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Flan
“with Mexican style”

The flan is a delicious dessert, popular all around the world and with a millenary history. The flan’s history dates back to the time of the Roman Empire, from there it was adopted by the French, then it was transferred to Spain and that’s how it was brought to America.

The flan is a dessert made with eggs and milk, that is cooked in bain-Marie until it acquires a light and gelatinous consistency. The flan’s flavor is sweet and creamy – and to make it more appealing and tasty it is covered with caramel.

Strictly speaking this is not an authentic Mexican dessert since it is not originally from Mexico however it can be called typical Mexican dessert because it has formed part of the Mexican cuisine for a long time and due to this the recipe has been adapted to the Mexican traditions.

About the Recipe

• This dessert is not difficult to cook but there are some tricks that have to be known for its successful preparation. Don’t worry all these tricks are given along the preparation.
• The flan can be prepared in flan molds and they will look beautiful or if it is prepared in a pie mold it will be more simple.
• In this recipe a baking dish is used and the flan molds or the pie mold must fit in the baking dish.
• The recipe is prepared with vanilla and it really has to be used because it gives a very special touch to the flan.
• Since the flan is baked and is refrigerated, the preparation time is long like of 5 hours but you will only work in the recipe for about 10 minutes.
• Recipe for 10 individual flans or 1 pie shape flan.

Ingredients

5 Eggs (10.5 oz)

1 can of Condensed Milk (13.7 oz)

1 can of Evaporated Milk (10.8 fl oz)

1/2 cup of Whole Milk (4.2 fl oz)

1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract

1/4 cup of Sugar (2.1 oz)

Cookware

1 Oven

1 Frying Pan

1 Blender

1 Baking Dish

10 Flan Molds or 1 Pie Mold

1 Turner

10 pieces of Aluminum Foil or 1 Large piece of Aluminum Foil

1 Toothpick

1 Knife (optional)

Directions

Prepare the Caramel

1. Put in a frying pan over medium-high heat:

• 1/4 cup of Sugar.
• 1/2 tablespoon of Water.

2. Heat the frying pan ingredients for about 2 minutes, until the sugar has melted and it has an amber color; stir occasionally.

Don’t heat the caramel for a long time because it will burn, the flavor won’t be good and you will have to throw it away.

3. Pour evenly in 10 flan molds the caramel that was prepared in the frying pan.

If you want to prepare a pie shape flan, pour the caramel in a pie mold. The following steps apply for any type of mold that has been used.

4. Wait for the caramel to harden and reserve.

Prepare the Flan

1. Pour in a blender:

• 5 Eggs.
• 1 can of Condensed Milk.
• 1 can of Evaporated Milk.
• 1/2 cup of Whole Milk.
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla extract.

2. Blend very well the ingredients.
3. Pour evenly the mixture that was blended in the 10 flan molds, where the caramel was poured.
4. Seal the 10 flan molds with 1 piece of aluminum foil per each mold, then set aside.

It is very important that the flan molds are well sealed so water won’t go into them in the next stage.

Bake the Flan

1. Preheat the oven to 355º F.
2. Put in a baking dish the 10 flan molds.
3. Add water in the baking dish, until the water covers 3/4 parts of the height of the flan molds.
4. Put in the oven the baking dish and leave the flans baking in bain-Marie for about 50 minutes, until they are curdle and firm.

To verify that the flans are ready, stick a toothpick in the center of each flan. When the toothpick comes out clean, it means that the flans are ready.

5. Take from the oven the baking dish and wait for the flans to cool.
6. Put in the fridge all the flan molds and leave them resting for 4 hours, so they have better consistency.

The flans can be served in its mold or if you want to serve them without a mold – run a knife around the flan and the mold, then turn the mold over a plate and remove the mold.

What an Ending of a
Mexican Meal