If you like your flan silky smooth, this is just the ticket. DH and I are both "flan fans" (sounds like an exotic dancer!), and we have never had anything this good in a restaurant or homemade. I made it again tonight and just had to share it. The only change I would make is to use 3/4 cup sugar and dissolve it in the skillet with 2 tbl. water. Then cook over med-low heat WITHOUT TOUCHING IT until it begins to brown. Then you can take the handle of the pan and swirl it once or twice. At that point, watch it like a hawk because it goes from "shiny penney" looking, to burnt pretty fast.
Mexican Flan
from TV Chef Daisy Martinez
Makes 8 or 12 regular servings (DH considers it 3 servings!)
1 cup sugar
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup milk
3 large eggs
3 yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Nestle’s Media Crema or sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Make the caramel: Have ready a 9-inch glass pie plate and a pair of potholders or oven mitts. Pour the sugar into a small, heavy saucepan. Set it over medium-low heat until the sugar starts to liquefy and form clumps. Stir slowly and constantly; the sugar will eventually liquefy completely, then begin to color. Pay careful attention to the caramel at this point; once it starts to color it will darken quickly. Pull the pan from the heat when the caramel is the color of a bright, shiny penny. Scrape all the caramel into the pan, put on the mitts and grab the pie plate firmly. Carefully but quickly rotate the pan so the bottom and halfway up the sides of the plate are coated with caramel. Set the prepared pan into a shallow roasting pan.
Bring a tea kettle of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla in a blender jar. Blend on very low speed just until the eggs are blended, a few seconds. Add the crema Mexicana or sour cream and blend a few seconds until smooth. Let stand for a minute then scoop off any foam that rises to the surface.
Pull out the oven rack and set the roasting pan with the caramel-lined pie plate on the shelf. Pour the custard mix into the plate. Pour enough water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the plate. Bake until the center of the flan is set, about 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature in the water bath. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.
To serve, center a large plate over the flan and, with one quick flip invert the flan over the plate. Give it a few seconds—the flan will slip right out of the mold and onto the plate. Scrape any caramel left in the mold over the flan. Serve chilled.
Tip: Be extremely careful when working with caramel: By the time the caramel is brown enough to pour into the mold it will be very hot—much hotter than boiling water. Handle the pot and pie plate carefully and, when tilting the pan, keep it at arm’s length from you.
http://www.daisymartinez.com/recipes/MexicanFlan1006.htm
Mexican Flan
from TV Chef Daisy Martinez
Makes 8 or 12 regular servings (DH considers it 3 servings!)
1 cup sugar
One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
¾ cup milk
3 large eggs
3 yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup Nestle’s Media Crema or sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Make the caramel: Have ready a 9-inch glass pie plate and a pair of potholders or oven mitts. Pour the sugar into a small, heavy saucepan. Set it over medium-low heat until the sugar starts to liquefy and form clumps. Stir slowly and constantly; the sugar will eventually liquefy completely, then begin to color. Pay careful attention to the caramel at this point; once it starts to color it will darken quickly. Pull the pan from the heat when the caramel is the color of a bright, shiny penny. Scrape all the caramel into the pan, put on the mitts and grab the pie plate firmly. Carefully but quickly rotate the pan so the bottom and halfway up the sides of the plate are coated with caramel. Set the prepared pan into a shallow roasting pan.
Bring a tea kettle of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla in a blender jar. Blend on very low speed just until the eggs are blended, a few seconds. Add the crema Mexicana or sour cream and blend a few seconds until smooth. Let stand for a minute then scoop off any foam that rises to the surface.
Pull out the oven rack and set the roasting pan with the caramel-lined pie plate on the shelf. Pour the custard mix into the plate. Pour enough water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the plate. Bake until the center of the flan is set, about 35 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature in the water bath. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.
To serve, center a large plate over the flan and, with one quick flip invert the flan over the plate. Give it a few seconds—the flan will slip right out of the mold and onto the plate. Scrape any caramel left in the mold over the flan. Serve chilled.
Tip: Be extremely careful when working with caramel: By the time the caramel is brown enough to pour into the mold it will be very hot—much hotter than boiling water. Handle the pot and pie plate carefully and, when tilting the pan, keep it at arm’s length from you.
http://www.daisymartinez.com/recipes/MexicanFlan1006.htm