Australia and California, to Belgian chocolate to hazelnuts grown in Turkey,” Earl adds.
For the inquisitive palate, it’s also worth knowing that gelato isn’t just a close cousin of ice cream, or a distant aunt of the sorbet with only a few factors to distinguish them from each other. Gelato is a completely different recipe from the two; it relies heavily on the use of full-bodied creams as its base, is definitely not as icy as and is churned much more slowly and deliberately. In fact, the technology of modern gelato-making machines is based on the decades-old manual process of churning gelato.
It’s exactly this that makes Carte D’Or much more flavorful and dense. Even when it starts to melt, you still get the same burst of flavor until the last scoop and never, ever end up with a watered down, liquid soup of a dessert! Tradition and a sharp taste for authentic flavor — that’s what you get with every taste of Carte D’Or.
Follow chef Miko as he continues to work with Carte D’Or in the Philippines because he promises Filipinos something even more awesome is bound to come their way. This chef who gets to contribute to Carte D’Or’s creative process says, “I want more local flavors, unexpected local flavors… locally conceived flavors that are very Filipino.” He refuses to say anything more than that, so we’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store!
For now, allow Carte D’Or to make gelato your new favorite dessert with the first four flavors to make it to Manila: Salted Caramel that brings the goodness of real Australian cream; Double Dark Chocolate that uses decadent Belgian chocolate; Pistachio whose raw nuts come from the sun-kissed vistas of South Australia; and California and Chocolate Hazelnut whose hazelnuts are sourced only from lush, rolling hills of Turkey.
Carte D’Or Gelato will be available in select supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide on May 23. For updates, follow them @cartedorph.
