Flan

Dessert

Flan was Chef Ana Aguilar’s favorite dessert growing up. For years, she made this dessert with sweetened condensed milk, but when she started her food company Tantisimo, she knew she wanted to showcase milk and eggs from local farms. “I tested recipes for about a month until I landed on what I wanted, a crème caramel style flan that shows off the best cream, eggs, and vanilla around,” Ana says. “It makes me happy.” Us too.

By Ana Aguilar / Photography By Ana Aguilar | October 29, 2021

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 9 Serving(s)

Caramel

1 cup sugar

Custard

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
6 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups half and half

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350F. To make caramel, heat sugar over medium heat. Stir constantly to avoid clumps, until it begins to brown and is smooth. Working quickly, immediately pour caramel into 8-inch square baking dish. Tilt dish as needed to coat all four sides halfway up with caramel. Set aside.

2. To make custard, combine cream cheese, eggs, and egg yolk. Mix well and strain into large mixing bowl. Add sugar, vanilla, salt, and half and half. Stir well. Strain once more into your caramel coated dish. Cover with foil. Place into larger roasting pan and add water to roasting pan to a 1-inch depth. (This is called a water bath and tempers the heat, creating a silky texture.)

3.Bake 90 minutes. Check flan by shaking slightly. Flan is done when center is firm but has a decent amount of jiggle. Remove from water bath and let cool about 30 minutes. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.