There are many versions on how to bake Leche Flan. I have shared my mom’s recipe on Leche Flan. Like I said before, the perfect flan is such that when you slice through it, it barely quivers like jello. There is very little syneresis, that is, no weeping (or lots of holes in it!). Surprisingly, I know a lot of people who likes holes in their Leche Flan. Of course, I prefer mine to be smooth I’d like to share with you another Leche Flan Recipe which is richer than my mom’s recipe because the egg whites are removed.

Ingredients
2 cans of Evaporated Milk
1 teaspoon lemond Rind
1 cup white sugar
8 egg yolks

For Caramel syrup
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water

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Posted: August 30th, 2008 under Recipes, desserts.
Comments: 4

Just looking at the photos makes me want to eat more kilawin or kinilaw na isda. Once can use either tuna or lapu-lapu fillets to make this dish. I always associate the Kinilaw with a beach outing. Preparing dishes with vinegar ensures there is little chance of food spoilage. The fish is “cooked” using vinegar as the meat turnes opaque in color. Though kinilaw may not be as popular as adobo, it certainly has a one-of-a-kind taste that many Pinoys abroad crave for.

In Philippine Food and Life (released by Anvil Publishing in 1992), Gilda Cordero-Fernando narrates of an Ilokano group who, during the Spanish period, were part of the crew English navigator Thomas Cavendish’s ship. Right after the sailors threw all the intestines of a goat into the sea, the Ilokano assistants dived into the sea for their kilawin — dipped or cooked in bile sauce or broth. The chronicler, who was ignorant of what the Pinoys were preparing, described the dish as “a disgusting mess.”

Not only goats, which is believed to be a good source of protein and calcium, however, may be made into kilawin. Beef, carabeef, fish, shelfish, including octopus are also popular options.

(Sources: Alegre, Edilberto N. and Fernandez, Doreen G. “Kinilaw: A Philippine Cuisine of Freshness.” Bookmark Inc.,1991;Cordero, Gilda Fernando. “Philippine Food and Life.” Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, 1992)

Kilawin na isda is so easy to prepare too.

Here are the ingredients:

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Posted: August 29th, 2008 under Recipes, Seafood.
Comments: none

The lapu-lapu is always a special dish. Childhood memories of our family dinner involves a feast of lapu-lapu topped with sweet and sour sauce known escabeche. Escabeche has a slight ginger taste to it unlike the Chinese version of sweet and sour sauce. I am not sure if this is a Cebuano version of the sweet and sour sauce because I have not tasted it here in Manila.

Here is how I prepare it:

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Posted: August 28th, 2008 under Recipes, Seafood.
Comments: none

I never knew how to make ginataan until I became a mother. I recall eating ginataan as a child but never took the time to cook it as I was growing up. Even when I took up Principles in Food Preparation in UP Diliman under the late Matilde P. Guzman and learned the technique of Extracting Coconut Cream and Coconut Milk, I still didn’t take time to cook a batch of this yummy filipino merienda fare. Anyway, by the time I became a mother, I decided to cook it for my kids. Here is my recipe.

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Posted: August 25th, 2008 under Coconut Milk, Filipino Delicacies, Noche Buena, Pork, Recipes.
Comments: none

Adobo flakes is a hit in the family. It is quite easy to prepare. Just cook some adobo or recycle leftover Adobo, shred into flakes and toast to the right combination of chewy and crisp perfection. My husband prepared Adobo Flakes for the kids yesterday.

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Posted: August 24th, 2008 under Pork, Recipes.
Comments: 2

Chili Con Carne is one of the comfort foods that I remember in my childhood days. I remember placing chili con carne over rice enjoying the right amount of spicy flavors. It’s an all-time favorite food with my children. My kids are different. They also eat it with rice but add grated cheddar cheese on the top of the chili con carne. I know there are variations of Chili con Carne.

Chili con carne (often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew-like dish. The essential ingredients are chili peppers and meat. Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, often include tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin, beans, and other ingredients. The name “chili con carne” is a slight corruption of the Spanish chile con carne, which means peppers with meat.

There are indeed many variations and I prefer to have more of the beef than beans. I also like to add tomato paste which some believe shouldn’t be in the recipe. Here is my recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 kilo lean ground beef
400 grams red kidney bean
2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 onions, chopped

1/2 cup Tomato paste
1-2 cups water
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
4 pieces siling labuyo
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

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Posted: August 22nd, 2008 under Beef, Recipes.
Comments: 2

I started my herb garden when we moved to our new home. It’s a great feeling to pick freshly homegrown basil and add it to our pasta. This afternoon, I cooked Shrimp and Pasta with Pesto sauce to make up for the Lechon Manok that I was supposed to buy.

Here is the recipe.

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Posted: August 17th, 2008 under Pasta, Recipes, Seafood.
Comments: 3