Lechon in the Oven, Cebu Style

I never thought it would be possible to make Lechon in an oven but it was. Real crunchy, authentic-tasting Cebu-style Lechon. In an oven. Yes. Lechon de Cebu right here in Canada! :)

If you want to impress your Filipino-Canadian guests on Thanksgiving or on Christmas Eve, this is definitely one way to do it. I've made it several times now and the key to making it Cebu-style, in my opinion, is to make it extra salty and to completely remove that "baboy-smell" with tons of garlic, onion, ginger and, my non-cook secret, celery. And to make the skin crunchy (not the bubbly chicharon skin crunchy, but real thin lechon skin crunchy), keep heat low (extend cooking time until you can feel that the skin is thin and tough enough by tapping it with a fork or knife), baste with oil every 15 minutes then raise the temperature for the last 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 whole slab pork belly (like the one in the picture above)
Silver Swan soy sauce
Black Pepper
Salt (lots)
Lemon grass
1 large onion
1 head garlic
1 celery stalk
Small piece of ginger
1 bunch green onions

STEPS:

(Note: baking time is about 3-4 hours)

1. Rub salt and black pepper generously all over the meat. Set aside.
2. Cut up onion, garlic, ginger and celery and place in aluminum roaster pan or baking pan.
3. Add lemon grass and chopped (about 2-3 inch pieces) green onions.
4. Place seasoned meat on top of spices, skin side up.
5. Brush skin with soy sauce.
6. Cover and allow to marinate in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight even.
7. When ready, uncover baking dish and brush skin with more soy sauce.
8. Place the baking dish uncovered into oven pre-heated at 325F to cook for the next 3 to 3 and a half hours. Baste with soy sauce every 15 minutes until the desired redness is achieved, then baste with oil the rest of the way. 
9. At 3 and a half hours, raise oven temperature to 425F and bake some more for about 30 minutes, but discontinue basting.
10. Remove from oven and allow to rest.

Good luck!

The Perfect Leche Flan

I do believe that the Leche Flan (aka Creme Caramel) is a party staple for Filipino gatherings -- if you're invited to a party hosted by Filipinos, there's a good chance there'll be Leche Flan for dessert. But while it's something I would look forward to in such events, I've had all sorts of Leche Flan to have had some that did disappoint -- some too sweet, too rich, or too pale. Sometimes you can even distinguish the ingredient that makes it bad -- too much sugar, too much egg white, cheap milk, etc... And, of course, there are some that taste just perfect. 


I have tried many times to make Leche Flan on my own, but I've always had little success, amateur cook that I am. But this recipe, perfected courtesy of my dear sister, is fool-proof for the non-cook. Easy peasy for something sure to impress: a Leche Flan that's just right -- sweet but not too sweet, creamy but not too creamy. 


INGREDIENTS:

6 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
whole milk (measure half the can of evap)
1/2 teaspoon  vanilla
1 cup sugar for caramel


STEPS:
1. Place sugar in small saucepan on medium heat. Add a little bit of water along the edges of the sugar. Bring to a boil, shaking the pan occassionally. Do not stir with spoon/ladle. Once sugar turns golden brown, take off from heat and pour into flan molds/baking tins immediately. Set aside to cool and harden.


2. Prepare 6 egg yolks and one egg in a bowl. Whisk lightly.


3. Add condensed milk and mix thoroughly.


4. Add evaporated milk, then whole milk and mix some more.


5. Add about half a teaspoon of good quality vanilla and mix.


6. Pour over hardened caramel in your flan baking tins and cover with the matching lid or you can just use plain aluminum foil.


7. Place the baking tins into a baking pan. Fill baking pan with water halfway up the height of the tins.


8. Place in oven at 350 for 50 minutes.


9. Take out from oven and allow to cool before inverting flans into serving dishes.


10. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving -- or eating ;-)