Flan Recipe

I made this dish for my darling dearest on his 24th birthday…It is a Mexican dessert ….sorta like a caramel custard…Very easy to make…however…very easy to screw up also…. !!! A note about making caramel…You must stir it constantly until it becomes dark-brown…not blackened charcoal! Otherwise…it would taste very bitter!!! …Patience People..don’t give up if you don’t get it the first time.

The actual way to present this dessert is to get it out of the ramekin by loosening the edges and turning it upside down, allowing the caramel to flow all over the custard. Unfortunately, I only took pictures of them while they were still in the ramekins..no worries though…the pictures still  look good and well…. the taste is superb! *Try it. This Mexican delicacy makes you look like you slaved in the kitchen for hours!*

My beloved could not stop eating this..haha…

Mexican Flan

 

This is how it is presented

 

Baking tools you’ll need:

6-8 ramekins

A baking tray big enough to fit all the ramekins

A whisk

A big baking bowl

 

Baking ingredients you’ll need:

3/4 of 1 (14 ounce can) of condense milk

1 cup of brown sugar

6 whole eggs, big ones if you can find em

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 can (14 ounce) evaporated milk

 

Here’s what you do:

Set the oven to 180 c.

1. Boil enough hot water to fill HALF the baking tray.

2. Crack all the eggs in the bowl…whisk them until they’re well blended..Now GRADUALLY add the milks…condense and evaporated..add them in phases while whisking.

3. Add the vanilla and whisk until well-blended. Set aside.

4. Place all 6-8 ramekins side-by-side in the baking tray that is filled wih hot water.

5. Here comes the tricky bit. Turn on your stove to medium heat. Place a pot over the heat and put 1 cup of sugar in there… with a wooden spatula, stir the sugar constantly….add a bit of water to start the melting process… when it becomes dark-brown, turn off the heat.

6. Spoon 1 or 2 tablespoons of caramel into each ramekin and twirl the ramekin around so the bottom bit is coated. If the sugar in your pot hardens, reheat it to melt it again.

7. Now that all your ramekins are coated with caramel, fill them with the egg mixture.

8. Place them all back in the tray filled with hot water and CAREFULLY put the tray in the oven.

9. Let your flan in the waterbath bake for 20 minutes or until the top is brown. Pierce a fork or a knife through one of the ramekins. If it comes out clean, it’s done. If it is not, lower the heat to 150 c and let it cook until you can prick a fork through it and it comes out clean.

10. Take the tray out of the oven and let cool. Once the ramekins are cool, put them in the fridge to set for about 2 hours…make sure you cover them with cling wrap to avoid loosing the moisture.

11. And finally, take them out and use a flattened-edged knife (it resembles a butter knife), or a flattened spoon and loosen the edges of the custard by going around the ramekin. Turn it upside down on a plate and tap it… Remove the ramekin and voila..perfection.!

 

If you came  this far, I am so proud of you. Baking is easy if you just apply a little love and care …tempered with a lot of patience!

Happy Eating!

Shiitake and Seafood Pasta

I got this recipe from www.allrecipes.com I adapted it to suit my taste buds and it turned out pretty good.

Shiitake Pasta

Try it for yourself.

Ingredients:

200 g of whatever pasta floats your boat

200 g of Shiitake mushrooms, add more if you see fit

1 can of baby clams or whatever seafood that suits you

Half a head of garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion or 3/4 of a big onion

White wine, add as much as you think the pasta sauce should have. For all you unadventurous, add about 100 ml

Olive oil, to coat the pan lahhhhh

200 ml chicken broth, i use maggi stock cubes to quicken the process

150-200 ml cooking cream or whipping cream

A handful of finely chopped parsley

Parmesan cheese, add as you see fit

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

Heat the olive oil. Once it’s heated, add onion and garlic and saute it. Add mushrooms and baby clams as an aroma develops. Then add chicken broth, wine and parsley. Once the sauce has cooked, add cream and salt and pepper and turn off the heat to your desired thickness.

Cook pasta. drain the water and transfer to large bowl. Pour the mushroom sauce over and mix it up; add parmesan cheese as you go and it’s done!

Yummy, yummy,  yummy… i got love in my tummy…

Spicy Spinach & Potato Frittata

I was looking through a mag today and got all excited over frittata and got an urge to make it because it’s the closest thing to quiche, which I love but my mommy never makes for me anymore .Anyway TYL thought it would be great for me to make it so I looked it up the internet and found all sorts of variations, I adapted one recipe by changing the quantity of some ingredients and adding some chilli powder to give it some oomph! And it turned out quite well, as evident when TYL hogged it all down his flabby pork belly, cute pork belly, I must say.  Anyway it would be superb to eat this with tomato salsa, that would really give it a kick! Here is the recipe:

 

6 eggs

1/2 cup cooking cream

1 bunch of spinach, cut off the big stalks

1 cup cheddar cheese

half a head of garlic, chopped

one medium-sized onion, chopped

olive oil

some chilli powder

3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes, not too big!

 

Method:

Heat the olive oil in wok, dump the potatoes and stir it around. Cover and switch to medium heat. Stir it every now and then to prevent burning for ten minutes. Beat the eggs in a bowl and beat in the cream and cheese, set aside. Get a cake tin or a pie dish probably with a 6 – 8 inch diameter and fill it with a quarter of the egg mixture. Turn on your oven to 180 degree Celcius. Return to the potatoes after ten minutes and add the garlic, onion, chilli powder, spinach and seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir it until the spinach becomes wilted. Add the mixture to the cake tin or pie dish. Pour in the remaining egg mixture. Then shove it in the oven for 20 minutes or until the frittata is firm. It should be done when a knife is pierced through the middle and it comes out clean…. and Voila!

Spinach and Potato Frittata

 

I am not an expert at cutting nor am I an expert at photography, so excuse my lack of ability please!

 

Bad Shot but good taste!

Yikes, bad cutting skills!

 

Awesome cheesy creamy goodness

 

Yi Liang, so happy to eat my cooking!

TYL, the happy Bunny

And Finally,  picture Noah at 13 weeks old.

I am so big and cute and cuddly now

 

Mommy dearest and sonny boy…….

Mother & Son