How to Make an Awesome Flan

If there’s one thing that’s truly great about the holidays (other than all the cheer and goodwill), it’s definitely all the different, great desserts that are being passed around. There’s your pies — apple, strawberry rhubarb, lemon meringue; there’s your crumbles — cherry, blueberry, cinammon; and there’s your cookies — cherry coconut bars, Italian meatballs, sesame, and more.

As great as all these are, they’re a little expected. Why not delight your friends and family with something new. Why not get everyone excited to try new things? Why not make a flan!

Get the Ingredients.

First things first, you’re going to need to gather your flan’s ingredients. Get three-quarters of a cup of sugar, one eight-ounce-package of softened cream cheese, five eggs, one 14-ounce-can of sweetened condensed milk, one 12-ounce-can of evaporated milk, and one teaspoon vanilla extract.

Cook the Sugar.

Using a heavy saucepan, you’re going to want to cook and stir the sugar over a medium-low heat until it’s golden. This should take about 15 minutes. Then, pour it into a souffle dish. Make sure the bottom is nice and coated. Let that stand for about 10 minutes.

Mix the Other Ingredients.

Then, in a big bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s good and smooth. Put the eggs into your flan mixture one at a time until it’s all thoroughly combined. Add the other ingredients, making sure you mix well. Then, pour it all over the caramelized sugar.

Put It in the Oven.

Now, put your flan mixture in the dish in a large baking pan. Pour some boiling water into this new pan, which should have a depth of at least one inch. Bake it at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the center is set. Then, take the dish from the bigger to a wire rack, and let it cool for an hour. Once that’s set, refrigerate your flan overnight.

Time to Unmold It.

Take a knife and run it around the flan’s edges to unmold it. Flip it out onto a large, rimmed serving platter, and cut it into portions. You could also spoon it out, too — whichever you prefer.

Flan is one of the sweetest, most tasty Hispanic foods — or comida para fiesta — around. If you have any questions about this flan recipe — or recetas postres — please feel free to ask in the comments.