Leche Flan: The Yummiest Dessert Ever

How to Pronounce Flan: It depends upon which language you speak. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the English pronunciation is expressed as flaen, which would rhyme with man.

Shhhh...I don't know if all will agree. Having to realize that this is definitely the yummiest dessert I ever tasted so I can't wait to share this dessert recipe! Tell me what do you think? Surely, you can't wait to taste some more... Okay. Roll the dice please..

Ingredients

♥ Approximately 12 egg yolk
♥ 1 can condensed milk
♥ 1 pint evaporated milk or any kind of milk
♥ 1 tbsp. vanilla
♥ sugar to caramelized
♥ 1 cup water

Here's what to do:

Blend all ingredients in a blender.

Pour mixture into a loaf tin lined with caramelized sugar.

Cover with aluminum foil. Place tin in a larger baking pan half-filled with water. Place pan in pre-heated oven (375 F) and bake flan for about 1 hour or until it is firm.

To caramelize sugar: Put sugar and water in a saucepan. Caramelize in high heat. Line loaf tin with caramelized sugar. Be sure to line the sides of the pan.

Dulce de leche, a dense, creamy caramelized milk "jam," is Argentina's favorite homegrown postre (dessert). As an accompaniment to a simple peeled banana, it is Argentine childhood incarnate, and its appearance at the table is sure to trigger Proustian flights of memory and rapture in adults.

For dulce de leche
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 quart whole milk
• 4 cups sugar

For flans:
• 1 large egg
• 8 large egg yolks

For caramel:
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
• 2 tablespoons water

Preparation

Make dulce de leche:
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a large heavy saucepan and stir in pods, milk, and sugar. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, then place a small saucer upside down in pot to keep mixture from sticking to bottom or forming a crust. Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and brown, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Cool.

Make caramel:
Preheat oven to 325° F. Place eight 6-ounce ramekins in shallow baking pan. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in small saucepan with pouring lip. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Immediately pour caramel into ramekins, tilting and rotating ramekins to coat bottom and rewarming caramel over medium heat if it gets too thick.

Make flans:
Whisk together egg and yolks in large bowl. Whisk in dulce de leche. Strain mixture through sieve into large measuring cup and pour into ramekins, diving evenly.

Place baking pan in oven. Pour enough hot water into pan to come two-thirds up sides of ramekins. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Tent foil to vent steam and continue to bake 10 to 15 minutes, until flans are set around edges but still slightly wobbly in centers. Using metal spatula, transfer flans in ramekins to rack; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. To unmold flans, run a small knife around edges to loosen. Invert onto plates.

Recipe Courtesy of Epicurious

Yes, you heard it right! Since pumpkins are very versatile it is used in cooking from the fleshy shell, to the seeds and even the flowers are the edible. So, here's one of the leche flan recipes made from pumpkins.

♥ 2 cups kalabasa (pumpkin), cut finely
♥ 1 cup condensed milk
♥ 3 eggs
♥ sugar
♥ 1/2 teaspoon dayap (lime) or vanilla

Directions:

1. Boil the squash.
2. Mash until smooth.
3. Add eggs, mil, rind or vanilla. Strain.
4. Sprinkle sugar on the leche flan mold (llanera), and put the mold on the fire until sugar browns.
5. Place the squash mixture into the llanera, and steam for about 20 minutes.

Recipe Source: Philippine Food and Live by Gilda Cordero Fernando. Published by Anvil Publishing, Pasig, Metro Manila, 1992.

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