Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

6 servings

  I’ll debut my blog by sharing a recipe from my roots, my Cuban roots. For as long as I can remember, my mom always had to have something sweet for my grandfather, who religiously sat at the dining room table at noon, sharp. He eagerly awaited my mom’s food, but most importantly dessert and Cuban coffee, everyday. One of her go to desserts was “flan“, a sweet custard in a mold, usually using an empty tin can of peaches, that my dad loved to eat. Talk about reuse and recycle, yup, my mom was doing it way before it was the thing to do.

  I’ll debut my blog by sharing a recipe from my roots, my Cuban roots. For as long as I can remember, my mom always had to have something sweet for my grandfather, who religiously sat at the dining room table at noon, sharp. He eagerly awaited my mom’s food, but most importantly dessert and Cuban coffee, everyday. One of her go to desserts was “flan“, a sweet custard in a mold, usually using an empty tin can of peaches, that my dad loved to eat. Talk about reuse and recycle, yup, my mom was doing it way before it was the thing to do.

Ingredients

Note: that any oven safe baking dish, ramekins, or mold works for this recipe

• 6 eggs
• 2 cans of evaporated milk (12 oz)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 can of condensed milk (14 oz)
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar

Directions

Heat oven at 325°F.

To make the caramel:

1. Pour 1 cup of sugar in a pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar browns, keeping an eye on it so it won’t burn.
2. Carefully pour the caramel into the mold, ramekin, or oven safe dish of your choice.
3. Swirl it around to cover the bottom completely. It hardens fast so work quickly.
4. Set aside.

To make the flan:

1. Whisk or mix (use any mixer) the eggs together, adding the 3 cans of milk (1 condensed / 2 evaporated).
2. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar and vanilla extract. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour the mixture evenly into your molds. Place the filled molds on a larger baking pan. The pan should be deep enough to hold about 1 inch or more of water.  
4. Fill the baking pan (but not the molds) with water. There is no specific measurement, but the water should be slightly higher than the caramel in the mold. This is so heat is dispersed slowly and evenly, so the caramel doesn’t burn. In Spanish, this is called the “Baño Maria”. This baking technique is referred to as a “water bath” in English.
5. Bake for 45 minutes in the “Baño Maria”. Check the center with a toothpick or knife. If it comes out clean, it’s ready!
6. Remove from the oven carefully, take the molds out of the hot water and let cool. Then refrigerate for about an hour or until ready to serve.

Assembly:

   You can certainly leave the flan in the mold, or turn over onto a small plate and let the caramel flow over the custard. Gorgeous. That was easy and delicious. Let’s eat!