Flan al Caramelo

Hola amigos y amigas! Welcome to Spain (or Mexico), and the delicious flan (custard-esque) dessert. Traditionally, flan was made when there were too many eggs and the housewives needed to use them up. This recipe, for example, calls for 8 eggs! I do not own a flan pan, so I improvised a bit on the cookware. This flan goes out to Abuelita Furman, who as a young girl growing up in Mexico City, loved to make and enjoy flans.

I researched the history of flan, and wouldn't you know it, it was developed by the ancient Romans. They were domesticating chickens, so they developed flan because of the surplus of eggs. At first, it was a savory dish, but then they added honey to it to make it sweet. In Spain, flan was a sweet custard made with caramelized sugar. The Spanish were influenced by both the Romans and the Moors, who introduced citrus and almond (common flavors in flan). Once the Americas (Central and South) were discovered by Europeans, the rush that followed brought not only people but flan.

Be careful not to fill up the pan under the flan with too much water. I did, and some water spilled into the oven creating a funny smell for a little bit of time. The flan was in the oven for 40 minutes for me. When I checked it, it still looked wobbly, but upon sticking the knife in to check, it was definitely ready to be taken out. It looks so pretty and smells amazing, so waiting for 8 hours before consuming it is really hard, but Xochi and I are patient.


Flan al Caramelo

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 quart milk
8 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a heavy saucepan or skillet over low heat, stir 1 cup of the sugar with the 1/2 cup of water until the sugar dissolves. Turn to high heat, and continue to cook without sirring (occasional swishing) until the sugar turns into a golden syrup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat immediately, and pour into a flan pan or a round 2-quart baking dish. Tilt to coat bottom and sides; let cool for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat the milk until lukewarm. In a large bowl beat the room-temperature eggs together with the remaining 1 cup of sugar, vanilla, salt, and 1 cup pf the lukewarm milk. Blend well;then add the remaining lukewarm milk and beat to blend. Pour through a sieve on top of the syrup.

3. In a 350 F preheated oven place the pan in a larger pan that contains 1 inch of hot water. Bake about 40-50 minutes, or until a silver knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Cool; then cover and refrigerate about 8 hours. Unmold by running a knife around the rim; place serving plate over pan. Turn pan over to serve.