Cuban Flan Custard Recipes

Steps:

• Equipment: 1 quart flanera or 1 quart round casserole dish with lid AND 1 ovenproof dish or baking pan that the flanera or casserole will fit into.
• Caramel: Some people like to make caramel by adding water to sugar and then cooking it to a nice dark golden brown, and some just like to melt the sugar to golden without water. Either method will work here. If you are using a flanera, which is a metal pan with a lock-down lid, you can make the caramel right in the flanera. If you are using a casserole dish, make the caramel in a saucepan and pour into the bottom of the casserole dish.
• Custard: As you prepare the custard, the caramel will cool. In a separate bowl, beat the 1 whole egg and 5 egg yolks together. A whisk works very well here. Add the evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk to the eggs and mix together. Add the vanilla extract, either 1/2 teaspoon or 1 teaspoon depending on what strength you prefer. Pour the custard mixture into the flanera or casserole dish over the hardened caramel. Put on the lid.
• Put your flan into the ovenproof dish or baking pan and fill with hot water to about half-way up the sides, or as high as you can go and still move the thing without spilling hot water on yourself.
• Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let set for another 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and the water-bath and let cool.
• Plating: Run a butter-knife around the outside edge of the flan. Place a plate large enough to handle the liquid caramel over the flan and invert. Chill the flan for at least an hour before serving.
• Enjoy!

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the REAL sugar/water for the caramel. Set aside. Be sure to wash the top of the can and shake it well before pouring.
• 2. Using a 3 qt Corningware casserole(it's what I use, but if you have another mold you can put on both stove top and oven, you can use that too.), put in water and sugar. Heat until sugar is boiling.
• 3. When it turns golden brown(makes a caramel), and using pot holders, swirl the caramel so that all sides and bottom of mold are completely coated. This prevents the flan from sticking to the sides of the mold.
• 4. Pour the mixture into the mold. Put the mold onto a pan half-way full of water(Bain Marie) and put in oven for 45- 55 mins. When you insert a knife into the middle of the flan, and the knife comes out dry, the flan is done.
• 5. Again using potholders, place a serving platter over the mold, and quickly turn it over. This can be a little tricky. If the flan sticks, turn it back and carefully run a knife around the edge of the mold to loosen the flan. Then turn the mold upside down again over the platter. Cool and serve.

Steps:

• Prepare a caramel by adding the 1/4 cup of water to 3/4 cups of sugar in a small saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir while cooking until the sugar starts melting. Let it simmer. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash the sides of the pan free of granular sugar. When sugar starts to thicken and turn brown remove from heat and add 2 cubes of ice to stop the cooking process, being very careful not to get burned with any splattering that may occur. Coat a warm baking dish or round mold by pouring the caramel and swirl it around the sides and bottom. put the coated mold aside( By the way the mold should be 9 inches in diameter).
• Now comes the good part.
• In a saucepan bring to a boil the milk with the lemon peel, cinnamon stick and salt. When the mixtures starts to boil remove from heat and let it cool a little bit. (like my mother use to say: dejala refrescar).
• In a medium bowl beat lightly the egg yolks, whites, vanilla and sugar until well mixed.
• Pour into the bowl the slightly cooled milk and strain the egg and milk mixture into the caramel coated mold.
• OK so far?.
• Place the flan mold inside a baking dish filled with water up to half of the mold side, (bain Mary or baño Maria).
• Now you have three choices of cooking it.
• 1) Cook over stove top at low to medium flame till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry.
• 2) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour in the middle rack. Insert a knife or toothpick in the center, if it comes out dry remove from the oven and let it cool till warm.
• 3) In a pressure cooker ,cook in a cup of water at 15 pounds of pressure for about 25 minutes.
• When cooled place serving dish flat against top of mold and turn it upside down in a fast motion.

Steps:

• 1. Using flan pot or 2 quart pot with tight fitting lid, place 1/2 cup sugar in pot and caramelize sugar.(do this by melting sugar over medium heat (stirring constanly} until melted and amber in color. Remove from the stove with hot pad and move caramel around on sides of pot (only half way up pot)
• 2. Mix eggs with other 1/2 cup sugar, milk and vanilla and mix well.(I do this with blender don't have to though). Place egg mixture in flan/pot or 2 quart pot cover with flan pot lid or if using 2quart pot place Aluminum foil tightly over pot and place lid on top.
• 3. place pot into another pot big enough to hold the flan pot or 2 quart pot and fill with water until about 1 1/2 inch of water covers sides of smaller pot.
• 4. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 1 hour. but to ensure that flan is done remove lid and stick kitchen knife in center of flan if it comes out clean it's done. Remove pot from water pot and cool ompletely.
• 5. When Flan has cooled remove lid/foil and place a dish or plate that is bigger than the top of the flan pot on top, make sure the plate has a small lip as caramel will run. Place one hand on bottom of pot and one hand on top of plate and turn upside down on platter. serve or place in refridgetor covered until serving.