Flan- Yum!

Flan is a traditional Mexican dessert. I would say it is THE Mexican dessert. There are others- sopapillas and tres leches cake- but flan is what jumps into my head when I think “Mexican dessert.” Personally, I am not the biggest fan- I think it is the texture- but Andrew loves it. This is a very simple recipe that I found online, and for my first time making it, it was a success!



Flan
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 6 large eggs
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 13 oz cans evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 8 ramekins and a large glass or ceramic baking pan to put them in.
2. Pour 1 ½ cups sugar in warm pan over medium heat. Constantly stir sugar until it browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour approximately 2-3 tablespoons of caramel in each ramekin, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat caramel if it starts to harden.
3. In a mixer or with a whisk, blend the eggs together. Mix in the milks then slowly mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar, then the vanilla. Blend smooth after each ingredient is added.
4. Pour custard into caramel lined ramekins. Place ramekins in baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inches of hot water. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center. If knife comes out clean, it's ready.
5. Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Invert each ramekin onto a small plate, the caramel sauce will flow over the custard.

**Note- it is very important to add hot water to your water bath. I added lukewarm water, not super hot, and I had to add 15 minutes to my baking time!

I made a simple, traditional flan, although there are many variations- chocolate, coffee, etc., and I was unsure how to, or even if I should, Southern-ize it. Perhaps peach compote or Southern pecan pralines on top? What do y’all think?