Karl's Recipes: Flan

I make this in a metal pan, kind of like an 11" pie pan but with a non-stick coating and nearly vertical sides that are several inches high. The metal pan is nice as I don't need an extra pan for the caramel. A charlotte mould is a reasonable equivalent, as is a soufflé dish, or you can buy special pans intended for flan.

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Preheat oven to 350° F.

Make a caramel by boiling

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

in the flan pan. Bring mixture to a heavy boil then continue until it turns a good golden brown. Set aside to cool. (You can do this in a separate saucepan if your baking vessel is not flameproof but you'll have an extra pan to clean and you'll lose some of the caramel. Also, if you're using a coated pan like mine, be careful not to damage the coating).

In a food processor or blender combine

2 14-ounce cans Eagle sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 cups fresh milk (the same quantity as condensed milk)
6 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 stick cinnamon (optional)

Blend the sweetened condensed milk and the fresh milk until smooth, then pour into the pan with the caramel.

Cover with greased foil, then bake at 350° F in a bain-marie (water bath) for approximately 1 hour. When the flan is done, a knife inserted into it will come out cleanly.

Cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve. Warm in a hot water bath for about 5 minutes to melt the caramel, then invert the flan onto a serving platter so the caramel comes out on top. (The coated pan is nice at this point as it helps the flan slide out without breaking up.)

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Karl Swartz <karl@kls2.com>