Creamy Leche Flan

Leche Flan is one of the famous desserts for Filipino homes and its easy to cook too. While there are many suggestions on the ingredients used and procedures like separating the egg yolks from the egg whites and use the egg yolks alone while wasting the egg whites. I cook a leche flan different from the traditional ways of doing it. Whats good about it is you don’t have to separate egg yolks from the egg whites because you will be using whole eggs, you'll be surprised how creamy and yummy your leche flan will be. Just follow the recipe.


 

Ingredients:

4 large eggs (if eggs are small make it (8) and (6) for medium sized eggs)
1 can condensed milk (same size/quantity sold here in Ph)
1 can evaporated milk (same size/quantity sold here in Ph)
1 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup sugar for caramelizing

Procedure:

1. In a medium heat place sugar in a non-stick pan and and allow it to melt , (you can also caramelize the sugar on an 8-inch pan) making sure not to burn the sugar as it will taste bitter. Once done transfer it to your molder or if you caramelize the sugar in the molder just remove it from heat and set aside.

2. Prepare the steamer or you can preheat the oven at 295 degrees. In a bowl combine eggs, milk and vanilla mix well making it homogenous. Strain the flan mixture 2x and finally strain once more using a cheese cloth or any clean cloth to make your flan homogeneous to your caramelize sugar and cover it with aluminum foil (don’t cover if you will be using an oven)

3. When the steamer is ready or already boiling place your flan mixture covered with aluminum foil and steam for 30-45 minutes on medium heat. If using oven, submerged the molder/pan uncovered into a larger pan with water about 1 inch up the sides of of the leche flan pan- aka water bath.

4. Steam for 30 minutes on medium heat (or bake for about 1 hr at 295 deg F). Its done if a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or try wiggling it if it wiggles like a jello at the center then its done, if its still watery bake/steam once more.

5. Once done let it cool before removing from the molder/pan. Enjoy!

Preparing Black Sambo Dessert

Preparing Black Sambo Dessert 

Black Sambo is a two layered gelatin or you can prepare a four layered gelatin, made of creamy milk and chocolate, also called the Christmas Dessert because it is always present during Christmas. It's basically easy to cook and serve, you don't need any skill to cook it. 

So I decided to cook Black Sambo with the inspiration of some friends who really loved it when we went to a party where Black Sambo was served. Another reason why I wanted to cook it is that there were ingredients available in the house and will expire soon, I just bought the additional ingredients needed :).
So here is the recipe of the Black Sambo.

Black Sambo Recipe

Ingredients:

White layer:
1. 2 envelopes of Knox Gelatin (this time I wasn't able to find any Knox Gelatin so I used 1 box of Alsa Gulaman and divided the Gulaman for both the white and brown layer)
2. 1 pack (250ml) All Purpose Cream
3. 1 can (301ml) Condensed Milk
4. 1/2 cup cold water

Brown Layer:

1. 2 envelopes of Knox Gelatin (this time I wasn't able to find any Knox Gelatin so I used 1 box of Alsa Gulaman and divided the Gulaman for both the white and brown layer)

2. 1 can (378ml) Evaporated Milk
3. 1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder (again this time I wasn't able to find the Hersheys brand so I used Rich Baker's Cocoa Powder)
4. 3/4 cup Sugar
5. 1/2 cup cold water

Procedure:

White layer:

1. Dissolve the 2 packs of Knox Gelatin in a pot with 1/2 cup of cold water.
- For Alsa Gulaman, dissolve half of the Alsa Gulaman in a pot with 1/2 cup cold water.
2. Cook over low to medium heat until the gelatin dissolves.
3. Add 1 can of condensed milk to the gelatin while stirring constantly.
4. Cook for 5-10 minutes while stirring constantly.
5. Add 1 box of All Purpose Cream to the mixture and cook for another 3-5 minutes while constantly stirring.
6. Remove from heat and pour mixture in a mold, let it cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate for 2-4 hours until set.

Brown layer:

1. Dissolve the 2 packs of Knox Gelatin in a pot with 1/2 cup of cold water.
- For Alsa Gulaman, dissolve half of the Alsa Gulaman in a pot with 1/2 cup cold water.
2. Cook over low to medium heat until the gelatin dissolves.
3. In a separate bowl mix 1/2 cup of cocoa powder (Hershey's Cocoa Powder or Rich Cocoa Powder) and 3/4 cup of sugar.
4. Add the cocoa mixture to the gelatin while stirring to dissolve cocoa powder cook for 3-5minutes.
5. Add 1 can of evaporated milk and cook it for 5-10 minutes while constantly stirring.
6. Remove from heat and pour mixture on top of the white layer, let it cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate for 2-4 hours until set.
7. Once set, unmold by running a knife or spatula around the molding.
8. Garnish it with Hershey's chocolate syrup or ground peanuts to compliment the sweetness.
9. Serve and enjoy your Black Sambo dessert.

Try it yourself and tell us your experience.