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/

Slow Food Festival

You probably heave already heard of the Slow Food Movement, and this year we are so lucky to be in the Bay Area as the group is putting on the annual Slow Food Nation Festival here in San Francisco. There will be two full days of slow food booths, tastings and jazz and other music in Fort Mason, as well as numerous dinners over Labor Day weekend as well as the surrounding weekdays and other events as well. For more information please visit http://slowfoodnation.org/events/the-main-event/slow-food-rocks/

Hope to see you there.

Ti Couz

It's hard to realize that Ti Couz has been in business for 15 years already. The consistency of the quality of fare is quite good, and the charming ambiance of the venue only adds to the experience. Ti Couz has satisfied many a palette for those 15 years with unfaltering flavor and textures and a menu I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't find something to enjoy from. Menu options include various salads, including a Veggie Salad of broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, tomato slices and corn on a bed of Spinach and four kinds of lettuce, all lightly blanched so the freshness comes to the surface where it's lightly tossed in their excellent house Vinaigrette dressing. There are also a couple of seafood dishes, including an excellent shrimp cocktail and raw oysters with mignonette, as well as french onion soup and a soup of the day. The main attraction though is the crepes, and they offer both savory and sweet varieties and you can order one of the specials or assemble your own from a nice list of ingredients. Favorites of mine include the Champignon, or a mushroom crepe with a gorgeous and rich mushroom sauce, the Saumon Fume, or salmon crepe with finely-sliced scallions and creme fraiche, or as a make your own a crepe with ham, eggs and cheese which is especially tasty for brunch. On the sweet side, who can resist a crepe with banana and Nutella - delicious! There is a well-appointed and affordable wine list, and on warm days and evenings there are several tables outside. Hope you stop in sometime soon for a relaxing and tasty meal. Enjoy.

Ti Couz

3108 Valencia Street in San Francisco

Dinner at Ramblas Tapas

Ramblas Tapas is a cheery and casual tapas spot in the Mission that you can usually count on for a tasty, fun and inexpensive meal. A few of us recently enjoyed dinner there. We sampled several items including the Spanish Tortilla with potatoes and onions, salsa verde and aioli. The Tortilla is served in fairly large wedges which actually makes for a nice texture in your mouth and certainly an attractive presentation as well. We also had a refreshing Spanish "Wedge Salad" Little Gem lettuce, creamy Spanish blue, apple and radish chips. The dressing was especially rich and creamy and the textures of the other elements all worked nicely together. The Herb Crusted Grilled Chicken Spanish chorizo with citrus salsa verde was salty and tasty, and the Price Edward Island mussels Spanish sherry-cream and grilled garlic toast are always a winner. Ramblas offers happy hour from 5 to 7pm on weekdays whereby you get a free drink, so it's a great time to stop by. Hope you enjoy.

Ramblas Tapas

557 Valencia Street in San Francisco

http://www.ramblastapas.com/

Happy Hour at Azie

Azie is a charming Asian-fusion sort of restaurant which is located next to and is the sister restaurant to Restaurant LuLu. If you haven't been, I recommend going for happy hour which is offered on weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. If you will be a larger group contact the restaurant and they may extend the hours to include the duration of the evening. The specials include $3 well-drinks and bottled and tap beer, $5 specialty cocktails and $5 appetizers. The wine list is well-chosen and not expensive so you can easily do a glass or bottle or two without breaking the bank. The happy hour food choices are a bit limited but are inspired. Choices vary but can include breaded and fried tofu served with mixed Asian vegetables in a ginger-soy sauce, chicken wings with a sweet hoisin-based sauce, and pot stickers. The full menu is also available at the bar. The venue is two-stories which lends an airy vibe and the decor is minimal but appealing with lots of grey fixtures and bright colored seat cushions and artwork. I hope you pop in to check it out and enjoy.

Azie

826 Folsom Street in San Francisco

http://www.restaurantlulu.com/Azie_Dinner.html#