Flan

It's been over four months without chocolate for Mom and I, so to combat this "fast" I have been whipping up some chocolate-free sweets to satisfy our crave for sugar. A few weeks ago I attempted flan for the first time. Following is the recipe I used.

Brazilian-Style Flan

1 cup sugar (for the caramel)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Equal volume of regular milk (use the can to measure)

3 eggs

1 8-inch ring mold

Fresh or canned sliced peaches (The peach slices were a perfect compliment to the creamy, rich flan. It was also fun to create a pretty design with them on top.)

Place 1 to 2 inches of water in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and preheat to 325°.

Put the sugar in the ring mold. Place the mold directly over medium heat. Keep turning the mold until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel and spoon it up the sides of the mold. Be careful not to burn the sugar and yourself. Use an oven mitt to hold the mold in your left hand and a large spoon for the sugar in your right hand. This way you can keep turning the mold and spooning the sugar. Let the mold cool.

Combine the condensed milk, regular milk and eggs in a blender. Whip until smooth. Pour this mixture into the mold and place it in the center of the roasting pan with water. Bake for about 1 hour. It will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold. Let it cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator, preferably overnight (at least 6 hours).

Just before serving, run the tip of a knife around the inside of the mold. Place a deep platter over the mold and invert: it should slide out easily. If not, give the mold a firm but careful shake. Spoon the caramel sauce on top and arrange peach slices on top also. It's ready to eat! Serves about 10.

I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do while making this dessert. First, while making the caramel, use the "wet" method (not how I did it) because it's easier and you have a less chance of burning the sugar. Don't let it get too dark or the caramel will taste bitter and burnt. Second, a flan made with sweetened condensed milk (like mine) will be slightly denser than one made with milk or cream. Likewise, flan made with milk rather than cream will be slightly lighter than a cream-based custard. So it's up to your own preference on how you make the flan. Third, the water bath is more crucial than I thought. The water insulates the custard and keeps it from cooking too fast, which causes cracks in the finished flan and a rubbery texture. One tip I found suggests to lay a dishtowel on the bottom of a roasting pan, place the flan dish or dishes on top of the towel, and then fill the pan with boiling water about halfway up the sides of the custard cups. And fourth, if the flan is still liquid, it needs more time in the oven, and in my case, that meant another 45 minutes.

Okay, so this post is getting really long, but one more thing about flan and I'll be done. I found dozens of different recipes for flan including orange and lime, coconut, sweet potato, pumpkin, flan de chocolate, espresso, artichoke, asparagus, roasted garlic and goat cheese, caramelized apple, and red pepper. Yikes! Check out the recipes at foodnetwork.com. What are some of your favorite recipes for flan???