Flan Recipe

The flan recipe, a delicious egg custard, dates back to Roman times. The Romans domesticated chickens and eggs were plentiful. It started out as a savory dish but in Spain, became a sweet Spanish dessert with caramelized sugar. The Spanish brought it to central and South America, where it is very popular. It is often made in a mold.

The perfect dessert for children, it is made with lots of eggs and milk making it quite nutritious. Children can help beat up the custard ingredients, while you make the carmelized sugar.

There are many variations to the flan recipe, including Flan de Cuba which adds egg whites and cinnamon stick. The Moors added citrus and almonds. A Puerto Rican version uses extra eggs, producing a firmer texture. A Venezuelan recipe, flan caraqueno adds blanched almonds, crackers and blended egg whites and yolks.

Recipe for Flan

1.5 cups sugar

1 -- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

2-- 13 oz cans evaporated milk

1 tb vanilla

6 large eggs
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Custard

Beat the eggs with a hand mixer. Add in the condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla and ½ cup sugar. Mixture should be smooth.

Carmelized Sugar

Over medium heat stir 1 cup of sugar until it is brown and caramel-like. This should take approximately five minutes,stirring constantly. Then, immediately pour several tablespoons of the caramel into 6 individual molds. Coating the bottom and sides with the caramel.

Pour the custard into the carmelized molds. Fill a baking dish with 1 inch of water and place the six molds in the baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes in the preheated oven. It is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

After the molds have cooled place them into the refrigerator. When ready to serve, invert each mold onto a small plate. I made my flan with scalloped shaped molds, for an elegant look.

Mexican Chocolate Flan Recipe

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

2/3 cup water

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup sweetened condensed milk

4 oz ground authentic Mexican chocolate

4 whole eggs

2 egg whites

1cinnamon stick

1 tsp vanilla

Heat the milk over low heat and melt the chocolate into the mixture, stirring constantly. Add in the vanilla and the cinnamon. Pour in the condensed milk and the evaporated milk.

Remove from heat and cool.

Beat the eggs and whites with a hand beater. Make sure milk mixture is well cooled and mix together with the milk mixture from above.

Carmelize the sugar as in previous recipe pour into a large flan mold. Then pour the custard into the (hold back the cinnamon stick) mold. Fill a baking dish with 1 inch of water and place the the mold in the baking dish. Bake for 1 ½ hours or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Chill in refrigerator and unmold and invert onto a plate.

I have had also had good results using a flan custard mix. Follow the easy package directions and then use individual or one large mold.

Spanish Vocabulary List

Flan	El flan
Eggs	Los huevos
Milk	La leche
Sugar	El azúcar
Vanilla	La vainilla
Dessert	El postre
It is delicious.	Es delicioso.
I want some more.	Quiero más.

SPANISH

FRENCH