Ensaymada Challenge

I spent all of last night and all of today researching for a good ol' traditional ensaymada recipe. Honestly, I am not really a fan of ensaymada; I do not believe I ever had a craving for it. What ensaymada to me are two things- it reminds me so much of my childhood, my mom and dad loved ensaymada and would buy a gigantic one whenever we drive home from visiting our ancestral home in Bulacan.

The gigantic ensaymada had salted duck's eggs on top, along with the traditional butter, sugar and cheeze topping. My mom would slice it in wedges, pizza style- and would almost always exclaim that they no longer make ensaymadas the way they used to. Now- all throughout my life- I would hear that phrase whenever we eat pinoy stuff like pandesal or quesong puti or pancit palabok. Someone older than I would declare that traditional pinoy cooking is a dying art, that our generation is shortchanged as we did not have the chance to enjoy genuine Filipino cuisine the way it is supposed to be.

Hence my quest now for good old fashioned ensaymada recipe.

The other reason why I am challenged to make ensaymadas is because I am aware that it is a long and tedious process; it is not just a test of one's baking skills but it is also a test of one's patience.

If I should have a third reason is because today is Mother's Day and I would like to honor our dear Mommy Indes. It is she, along with our dear Dada, who raised my brothers and I and molded us to who we are now; that feisty lady who demonstrated to me what devotion to a beloved husband is like. I have fond memories of making ensaymadas with my mom and my brother Koo (our term of endearment for Kuya Kit), how much we enjoyed rolling the soft dough and how in many occasions we had to discard a batch due to discoloration for playing with it too much (it was already gray :)

This has become a self-imposed challenge of sorts. I must make ensaymada. I will make ensaymada!

Stay tuned!
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