I stayed up till midnight...

Today my Little One was Baptised so we celebrated her special day with family and friends. We don't usually throw parties but since the little one's arrival, we've found reasons to have them.

Being new to catering my own parties, I found it hard to come up with a menu simply because I want to cook everything. I cut the list down to a few dishes (thanks to hubby) and with the help of my mum (thanks mum!) and other family members, I was able to cook up a feast.

The table was ladened with food. There are other dishes that we don't have photos of like my mum's Tocino (marinated bbq pork), Rum balls, Ginataang Kalabasa ( Pumpkin in Coconut Milk - one of my favourites),Chinese Fried Rice and Mixed Vegetables



Chicken curry



Pancit (filipino noodles) cooked by mum



peking duck



Egg and Bacon Flan (made by mum-in-law)



Voluvents and Lumpiang Shanghai ( filipino spring rolls) made by mum




Prawn cocktail salad




Warm Potato salad



petit fours




Cheesecake with raspberry and blueberry sauce. This was made by my brother. It's his speciality dish which I always ask him to make for occasions.



Leche Flan (Creme Caramel) - I don't usually make Filipino desserts so I was a bit worried on how this would turn out. I was happy when my mum gave it a thumbs up :) I've included the recipe below for anyone who would like to give it a go. I got the recipe from "Authentic recipes from the Philippines" by Reynaldo G. Alejandro. I was surprised how easy it is to make.


Baptisimal Cake - proudly made by me :) I stayed up till midnight decorating it. It was my first time decorating a cake so I was a bit slow but after the hard work, I loved the way it turned out.



Leche Flan
serves: 4-8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time : 1 hour

caramel
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
1/4 cup (60ml) water

Custard
12 egg yolks
1 cup (250ml) fresh milk
one 400g can sweetened condensed milk of 1 1/2 cups (375ml) cream
with 1/2 cup (50g) sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Make the caramel by boiling the brown sugar and water in a saucepan, stirring continuously over medium heat until the sugar is melted and turns golden brown. Pour the syrup into flan moulds or custard cups, or an 8in (20cm) diameter dish, tilting to make sure the whole surface is covered. Set the mould aside for a minute to allow the caramel to harden.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C. Gently combine all the custard ingredients in a large bowl, preventing any bubbles or foam from forming. Strain gently into the caramel-lines moulds.
3. Cover the moulds or baking dish with aluminium foil and place in a bain-marie. Bake in the oven for an hour or until the mixture is firm. Remove from the oven and chill. in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before serving
4. To serve, run a spatula or knife along the edge of the mould to loosen the caramel. Turn out onto a serving platter and garnish with lime slices if desired.