It's the Revenge of the Virus: Do not Give Thanks. I was completely shut down on Friday, as whatever new virus inhabiting my body wrecked havoc on my sinuses. Unforgivingly battering the weaknesses in my immunal armor. Even being drugged up and knocked out, I fought a losing battle. Even today, I lack energy to fight though the enemy has subsided for the time being. Looks as though it may have found a new host to attack, a more formidable enemy presenting more of a challenge than I obviously provided. Though I still feel very damaged. I just hope that I manage to keep under the radar for that psycho stomach flu that has ravaged through several of my peers. I'm just going to hide from the world until I manage to pull together my bleeding forces and regroup. Unfortunately, I only have 3 days to do that because Thanksgiving is on Thursday. Time to pump me full of vitamins and other herbal home remedies plus enough cold medicine to knock me out every night. Hopefully that will finally blast what remains of this horrid virus down to the depths of hell where it belongs.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm excited that it's here. This year we plan on frying the turkey. It will be our first attempt at frying this baby up ourselves, so hopefully it all turns out. Otherwise, that's 13 lbs of turkey down the drain. All the research and planning and preparation in the world pales in comparison to actual experience when it comes to attempting a new manner of cooking. Another first for this year will be my first attempt to make Mamang Taba's famous Leche Flan. Mmmm. My favorite. My family never fails to remind me of one holiday in my youth in which I disappeared, only to have them find me crouched in the corner with one entire pan of the sweet delicious creme custard. Hoarding it all to myself and managing to eat it all myself. And I wonder why I have huge thighs...
I attempted a trial run last night, having listened intently as my Ninang recited my great grandmother's recipe from heart. Scribbling carefully detailed instructions across 2 note pad pages with the secrets of the most perfect leche flan known to man. At least, to me. So this attempt was important in order to hone my leche flan making skills. Trial #1 started off well, preparing the ingredients for the caramelized syrup. Separating the yolks from the whites for the custard...waiting for the syrup to thicken. Then it went to hell in a matter of seconds. So I'm stirring the syrup, waiting for that tell tale sign it's ready, though from a verbal instruction, although very detailed, it is extremely difficult to determine what the hell I'm looking for. I'm stirring and I'm stirring, and the syrup is boiling and bubbling and after a long while, I decide...screw it let's try to use this. But the second I turn off the heat, ROCK HARD sugar. Needless to say, I flipped my shit. Wide eyed, I told my husband I think I ruined a pan. Thankfully his brains were still functioning and told me to throw it in the sink. As he was calming me down and so lovingly helping me scrape out the sauce pan, we discussed how I inadvertently made rock candy and that I probably wasn't the first person do to so.
Since I had already done the custard portion, I had to try the syrup again. The second time, I used a candy thermometer as recommended by my husband to help me from totally screwing up a second batch. If I had been using my brains I may have thought of it, but seeing as my brain was half functioning, I'm glad he was there to help. This time, I stood at the pan the entire time watching and stirring to make sure I didn't miss that key point where the syrup teeters the edge of supersaturation, when it is thick enough for the recipe. I stopped it probably well before I should have, but since my Ninang is vacationing in the Philippines and won't be returning until Weds, I left it at that and will have to ask her to show me the technique rather than describing it to me in words.
In baking the custard, I tried to keep a close eye on the cooking process, to make sure I didn't do anything else wrong. But, alas, in my haste I used the convection setting on my oven, and though I cut down the temperature by 25°F and set the timer to 2/3 the time of the recipe, I still almost burned it when I checked on it after 30 minutes. I have yet to taste this creation but sent one off with the hubby to work as promised to a Filipino coworker of his. I'm ecstatic to report that even with the mishaps I encountered, it still exceeded the expectations of a fellow Filipino, considering it was my first attempt ever to make it. HOORAY! The final test will be when I taste it and if I indeed managed to pull it off, only my own discerning tongue will be able to tell.
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