Lionel Donio Lehmann

Basic Polvoron

When we are still in the Philippines, we used to go to Goldilocks to buy different types of Polvoron flavor. In all the varieties, I still like the traditional polvoron flavor compared to pinipig, strawberry, cookies and cream, and the polvoron with cashew nuts.

Ingredients :

2 cups all-purpose flour (or cake flour)
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup melted butter

(Metric Cooking Conversion)

Cooking Procedures :

Toast flour in a skillet over moderate heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown, stirring constantly. Add powdered milk (or infant formula, it works too!), toss for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool.
If desired, transfer to a large bowl. Add in sugar and melted butter. Mix thoroughly until it has about the consistency of damp sand.
Use a round or oval polvoron molder and shape them into compact bite-size cakes.
Wrap them in tissue or Japanese paper.

Leche Flan Recipe

Ingredients :

12 egg yolks, beaten
1 can (354 mL) evaporated milk (or whole milk)
1 can (410 mL) condensed milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
water, for steaming

Caramel

3 tbsp. water
1 cup light brown sugar

(Food Measurement Conversion)

Cooking Procedures :

Prepare individual llanera (or two 9 x 2 in. / 23 x 5 cm. flan molds); set aside.
Prepare the Caramel: In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil; reduce the heat to low before adding the sugar. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes or until the sugar caramelizes or turns amber. Immediately pour the caramelized sugar into prepared individual flan molds. Swirl the flan molds to evenly spread the caramel. Set the molds aside.
Prepare the steamer. Place a steamer in a large saucepan or a wok. Pour in water to just below the steamer; bring to boil.
In a bowl, combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, sugar and vanilla. Gently pass the beaten eggs through a strainer into the bowl. Stir to combine and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared flan molds containing the caramel.
Cover the molds with aluminum foil, arrange into the steamer (water should already boiling before placing the molds inside); steam for 30 minutes or until firm. Set aside to cool and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
To serve: Run a knife along the edges of the flan molds to loosen. For individual flans, turn the molds over onto a platter or individual plates. For a larger flans, place a platter on top of the mold; holding the platter tightly to the mold, quickly turn upside down. The flan should come out easily with the caramel on top.
Serves 6 to 8.

My First Blog Post

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.
— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Introduce Yourself (Example Post)

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
What topics do you think you’ll write about?
Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.