Flan de Grace

Flan…there are a million recipes, and most of them are delicious!  Today we have Grace’s Flan which has been deemed by her family as the best flan ever. Having had enjoyed it more than once, I can tell you, it’s really good!

You may remember Grace’s Carne con Papas (Cuban Beef Stew) – can you believe that was back in November 2008? We can’t wait that long for Grace’s recipes…

We spent Sunday afternoon at her house, and while the flan cooked we enjoyed her delicious chicken salad and some “saladitos”, and as always wonderful conversation.

OK, let’s get down to business…

Ingredients

5 eggs

14 oz sweetened condensed milk

12 oz evaporated milk

1 Tblsp vanilla extract

¾ cup sugar

Process

This recipe makes approximately 10 servings.

1.  Add ½ cup of sugar to cover the bottom of a loaf pan.  
2. Add 6 Tblsps of water to the sugar.

1. Place the loaf pan on the stove on high.  Caramelize the sugar for about 14 minutes until the mixture gets thick and brown.

1. Once the caramelized sugar is done, take it off the stove and swirl the pan until the bottom is coated.

1. Let the pan sit until the mixture has hardened.

1. Place the evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, condensed milk and ¼ cup of sugar in a bowl.  

1. Mix for about 2 minutes until the egg is fully mixed. The mixture will be lightly thickened, but still drippy. 

 

1. Pour the egg mixture into the caramelized loaf pan.  You may hear crackling when the cold milk mixture hits the still warm caramel. Relax, it’s ok! That’s normal.

1. Place the pan into a room temperature water bath in a cold oven. Set the oven to 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

•  NOTE: DO NOT open the oven while cooking, as this will inhibit the flan from gelling (“se pasma” in Cuban Spanish). 

1.  After around 55 minutes, insert a toothpick into the center of the flan. It should come out semi-dry and the consistency should be firm but not  dry.

1.  Let the flan sit for at least an hour until it cools completely, then cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

• NOTE: This is a great make-ahead dessert. It can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

1. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edge until the flan is unattached from the sides.

 

1. Flip the flan on to a serving platter.

1. Pour the caramelized sugar syrup over the flan. Slice and serve.

Look! How beautiful is that?

Of course, a sweet, strong "cafecito" (Cuban coffee) follows the flan perfectly. 

Make this for your next dinner party - it'll be a hit!

¡Buen provecho!

Carne con Papas de Grace (Cuban Beef Stew)

Several requests for a good and simple Carne con Papas recipe have finally been satisfied. Our teacher Grace welcomed us into her home so we could learn how to make this delicious Cuban comfort food. We were joined by family members who only added to the fun!
Grace served the carne con papas with white rice along with a delicious avocado and tomato salad followed by an amazing flan - we're going to have to recruit her to teach us how to make that flan - and of course, cafecito! Oh and there was plenty of wine to go around of course.

Ingredients











4 medium onions - chopped
2 medium green peppers - chopped
1/4 cup corn oil
5 lbs Beef for stew
2 tsps Lawrey's Garlic Salt with Ground Parsley
4 lbs medium potatoes - peeled and chunked
1 lb jar Ragu Traditional Pasta Sauce
2 14.5 oz cans cut green beans - drained

Process

This recipe makes approximately 10 servings.

1. Sweat the onions and green peppers in the oil until the onion is translucent.

2. If necessary, cut the beef chunks into large bite sized pieces.

3. Season the beef chunks with 1 tsp of garlic salt.
4. Add the meat to the onion and pepper mixture. Stir to brown evenly.

5. Season the potatoes with 1 tsp of garlic salt and add the potatoes to the pot.

6. Add the pasta sauce.

7. Cover and cook on medium-low for 25-30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Add the green beans.

8. Cook for another 10 minutes, setting the lid ajar so some of the liquid can evaporate and the sauce thickens a bit.

9. Traditionally served with white rice.

¡Buen provecho!