Unique, Refined, Delicious
Visit a traditional Mexican household and you are likely to see a gelatinous yellow dessert known as flan. This rich custard dessert is Mexico's version of France's creme brulee. Basic flan is an egg custard baked in it's own caramel sauce. When the flan is served, the sauce runs over the dish creating a sweet contrast to the egg filled custard. Flan is always served as a wiggly, jiggly treat. Traditionally, it is served from one large mold and individual servings are sliced off. For ease in serving, I generally prefer to serve flan in individual dishes created by cooking in cupcake tins instead of the larger cake pan. A good flan will have the consistency of Jell-O and the texture of a thick custard. Variations on flan are easy to learn once you have mastered the basic recipe. The most popular variation is coffee flan. A small amount of instant coffee or espresso added to your recipe will give a full bodied flavor to your flan. By substituting fruit puree for a small amount of liquid, you can create a lighter tasting fruit flan. Serve these flans surrounded by bunches of fresh fruit to bring out the flavors. Ground nuts used as an addition create a taste to combat cold weather. Below is a basic flan recipe that you can alter to suit your own palette. If you haven't mastered it by the time your special occasion rolls around, you might want to check your local Mexican market for instant flan mix. It's not quite as good as fresh, but most guests won't know it's instant. Ingredients:
Directions:
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