Easiest Flan Ever

Day 42: You can keep your pumpkin pie. You can even keep your pecan pie (and I never thought I'd hear myself say those words). I'm having flan for dessert. What's flan? Just the most delicious, decadent firm custard you can imagine swimming in a sea of caramel sauce! Now, there are several ways you can make flan, most of which involve a trip to the grocery store because most of us don't keep fresh cream in our fridges. However, I do keep both evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk on hand, and as it turns out, that plus eggs, sugar and vanilla are all you'll need. And good timing. Flan needs to be made 8-12 hours in advance so the caramelized sugar can liquefy. But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. Let's just assume it's yesterday.

Add 1/4 cup of water to 3/4 cups of sugar and place over medium to medium-high heat. You can stir it right here at the onset, but at no time afterwards. Just cook it until the sugar takes on a golden-brown hue. You can wash the sides of the pan down if crystal begin to form. Use a little water on a pastry brush, but be careful not to drip into the boiling sugar. Once your sugar is nicely brown, pour it into an 8-9" pan, tilt the pan to cover the bottom with the syrup, and let it cool for an hour or so. You may hear it crackling and popping as the temperature drops. This is perfectly normal.

Once the sugar is completely cool, you can make the custard. Heat your oven to 325 degrees. Beat 4-6 eggs one at a time until there are no obvious chunks of egg white or streaks of yolk. Add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 can of evaporated milk plus 1 Tbsp. of vanilla (yes, a whole tablespoon). Set the pan containing the caramelized sugar in a larger pan (should be at least an inch bigger) and pour the custard over the sugar. Put the pan/pan on the oven shelf and add boiling water to the outer pan until it reaches halfway up the sides of the custard pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes (or longer!), or until a knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean. Chill for at least 8 hours. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fiesta!

Day 215: Sinfully delicious, decadently rich, caramel flan is a traditional Mexican dessert custard, and I cannot be trusted alone with a pan of it, so two trays of sticky goodness are bound for Natural and Cultural Resource's Cinco de Mayo luncheon. NCR provides the main meal, and requested dessert contributions from attendees.

Several of the Park's Divisions hold annual "feeds" of one sort or another. It began, as I understand it, when the Carpenters threw a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. You'd think a commitment like that might rotate, but the Carpenters continue to hold the event at their own request. Interpretation has a Valentine's Day party; Volunteers have a brunch; Rangers throw a Potato Feed; the Superintendent's wife single-handedly provides several dozen pumpkin pies (homemade) for a Christmas gathering. Parkies like to eat!

So what's in flan that makes it so good? I'll give you the recipe, but don't blame me if you put on weight!

Caramelize 1 cup of sugar in a heavy sauce pan, adding 1/2 cup of hot water SLOWLY once the sugar is melted and golden-brown in color. Cook a little longer and then use the syrup to coat the bottom and sides of an 11 x 7 metal baking pan. Set this aside to cool for half an hour or so. The sugar will set up, but will reliquify while the flan is being chilled.

Preheat your oven to 325°. In the blender, combine 1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk (NOT regular "canned milk"), 1 cup of whipping cream, 1/2 cup of whole milk and 4 eggs. Whir until well-blended. You may top the flan with cinnamon or nutmeg before baking if you wish.

Place the 11 x 7 pan in another larger pan and set them on the oven rack. Pour the blended ingredients into the pan, and then pour hot water into the larger pan until it is at least halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Slide the pans into the oven and bake for 1 hour 50 minutes (or until a knife inserted in the center of the custard comes out clean). Chill for 24 hours before serving. Cut into small squares and top with the caramel syrup which has formed in the bottom of the pan.

Guests And Gifts

Day 60: Friends came to visit yesterday (something of a rarity in my world), bringing with them a hearty lunch and baklava. Baklava! Is there anything tastier? Paper-thin phyllo leaves slathered with butter, a filling of chopped pecans and spices, the whole confection drenched in honey, baklava is sticky, rich, crisp, chewy, and sinfully delicious. With another member of the family at home, they did not leave me with the whole tray, but knowing how much I love this exquisite dessert pastry, they gave me a full selection which will be carefully rationed over several days. Thank you, Suzie and Ceilidh!