Flan

MMMMMMM. FLAN.

That mysterious not quite jello not quite custard Mexican concoction that you either love or hate. Many feel that the consistency with its not quite jello not quite custard feel is what turns them off. Others find that the vanilla sweetness is just DIVINE! I am one of the DIVINE people. I grew up with the crazy jello-custard so is sort of like a comfort food for me. I love the smell and the memories it brings me when I make it.

Did you know that flan dates back to Roman times? The Romans were some of the first to keep domesticated chickens for laying eggs. The Romans, referring to the Greeks knowledge in cooking came up with this custardly concoction we now know as flan. I think it would surprise you at some of the flans they came up with though, for example, eel flan was a popular treat. They also had a sweet flan that was sweetened with honey.

Though the Roman empire fell onto itself, flan survived all Barbarian invasions. When it resurfaced, it was generally a sweet dish. But still the same recipe of mixing cream and eggs was there. The word flan is actually derived from the Latin "flado" meaning flat cake. 

After the fall of Rome, flan resurfaced in Spain as generally a sweet dish. When Christopher Columbus 'concurred' the Americas, he brought a lot of his country of origins recipes and traditions with him. Flan being one of them. Nearly all of Central and South America loves flan in all its forms. It is now most widely associated with Mexico where flan is prepared in all its excellent forms in both rich and poor kitchens!

England went its own way with flan. The English LOVE their pastry, so they developed a type of flan with a pastry bottom. The pastry shell is filled with the custard and often it is mixed with fruits and nuts.

Now, there is some dispute as to how the word FLAN is pronounced. Many rhyme it with 'plan' but if you are going to pronounce it in the correct Spanish it rhymes more with 'faun'.

In my family the recipe for flan is quite simple in ingredients. It uses sweetened condensed milk to sweeten the custard while still sticking to the basics of cream and eggs. My Mexican version is the sweet kind, flavored with vanilla and baked in ramekins in a bain marie. Though flans are not so easy to make they are WELL worth the effort.

Delgado Family Flan

1 cup sugar

6 eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can of whole milk, refilled from the can of sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbs Vanilla

1. Melt sugar in a sauce pan until caramelized. Pour into 6 ramekins. The sugar will solidify and turn completely hard, but don't worry, it will liquefy again after baking and remain that way.
2. In a blender, place eggs, both milks and vanilla. Blend very well. This method is much easier and faster than hand mixing. I have also used a food processor. 
3. Pour egg mixture over the caramelized sugar in the ramekins evenly. 
4. Place a large casserole dish on the oven rack in the oven and fill with about an inch of water. Place ramekins into the dish and gently slide into the oven.
5. Bake at 350°F for one hour, or until center is almost set.

You can decorate it with mint leaves, whipped cream, strawberries, cherries, etc. depending on your taste.