Ube Ub-session

In case you didn't know, May was Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. I know school is out for the summer, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to Google educate myself on the many ways their contributions have help create what we consider to be the very fabric of "America."

I was inspired to honor their past and present by subtly sprinkling little tidbits of information about their culture and accomplishments throughout the layers of my foodie column. It was a fantastic idea. It could have been great. Maybe, it could have garnered the attention of the national media outlets forcing me to request time off from my day job to make appearances on the morning talk show circuit. You could have exchanged "I remember when ..." stories while watching my Netflix special ...

I guess we will never know.

What really happened?

I became ube (oo-bay) obsessed.

This deceptive doughnut started my ube escapades.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

This deceptive doughnut started my ube escapades.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

After reading about Crepe Girardeau's "The Christine" ube crepe named in honor of the owner's former teacher, a Filipina, I recalled eating an ube doughnut in Hawaii a couple of months ago. I wasn't blown away by the flavor, but I decided I should give it another go.

Early Saturday morning I headed straight to the Crepe Girardeau food truck and discovered — I love ube. Yes, I fell in love with a little, native to the Philippines, purple yam.

I demolished my crepe while scouring Tik Tok for some ube-inspiration, then, still drunk on ube love, I drove straight to the Pacific Rim Asian market and demanded everything ube. OK, maybe "demanded" is too strong of a word. I politely asked about ube, and the owners were more than happy to oblige.

In addition to a couple of purple yams, I purchased some popular ube snack items to taste test.

First, I made an ube, mascarpone, cheddar grilled cheese sandwich, which I found surprisingly enjoyable. I may need to experiment with the ube jam a bit more.

The Pacific Rim Market, located at 1537 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau, has everything you need to create your own everything ube adventure.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

The Pacific Rim Market, located at 1537 Independence St. in Cape Girardeau, has everything you need to create your own everything ube adventure.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

Next, I tried the Goldilocks brand Ube Ensaymada. It is a sweet brioche bread twisted with ube creamed butter and cheddar cheese. You simply remove it from the package then toast it for a few minutes. I was in utter cheesy carb heaven, and it was easily my favorite ube item after the fresh crepe.

My next favorites were the individually wrapped ube spongecake-like snacks. They had a light vanilla flavor and a unique dense texture which I think would perfectly accompany a morning cup of joe. My open minded and adventurous co-workers agreed — whatever it was called, it was a win.

The last thing we tried was a small, round, macaron-sized ube treat. Three out of four of us were not fans. It had a rich and savory almost fig-like taste which some of us found to be a bit overpowering. Of course, the person who did enjoy it was the only one with prior ube expertise.

By the end of the week, I had hit ube rock bottom. It was the purple yam version of a hangover, and I didn't care if I ever saw an ube again.

I searched through my vacation photos for a picture of the doughnut that sent me down the ube rabbit hole and discovered ... it wasn't even ube. It was that purple-ish staple of Hawaiian cuisine: poi. It was the poi mochi doughnut from the Liliha Bakery in Waikiki. Oops.

It may already be June, but it's never too late to explore, appreciate and celebrate some of the sights, sounds and flavors of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage.

Ube jam can be easily incorporated into your own familiar dishes.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo

Ube jam can be easily incorporated into your own familiar dishes.Submitted by Mary Ann Castillo