Of Leche Flan

Leche Flan is definitely my favorite dessert. It's sweet and creamy, and it just melts in your mouth. Leche Flan is the Philippines' version of Creme Caramel. It's apparently the same thing as a Latin American Flan.  According to Wikipedia, it's a custard dessert. Leche Flan is very easy to make. If I were in the Philippines, I would steam this dessert until it's done, but since I'm not and I'm too lazy for that, I'm going to bake it. The hardest part is probably making the syrup for the caramel topping, but there is a shortcut. So here it is ladies and gentlemen,

A Lazy Person's Lech Flan:
9 egg yolks
1 can evaporated milk
1 can condensed milk (if you're lazy like me) If you're watching the sugar, you decrease this amount to about 2/3 of the can.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dark Corn Syrup  This is my shortcut for making the syrup. I've also used maple syrup and it still works nicely

1. Place the egg yolks, evaporated milk and condensed milk in a bowl. Add the vanilla extract. Mix slowly*.

2. In the mold of your choice*, place a thin layer of corn syrup. The syrup should just cover the bottom of your mold.

3. Strain your egg and milk mixture into the mold*.  Place the mold in your bigger container. Fill the container with water. Make sure the water level covers at least half the mold, but do not let it overflow.

4. Cover the mold with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 370 degress Farenheit oven for about an hour or until  a fork/toothpick comes out clean when you poke it. (The fork method is more reliable, so once you hit the 45 minute mark, check to see if it's done, then add baking time if needed)

5. Remove the mold from the water bath and allow it to cool totally before transporting or eating. (Trust me you do want to see what happens if you don't) When you are ready to eat it, which I hope you are by now, run a knife around the edges of the mold to loosen it up. Place a plate over the mold and turn it upside down. The flan should easily slip out perfectly onto your plate. Enjoy!


*To prevent bubbles from forming in out flan, we want to stir it slowly. We want a smooth and creamy leche flan, so bubbles are a no no.
*I prefer the traditional flanera, but I have a friend who has used a large ceramic container. She said it still worked. Whichever mold you choose, make sure you have a bigger container you can use for a water bath. *Straining the mixture into the mold removes all the other egg parts that just won't mix into the mixture.

PS. A friend of mine told me that she hated flan...that was until she tasted this flan. Now, the moment I say I'm going to make some, she just appears out of nowhere ready to eat this.

Picnic which my Leche Flan. The only problem with it was that there was too much syrup...though I know a few people who had absolutely no problem with that.

Of Christmases in the Desert

So I spent Christmas in Qatar. Yup, that's where the World Cup's going to be in 2022.

This is what this little construction site is going to be:

Solar powered lights, anyone?

The Souq, or the marketplace.

Rugs

Doha's city center

Businessmen need their rest too.

Sunset in Doha

Of Houston and Being Stuck

I had an extremely long layover last month. Unintentionally. I guess that's what happens when you use employee dependent tickets. Sure they're cheaper and sure I had a business class seat, but as long as you're not a revenue passenger, you'll always be subjected to load. 

So, I decided to make proper use of my time and explore the Museum District in Houston. Since I didn't drive, I only managed to go to three museums. Very fine museums, I must say. The first was the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the second was the Museum of Fine Arts, and finally, the Contemporary Arts Museum. All are a must go. Just make sure you you book your ticket home. Houston isn't exactly a friendly place for people who like taking public transportation, nor is it great for people who like to walk, like me. And aside from the Museum District, Rice University, Theater District and the Johnson Space Center, there's wasn't really much I wanted to see.

Houston Museum of Natural Science

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Triceratops...are they a whole species on their own or are they just younger versions of another dinosaur?

Shells from the Philippines. Didn't know there were so many.

This little plaza was beautiful.

Of Snow and Michigan

I have only seen snow once in my lifetime, and it was in the middle of desert in Jordan on the way to Petra. It was basically a tiny mushy puddle of snow in a ditch in the middle of the highway. The driver of our tour-van (it was a van with just my family inside) stopped suddenly and said we could get down if we wanted to play with snow. We managed to make tiny snowmen and throw a few muddy snowballs around. We even managed to get the driver to join us.

Mini Snowman

Fast forward to the 2010. My boyfriend invited me to visit Michigan for Thanksgiving. Immediately my mind thought snow. And that's exactly what we got. Though there wasn't enough snow to cover the grasses, there was enough to have a bigger snowball fight. It was also so much colder than Jordan.

You can still see a little white where the snow is.

Me, being up close to a cow for the first time in my life.

And being up close to a horse too, for the first time in my life. I realize that I am such a city person that I've never really been exposed to animals all that much.

This is suppose to be a picture of a partially frozen river.

Cadillac, MI

Lake Michigan

I love the little accumulations of snow. 

A very decent snowball.

Of Lake Alice, Harn Museum and St. Augustine

When people think of Florida, there are three things they think of: sun, sand and the Everglades. Yes, I know people think of other things too like the Daytona 500, Universal Studios and Disney World. Like any other place, there are other beautiful places in Florida. Some, like Lake Alice and the Harn Museum, are hidden in bigger places, the University of Florida in this case. Others are a bit more well known. Case in point, St. Augustine. (Did you know that St. Augustine is the patron saint of brewers?)

At the banks of Lake Alice. I took this photo in December last year, so there were no alligators. We were lucky enough, though to see a tortoise. In the summer, the lake is teeming with alligators. Most of them are quite tiny, but a friend of mine once saw a five-footer on her way to the lab. Good thing she was on the bus.

  

A sculpture outside the Harn Museum. The museum mostly shows modern and contemporary art. There is one Monet, if I'm not mistaken. Right next to it is the Florida Museum of Natural History. If you love butterflies, this is a place to go. 

      

St. Augustine is the oldest European-established city in the USA. The moment I saw it, I had to laugh. It so obviously was established by the Spaniards. The biggest indicator in my knowledge? The Castillos de San Marcos looked exactly like Intramuros in Manila. The same curtain walls, the same towers etc. It's almost like the Spaniards had some sort of template.

All photographs were taken by me.