WATCH: Cool treats for the summer: Ice cream fit for a Pope, halo-halo topped with cheese

In Laguna, there are cows that listen to classical music every day—and the milk they produce is used to make ice cream that's good enough for a Pope.

According to a report on "Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho" on Sunday, after Pope Francis' five-day visit to the country in January, there was Filipino-made ice cream on Shepherd One for him to enjoy on the long flight back to Rome.



Carmen's Best—named after business owner Paco Magsaysay's daughter—sources its milk from its dairy farm in Laguna, where the cows feast on grass and listen to classical music all day to ensure that they are relaxed and stress-free.

The report did not state which flavors the company sent to the Pope, but the rich chocolate mudpie-with-chocolate-chips indulgence known by the name "He's Not Worth It" was probably not among them.

Grated cheese on halo-halo

Innovation can also be found in how ice cream is served. Ice cream stall Jipangyi pipes soft-serve ice cream into the hollow of J-shaped cones made of corn. Scoops of ice cream are then added to both ends of the J.

"Jipangyi" means "walking stick" in Korean, and it's an apt name as the curved cone looks like the handle of a cane or an umbrella.

In Mandaue City, Cebu, a shop looks to another Asian neighbor—Singapore—for inspiration.

"We first tasted [ice cream sandwiches] in Singapore. [My boyfriend] really thought that it would be better if we open one here in Cebu because we notice that a lot of Cebuanos also are craving for ice cream sandwiches," said store proprietor Jephthah Yapha in a report by GMA Cebu.

The shop offers ice cream sandwiched between biscuits, wafers, bread, cookies and, most popularly, brownies.

But for Filipinos, when it comes to combining ice cream with other treats, nothing beats the halo-halo.

At DJC Halo-Halo in Tiwi, Albay, diners can expect the usual halo-halo fixings of gulaman, ube, leche flan, shaved ice, milk and sago to be topped with an unusual ingredient: grated cheese.

Proprietor Domingo Clutario started selling halo-halo in 1987—and the recipe has not changed in the nearly 30 years since. — with a report by Joel Locsin/BM, GMA News