Brazilian Flan Food

BRAZILIAN FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• In a sauce pan, melt the sugar over medium high heat. After about 10 minutes, once it's golden brown, add the water and let it cook, stirring lightly, until it thickens a bit.
• Pour the caramel into a 10 inch Angel Food Pan and swirl it to cover the bottom and sides. Let it sit for a few minutes so it hardens. It is important that the caramel firms before you add the flan mixture so they don't mix together.
• Add the sweet condensed milk, milk, eggs and vanilla extract to a large blender jar. Blend for a few minutes until smooth. (If you can't fit all the ingredients, divide them equally into 2 batches!)
• Pour the flan mixture into the angel food pan and cover with foil.
• Fill a large baking pan (a lasagna dish works great!) halfway through with water and place the angel food pan in it.
• Bring it to the oven and bake it in bain marie for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. I like to wiggle the pan a bit to see if it's still liquidy. Sometimes I have to leave it for an extra 15 minutes. You can also insert a cake tester to check. It should come out clean or almost clean.
• Let the flan cool and transfer it to the fridge to cool overnight.
• To remove the flan from the mold, just run a knife along the sides and then carefully flip it on a serving plate.

BRAZILIAN FLAN

Steps:

• Coat tube pan with caramelized sugar.
• Allow to harden.
• Blend all the other ingredients together and pour in mold.
• Place mold in pan with 2" hot water in preheated oven.
• Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour or 1 hour and 15 min until deep golden brown.
• Let cool, refrigerate overnight, then invert and unmold.

BRAZILIAN FLAN RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350F.

BRAZILIAN FLAN (PUDIM DE LEITE)

Steps:

• To caramelize the sugar: Add the sugar to a medium heavy saucepan over medium low heat. When sugar starts to melt, stir gently and occasionally until it starts to turns light, clear brown; do not let it burn. Be carefull at this point the sugar will be extremely hot! Use oven mits to pour the caramelized sugar into a ring mold/or pan. Swirl the sugar over the sides to completely cover the pan.
• For the flan: Mix all of the ingredients with a blender or mixer. Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated but do not overmix as it will cause bubbles in your flan. Pour mixture into the mold/pan. Put the mold/pan into a larger pan with water in it to make a 'bain marie'. Carefully put this into the oven at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Check with a toothpick in the center of the flan to make sure it is set up. Carefully remove your pan from the oven as the water will be very hot.
• Cool the flan for a few hours or better yet overnight in the refrigerator and invert into a serving plate that is large enough to accomodate the flan and some of the caramel.

PORTUGUESE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make caramel: combine the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan. Be sure all the sugar granules are washed down from the sides of the pan (use a wet pastry brush). Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the color is golden brown and the mixture smells like caramel. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the caramel into a 9 inch round cake pan and, holding the pan with an oven glove, swirl it around to generously coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and 2 cups of the half and half, without whisking in any air. Bring the remaining half and half and the port to a simmer in a small saucepan and begin whisking this into the egg mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly until it is all incorporated. Pour through a strainer into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan inside a large roasting pan and pour very hot tap water into the pan so that it comes halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the center is slightly jiggly but not wavy. Cool to room temperature and then cover with plastic wrap with the plastic gently touching the top of the flan. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 4 days.
• To unmold the custard, run a small sharp knife around the inside edges of the dish several times to loosen it. Dip the bottom briefly in a basin of very hot tap water. Invert a round platter over the dish and turn them both over together, shaking the two a little to help release the custard (or rap the bottom of the platter gently on the work surface). The caramel sauce will run out around the edges of the platter. Garnish the top of the flan with violets or other edible flowers.

BRAZILIAN STYLE FLAN (PUDIM DE LEITE CONDENSADO)

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar becomes a golden brown syrup after about 10 minutes, pour it immediately into a round baking dish, swirling so that the syrup coats all sides of the dish. Set aside to cool.
• Place the egg yolks into a blender and blend on medium for 5 minutes, then add condensed milk, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, and egg whites. Continue to blend until all ingredients are combined. Pour egg mixture into the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. The center of the flan will still be soft. Allow flan to cool before unmolding onto a plate. Refrigerate before serving.