I love anything “custardy”.  But Flan was always a mystery to me.  It seemed like it must be complicated and too difficult to make.  But my Puerto Rican friend, Yolanda, served it at one of her parties and I was fascinated.  Remember Charo???  Well, Yolanda is a little like a Puerto Rican Charo.  Beautiful, Flashy, Funny and just a little crazy……believe me, I say this in love.  I LIKE crazy!  So anyway, I asked her about Flan and would it be possible to teach me how to make it.  She ended up giving a little class to me and my friend Jean and some others.  I was right.  It IS complicated.  And also, just because I can never leave anything alone, I made a different caramel.  I discovered a really easy, wonderful way to make caramel, so I traded hers for mine.  But the Flan is all Yolanda…

FLAN

6 eggs, beaten

1 can Evaporated Milk

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup sugar

1 8 oz. cream cheese

Mix all in a blender.  Set aside and make caramel.

My simple caramel (which is great on many things:  Ice Cream, Pound cake, AND Flan!)

1 stick butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/ 2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. lite corn syrup

Melt butter in a saucepan or small skillet.  Add cream and sugar, mix well and boil exactly 5 minutes.  Some recipes say NO stirring.  But I can never resist.  And I honestly haven’t noticed any difference whether I give it a couple of stirs or not.   After 5 minutes remove from heat and cool slightly.  In a greased bread pan, pour some cooled caramel.  Gently pour the egg mixture into pan.  Set the baking pan in a larger pan of water, full to just below the top of bread pan.  (This is the part I thought was more complicated than most cooks like.  But I did it anyway because Yolanda said so!). Bake at 325 for at least an hour and 1/2.   It’s done when a butter knife comes out clean.