Lorena's Mom's Flan

My friend Lorena who is doing an amazing job keeping my DC blog, DC Gastronome, posted this recently and the recipe is fantastic. Hope you give it a go. Cheers.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Farenheit.

5 whole eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 can of condensed milk (nestle la lechera, if available)

1 can evaporated milk (carnation, if available)

For caramel:Half a cup of sugar

Combine all ingredients for flan using a blender or a whisk (I always use the blender). In a cast-iron skillet, caramelize sugar, stirring with a wooden spoon (shortcut: break some brittle into pieces (pecan works great) and stick it in the mold) pour caramel into the bottom of the flan mold (if using a single one) or ramekins. Put the mold or ramekins in a metal mold or Pirex half-filled with water and bake for aprox. 1 hour.

SNOB Continues Its Wednesday Wine Tastings

Last night SNOB Wine Bar continued its Wednesday wine tasting series with a flight of German whites. Right up my alley as I prefer whites to reds, generally speaking, and enjoy a bit of sweetness, but not too much, in some whites. On offer were three wines. The first was Schloss Saarstein Riesling 2006. The wine featured rich flavors and a bit of minerality and a smooth, slightly sweet finish. Very tasty. The second selection was a P.J. Valckenberg Kabinett 2006 which exuded rich fruit flavors such as apricot as well as a tropical aroma all finished with a bit of crisp acidity. Definitely my favorite of the evening. The last selection was a Leth Steinagrund 2007. The wine was more dry than the other two and had a citrus finish on the palate. A nice way to end the tasting. The tasting is $10 and includes a flight of the selected wines and cheese, crackers and grapes. Hope you stop by to enjoy.

SNOB Wine Bar
1327 Polk Street
www.sfsnob.com

Wine Tastings at SNOB Wine Bar on Polk

SNOB (Sonoma Napa Or Beyond) Wine Bar on Polk Street is a really cozy wine bar which has a nice and well-priced wine list, as well as a dim and romantic vibe and very friendly servers. They have started a series of wine tastings, usually held on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9pm, and they are a lot of fun. For $10 you get three fairly generous pours out of a list of five or six options, all along the same theme, as well as crackers, cheese and grapes. The last tasting featured French wines, including a Fleur Haut Gaussens Bourdeaux Suprieur, a Marc Kreydenweiss Andlau Riesling, a Bouvet Signature Brut, a Montlouis Sur Loire, a Vin D'Alsace Pinot Blanc. I had the Riesling which was light and fruity and only slightly sweet, quite delicious, and two pours of the Pinot Blanc which was dry and floral and quite pleasant. It's a good deal, a fun spot and the crowd is usually good, so I hope you pop by to enjoy. The next tasting is scheduled for Wednesday, August 20.

SNOB Wine Bar

1327 Polk Street in San Francisco

http://www.sfsnob.com/