“The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. When your abuelo Pedro was courting me, my mother used to make him flan. He couldn’t resist it. Make him a flan and he’ll throw himself at your feet.” —Buela giving Grace a bit of advice on men, from The Boyfriend of the Month Club
ABUELA’S FLAN
This recipe is for authentic Cuban flan (as made by my mother) and featured in my novel, The Boyfriend of the Month Club. Flan is a delicious custard type desert that is easy to make (although not always easy to flip!). As you can see by this picture, there are tiny cracks in the surface, but I promise you, it does not alter the taste one lick.
Flan de Queso
1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
pinch of salt
2 cups of sugar (for the syrup)
Combine all the ingredients (except the 2 cups of sugar) in a blender until it is well mixed, then set aside. In a large skillet, melt the 2 cups of sugar over medium/high heat until the sugar completely melts into a syrup. Pour the syrup into a baking pan with a circle in the center (like a Bundt) pan making sure to cover as much of the pan’s surface with the syrup as possible. Let it set for a couple of minutes. Carefully pour the liquid egg mixture into the pan over the set syrup. Place the pan inside a larger pan filled with an inch of water and place the whole thing in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until set. Let cool to room temperature, then chill. Before serving, let the chilled flan sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes, then flip it onto a plate, letting all the syrup drip over the custard.
Enjoy!