Friday, February 16, 2007

Brazilian Flan - Condensed Milk Flan

Nostalgia... an event held by Kitchen Wench challenges food bloggers to go back in time and share recipes that evoke a sense of nostalgia... Here is my favorite... La Tartine Gourmande posted some time ago a 'Crème Renversée' and Simply Recipes has a Rose Petal Flan that reminded me so much of this recipe my mom still makes for us. Over the years I have tried this flan with several caramel recipes and it always turns out great. Raising a big family of seven kids, my mom needed quick and easy recipes, and this was our favorite. We call it "pudim de leite condensado" and mom always uses a ring mold to bake it. This can be done also in ramekins, just prepare your caramel and have them ready to pour the hot caramel before blending the flan itself. So, to my mom, here is her recipe:

Easy as 1.2.3... and a dessert that is out of this world!

Custard

1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) - Eagle Brand
1 can regular milk (use the can to measure)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cornstarch (optional)

Topping
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

1) Add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water in a roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and preheat to 350F degrees (about 180 C) to boil.

2) In a ring mold (approx. 7.5 in (20 cm) round):

Add 1 cup sugar and place the mold directly over medium heat. Hold the mold with an oven mitt and keep turning it until the sugar melts into a golden brown caramel. Add 1/4 cup water, boil for about five minutes. Let the mold cool.

3) In a blender:

Mix condensed milk, regular milk, corn starch, and eggs. Whip until smooth. Pour this mixture into the mold and place it in the center of the roasting pan with boiling water. Bake the flan for 45 minutes. It will turn golden brown on top and start separating from the sides of the mold. Let it cool to room temperature and place in refrigerator, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Just before serving, warm up the mold on medium heat for a few seconds and run the tip of a knife around the inside of the mold. Place a deep platter over the mold and invert: the flan should slide out easily. Spoon the caramel sauce on top and serve.




13 comments:

Luna und Luzie said...

Thank you for translating . It looks much delicious.
But I we don´t use inch and degree F. I want to find it out, and then I make it.

Cris said...

Luna, I just added the measures in cm and Celsius. Thanks for the heads up!

Luna und Luzie said...

Thank you, Cris !!! Why you know that ?

Cris said...

Luna, my pleasure. I do a lot of American cooking and here we use the same measures as in Europe, so I have to convert most recipes! :-)

Anonymous said...

Cris, Thank You for sharing this recipe with me and my Family. What a wonderful desert ! I looked at it and procrastinated making it. Then one day I made it, I wasnt sure I could wait the four hours , so I opted to make it at night so I could sleep the hours away. I am glad I did. The next day when I tried it , I couldnt stop picking at it. My Tow year old son loves it and calls out More, More, More. He looks in the refridgerator for more and it is long gone. My advice to anyone who is making this for company, Make two and hide the spare one in the back of the refridgerator so when the company leaves, You can have a whole one to yourself. For anyone wanting to know what it tastes like, It reminds me of Baklava with out the body ( Texture ) or a sweet egg custard. Thank You Cris, Thanks to your Mom ( Mae~ ) for sharing this recipe. It was well worth trying, and where you quoted " as easy as one , two , three " ......It's easier then that.

Cris said...

Karla, you surprised me when you said you'd try it, but knowing you I was so sure you would love it! Thanks for the nice comment and for trying something new! Love.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for submitting this to the Nostalgia event! My sister is a HUGE fan of any dessert made with condensed milk, and the fact that this is a custard will make her beg me to make it :P

Rynn said...

This is a fabulous recipe. I've looked forever for a true "mexican' style flan, and finally found it. Great that it has less egg. One thing -- I was surprised that it had no vanilla, so I added a teaspoon of the good stuff. It was muy delicioso!

Cris said...

Rynn, glad you like the flan! It is very popular here in Brazil and we do not add vanilla, good to know it works, will do try next time! Thanks for visiting!

Anonymous said...

Hi Cris,
This is sugarpie from baking911. I wasn't able to find you on 911, so I thought I would come to your blog and post my question here.
The mold that you used to make the Brazilian flan looks like a bundt pan, is that what it is? If so, is it metal/glass?
Please let me know.
sugarpie.

Cris said...

Hi sugarpie, I posted a reply there too, but just in case, I prefer the regular mold pan, the bundt pan may be tricky to invert the flan, as it is very soft. Also, if you use a can of condensed milk, use the same one to measure the milk, I think it usually is 14 ounces. Thanks for visiting!

Bram said...

Good, solid, authentic recipe. I really liked this. I did, however, have a bit of trouble making it; here's what happened, and my advice.

1. Use less sugar. In my attempt, the solidified sugar at the bottom of the mould was thick, and it took several minutes, not a few seconds, over medium heat, to loosen the flan so it would leave the mould. I basically had to re-boil the sugar at the bottom. By the time it unmoulded, I had had to invert it three times and got caramel sauce everywhere, of which there was too much anyhow. (If anybody can tell me why my flan had to sit in the fire for so long before unmoulding, unlike dozens of recipes that say it should just slide out right away, I would love your advice. You can reach me at bram.wayman@yale.edu .)

2. Cook the sugar over low heat, not medium, and have patience. Burned caramel sauce tastes awful. Once the sugar melts, don't stir it with a spoon, as this can cause improper crystallization.

3. When I added the water to the cooking caramel sauce, the resulting explosion blew burnt sugar several feet. Add the water about a teaspoon at a time until the boiling caramel calms down.

4. I cooked this in a 7" thick glass baking dish, and it took almost an hour and a half to bake. Keep checking it past an hour, though, otherwise you may end up with what I ended up with -- a stiff, over-baked flan.

5. Add vanilla extract to the milk mix for additional flavor -- not as authentic, but good in many custards. I'd say about a teaspoon.

Despite my mishaps, my flan turned out very well anyway, and it is beyond addicting. I loved this recipe and am sure to give it another try soon! Thanks so much for sharing it with us all.

Cris said...

Thanks for your comments Bram, I already replied to your e-mail but just wanted to point here that this flan should not be baked in glass bakding dish :-)