Virgie's - the House that Mango Tarts Built!

The first time I visited Bacolod in the early 90s, I was told to forget the piaya but to make sure I tried the mango tarts from a lady named Virgie. I managed to find the house from which she sold her mango tarts and was instantly hooked!

Made with gooey mango jam encased and baked in pie pastry, each tart or mini empanada was an invitation to have another one.

I would order from Ilonggo friends and hoard my stash in the refrigerator.

Of course as the years wore on, Virgie would bring her products to Manila through the Negros Trade Fair and much later on, she even had carts and kiosks in some malls in the city.

The mango tarts now come in very attractive boxes, good for gifts and pasalubong when going abroad. The tarts keep for a few weeks, as long as you keep them refrigerated.

I like bringing them back to room temperature when I'm ready to eat them.

Or, you can put them in the toaster oven for a couple of minutes.

On this trip to Bacolod, I was really glad to see that all her success from mango tarts and a host of other baked goodies has taken Virgie's store out of her modest home to this spanking new building! You can find all her delicacies here, all branded Virgie's, in attractive and colorful packaging -- it is a showcase of what hard work and a great product can do!

Here is my other favorite -- Virgie's Caramel tarts! These bring back memories of tarts that I used to eat when I was very young. Virgie's caramel tarts feature dark bittersweet caramel with that slight burnt sugar taste.

Each tart has a very retro looking squiggle of meringue piped on top.

A word of warning though -- if you have sugar issues, stay away.

While they are not too sweet, they are definitely habit forming!