Recipe by Bernadette given to her by Doña Candida Noa de Espinosa in 1947.
Flan’s origins go back to the 17th century Cataluña. It is a traditional latin American dessert. It is also considered a traditional Romanian dessert, cremă de zahăr.
When Bernadette was newly married, she lived next door to her sister-in-law, Maria Elena. Doña Candida was Maria Elena’s mother-in-law. Bernadette and Candida became good friends who enjoyed cooking.
I took the photo on this page at a restaurant in Bucharest in 2009. It tasted just like Doña Candida‘s flan. I wonder if Candida learned how to make it when she lived in New York, from someone who came to the US from Romania?
Makes a small flan for 4 to 6 servings.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of sugar for making the caramel
2 eggs
1 can of evaporated milk
2 tsp vainilla
3/4 cups of sugar
PREPARATION
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In the ceramic or metal baking dish where flan will bake, melt the sugar on the cook top until it melts into caramel.
- Spread the caramel on all inside surfaces of the baking dish.
- Prepare “bain marie” : Pour water into a baking dish that is wider than the one you will use to make the flan. The amount of water should only be about 1 inch deep.
- Using a hand blender mix the eggs and sugar first. Then and the evaporated milk and vanilla. Bernadette would use a regular blender. Both methods work well.
- Pour the mix on the caramel covered baking dish. Place it inside the wider baking dish you prepared for the “bain marie”.
- Bake for about 1 and 1/2 hours uncovered, at 350 degrees, or until a knife inserted into the flan comes out clean. It will have the crema consistency of a creme brulee or a crema catalana.
- For a more traditional, firmer flan, bake for 2 hours at 350 negrees.
- After it cools down, chill in the refrigerator.
Delicious when served with fresh fruits or ice cream, or both.
Try it with a spoonful of cognac poured over it before serving.
Or and a spoonful of cognac to the mix before baking.
BON APPETIT!