US men’s mag GQ hails ube as the next big thing in dessert

“The purple yam is coming soon to a bakery near you.”

This is what Matthew Moll wrote in his article, “What you need to know about ube, the Filipino ingredient invading the dessert world,” which was published on the website of US men’s magazine Gentlemen’s Quarterly or GQ on Jun 29, 2016.

Moll introduced the ube, writing, “it’s purple, subtle, and a staple at Filipino potlucks. And now it’s starting to stake a claim for itself here in the U.S. For the uninitiated, ube (pronounced OO-BAE) is a purple yam/sweet potato that is common in the Philippines and on every tita’s dessert table.”

Moll explained that “chefs have long been using ube powder and jam in their baked goods, but now a few are drawing direct inspiration from the original source material.”

The article goes on to cite the US-based culinary players who have come up with various ube-based desserts.

First, Moll highlights the Manila Social Club in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which serves the Golden Cristal Donut, whose batter is “a mix of ube mousse and Cristal champagne, and then covered in gold flakes.”

The donuts are sold at US$1,000 per dozen.

As Manila Social Club chef Björn dela Cruz related, “Every Friday we make 40 dozen ube donuts and they all sell out. People come back and there is a three-week waiting period.”

The Manila Social Club also serves a “more humble” ube donut variant called Ube Bae. (See header photo and below.)

Moll likewise noted: “(The ube) also made some mainstream noise in March from a collab between two non-Filipinos: Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Food and Sam Mason of Oddfellows Ice Cream Co. The pair came up with the Ube Oddpocket ice cream sandwich, pictured above, which features ube ice cream in a hot brioche bun that’s then drizzled with coconut dulce de leche.”

The article also featured the ube cheesecake served at Jeepney, a Filipino gastropub based in New York City.

You know what they say about New York City, right? “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” That said, ube has definitely arrived.