Flan Recipe
By: Adrian Lorenzo
The one family recipe that comes to mind that my mom and I usually prepare for either Thanksgiving or Christmas would have to be Flan. Flan is a traditional Spanish custard desert that is a light alternative to cheese cake. Furthermore, it is a dessert of sweetened egg custard with caramel topping usually coated with sweet syrup. Now to prepare this dessert you must have these basic ingredients. These ingredients include 1 cup of sugar, 5 large eggs, 1 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 13oz cans of evaporated milk, and finally 1 tablespoon of vanilla. This is all you need to prepare flan however my mother prepares the flan in a traditional Puerto Rican way in which several steps differ.
The most daunting part of preparing a flan is the caramel. I was always afraid of burning myself or burning the caramel. So, my suggestion would be to be cautious when dealing with the caramel as it can easily burn. The first step would be to pour 1 cup sugar and about ¼ cup of water in a microwave safe cup. My mom usually uses a 2-cup glass pyrex measuring cup. Just stir the sugar and water a bit and put the microwave on high for about 5 minutes until it reaches the right color. Once 4 minutes have passed keep your eye on the microwave. You need to open the door once the caramel reaches that golden color. If it is not dark enough around 5 minutes, add another 30 seconds, but open the door once the color is right. You are looking to get the perfect color, not too light and not too dark. Then just pour into the flan pan and swirl to cover the bottom. Always let the caramel set before pouring in the custard. How easy is that?
Next get the water bath ready. My mom uses a large cookie sheet on the bottom, then sets a large roasting pan on the sheet. At the last minute, you will need to boil some water to pour into the roasting pan. Start the water to boil just before you begin preparing custard. Now that the mold and baño are ready prepare the flan as per the recipe. Carefully pour the custard into the mold. Cover with foil, sit in the roasting pan, add the hot water to the roasting pan no more than half way up, and bake at 350° for about an hour. Test for the overall completeness by inserting a wet knife in the center, if it comes clean it's done. Larger flans will take 1½ hours. If the flan does not seem solid in the middle, bake it longer, test again. Remove from the oven and let it cool down to the touch. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
To serve run a knife around the inside of the mold, cover the mold with a dish that has a bit of a lip to hold the caramel, such as a pie plate. Carefully flip it over and wait a few minutes until the flan has dropped. Carefully lift the mold. One thing to note is that my mom usually bakes her flan ahead preferably 2 or 3 days before leaving it in the fridge. Leaving it in the mold makes it easy to carry out of the house, make sure you put it in an ice chest if you are taking it out. The overall intention or idea is to serve it cold. One thing to mention is that traditional Puerto Rican flan usually has more than 5 eggs, and turns out firmer than the flan served in the United States. My mom prefers to use 8 - 10 eggs versus that standard 5 eggs. Since my family and I are traditionalist and like to prepare things the way our grandparents did she uses 10 eggs. My mother also adds a tablespoon of vanilla for a richer flavor. More eggs means a larger flan and takes a bit longer to cook and it is more solid or firm and not as jiggly. It is a Puerto Rican thing. Just add extra eggs and vanilla and that's all, if you like it firm.
Next get the water bath ready. My mom uses a large cookie sheet on the bottom, then sets a large roasting pan on the sheet. At the last minute, you will need to boil some water to pour into the roasting pan. Start the water to boil just before you begin preparing custard. Now that the mold and baño are ready prepare the flan as per the recipe. Carefully pour the custard into the mold. Cover with foil, sit in the roasting pan, add the hot water to the roasting pan no more than half way up, and bake at 350° for about an hour. Test for the overall completeness by inserting a wet knife in the center, if it comes clean it's done. Larger flans will take 1½ hours. If the flan does not seem solid in the middle, bake it longer, test again. Remove from the oven and let it cool down to the touch. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving.
To serve run a knife around the inside of the mold, cover the mold with a dish that has a bit of a lip to hold the caramel, such as a pie plate. Carefully flip it over and wait a few minutes until the flan has dropped. Carefully lift the mold. One thing to note is that my mom usually bakes her flan ahead preferably 2 or 3 days before leaving it in the fridge. Leaving it in the mold makes it easy to carry out of the house, make sure you put it in an ice chest if you are taking it out. The overall intention or idea is to serve it cold. One thing to mention is that traditional Puerto Rican flan usually has more than 5 eggs, and turns out firmer than the flan served in the United States. My mom prefers to use 8 - 10 eggs versus that standard 5 eggs. Since my family and I are traditionalist and like to prepare things the way our grandparents did she uses 10 eggs. My mother also adds a tablespoon of vanilla for a richer flavor. More eggs means a larger flan and takes a bit longer to cook and it is more solid or firm and not as jiggly. It is a Puerto Rican thing. Just add extra eggs and vanilla and that's all, if you like it firm.
Now when referring to the family recipe this recipe goes back all the way to my great grandparent’s time. They were the ones as far as my grandparents can remember that started the flan recipe especially during the holiday season. They wanted to do something special mainly for those who visited such as relatives or friends. However, this family recipe seemed to spread across the family and now practically everyone on my mother’s side follows it. My grandparents explained to me that they remember my great grandparents teaching them how to make the flan in a traditional way. They recall waking up early in the morning around six or seven to begin preparing the meal. This involved spending countless hours in kitchen all in preparation for either the lunch or dinner of that day. Still to this day this family recipe remains the most memorable in which my parents and grandparents still prepare in honor of them.
For many people food and family are intimately connected. Modern families in fact have a difficult task in the sense of preserving this connection. Although we may not be able to do the exact same things in the kitchen that our grandparents or great grandparents did, with new innovative ways people are still honoring and preserving the culinary knowledge that has been handed down possibly for generations. Family recipes are truly a way of keeping our heritage alive, as well as part of ourselves. Food as we all know appeals to our five senses because it has the power to evoke special memories in our lives. Those memories can be filled with feelings of well-being, fulfillment or pleasure. These family recipes allow us access to these feelings any time we choose to make something special for either a holiday or a simple occasion.
For many people food and family are intimately connected. Modern families in fact have a difficult task in the sense of preserving this connection. Although we may not be able to do the exact same things in the kitchen that our grandparents or great grandparents did, with new innovative ways people are still honoring and preserving the culinary knowledge that has been handed down possibly for generations. Family recipes are truly a way of keeping our heritage alive, as well as part of ourselves. Food as we all know appeals to our five senses because it has the power to evoke special memories in our lives. Those memories can be filled with feelings of well-being, fulfillment or pleasure. These family recipes allow us access to these feelings any time we choose to make something special for either a holiday or a simple occasion.