Cheesecake Flan Food

CHEF JOHN'S CHEESECAKE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Rub the insides of four 5 1/2-ounce ramekins with oil.
• Melt 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, without stirring, in a skillet over medium heat. Swirl the skillet occasionally until sugar caramelizes to an amber color. Quickly pour caramel into each ramekin to cover the bottoms. Place ramekins in a baking dish.
• Combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.
• Heat 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk until almost simmering. Stir in sugar and pour into the cream cheese mixture.
• Ladle mixture into the ramekins. Fill the baking dish with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
• Bake in the preheated oven until custard is just barely set, 45 to 60 minutes. When shaken, custard should jiggle as one mass. Remove ramekins from baking dish and let cool to room temperature.
• Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and spread some of the mixture over each flan. Refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 2 hours.
• Run a knife along the edge of each chilled flan and invert onto a plate. Drizzle any remaining caramel on top.

PUERTO RICAN FLAN DE QUESO (CHEESE FLAN)

Steps:

• Preheat to oven 350°F degrees. Set a kettle of water to boil. Set an 8- or 9-inch cake (or pie) pan with 2-inch high sides inside of a larger baking pan (such as a 13x9).
• In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt sugar until completely dissolved. Watch carefully so it does not burn. You may swirl the pan to stir. Remove from heat when it is a dark golden, amber color.
• Immediately pour the melted sugar into the bottom of the cake pan, working quickly before it hardens. Set aside.
• In a blender beat the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
• Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve to ensure there are no lumps. Pour the strained custard into the cake pan over the sugar caramel. Next, add boiling water to the larger pan. It should come up the sides about an inch deep. The cake pan will be sitting in a water bath.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until set around the edges with a slight jiggle in the middle. Remove from oven and let the flan cool in the water bath, about an hour. Once cool, refrigerate at least 2 hours, but overnight is best.
• When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges to loosen. Set a plate over the flan and flip upside-down to invert. Slice into wedges and serve.

CHEESECAKE FLAN

Steps:

• Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to combine. Cook until sugar mixture reaches a deep golden brown color, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Equally divide the caramel into 10 to 12 (3 1/2-inch) ramekins and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese with the eggs on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until completely incorporated. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat together until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Ladle the custard over the caramel into the ramekins filling them up to 1/2-inch from the rim. Place a kitchen towel in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and place the ramekins in 2 rows on top of the towel. Place the baking dish in the oven and using a pitcher, pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to get water in the ramekins. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the flan is just set, about 30 minutes. When you tap the edge of the ramekin the flan should still wobble in the center.
• Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the foil and let the ramekins cool slightly. Using tongs remove the ramekins from the water and set on a towel to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Once cooled completely, the flan can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before un-molding and serving.
• To serve, run a thin knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the flan, and then invert onto a plate.

CHEESE FLAN

Steps:

• Make caramel:
• Heat sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Cook, without stirring, brushing down sugar crystals from side of pan using a pastry brush dipped in cold water and swirling pan occasionally so caramel browns evenly, until dark amber. Immediately pour into ramekins and swirl so caramel coats bottom of each and partway up side, then put in a roasting pan.
• Make flan:
• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
• Bring milk with cinnamon stick just to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let steep, covered, 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon.
• Meanwhile, blend condensed milk and cream cheese in a food processor until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, then whisk in hot milk.
• Divide among ramekins, then add enough boiling water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan loosely with a sheet of foil and bake until custards are just set (they will still wobble slightly in center when tapped), 45 to 55 minutes.
• Remove ramekins from water bath and let stand at least 15 minutes (flan will continue to set). Just before serving (warm or at room temperature), run a thin knife around flans to loosen, then invert onto plates.

FLAN DE QUESO (CREAM CHEESE FLAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Fill a large oven-safe pot with water to 1 inch; bring to a boil.
• Place sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, cream cheese, milk, and vanilla extract in a blender; blend until smooth.
• Place sugar in an even layer in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until edges start to brown, about 1 minute; drag sugar into the center with a spatula once the edges start to brown. Continue cooking, stirring from time to time, until caramel is an even golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Pour caramel into a 9-inch flan mold or baking pan; swirl so that caramel reaches 1 inch up the sides. Pour condensed milk mixture on top. Place mold in the pot of boiling water.
• Bake flan in the preheated oven until a damp table knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Chill flan in the refrigerator until firm, 2 to 3 hours. Invert onto a serving plate so that caramel is on top.

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 celsius).
• Place one cup of the sugar in a small heavy duty saucepan and cook on medium heat until the sugar is a deep golden brown, stirring constantly to make a caramel sauce; pour into a 9 inch round pan.
• Microwave chocolate squares on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minute; cool.
• Place milk and cream cheese in a blender and blend until smooth.
• Add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, eggs and melted chocolate to the mix in the blender and blend well.
• Pour over caramel sauce in the pan.
• Bake flan in water bath. (Create water bath by setting the round pan of flan into a larger pan and adding water around the smaller pan to half way up the side of the flan pan.).
• Bake 1 hour or until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean; remove from oven.
• Place round pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Chill for 4 hours or overnight.
• To unmold, run a metal knife around the edge of the flan and invert onto a plate; shake slightly to loosen.
• Gently twist to remove pan.
• Caramel sauce will drizzle down the sides.
• Add chocolate garnish if desired.

CHEESECAKE FLAN

Steps:

• Special equipment: 10 (3 1/2-inch) ramekins.
• Set a large bowl of ice water next to your stovetop. Place the sugar and 1/4 cup of water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Using a pastry brush, stir the sugar occasionally, being careful not to get any grains stuck against the sides of the saucepan, until it has all dissolved. Swirl the saucepan every minute until the sugar becomes a golden reddish-brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Shock the bottom of the saucepan by placing the bottom in the ice water to stop the cooking, and then equally divide the caramel into 10 to 12 (3 1/2-inch) ramekins and set aside.
• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese with the eggs on low speed to combine. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until completely incorporated. Add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat together until everything is well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Ladle the custard over the caramel into the ramekins filling them up to 1/2-inch from the rim. Place a kitchen towel in a deep baking dish or roasting pan and place the ramekins in 2 rows on top of the towel. Place the baking dish in the oven and using a pitcher, pour enough hot water into the baking dish to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins, taking care not to get water in the ramekins. Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the flan is just set, about 30 minutes. When you tap the edge of the ramekin the flan should still wobble in the center.
• Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the foil and let the ramekins cool slightly. Using tongs remove the ramekins from the water and set on a towel to cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Once cooled completely, the flan can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before un-molding and serving. To serve, run a thin knife around the inside edge of the ramekin to loosen the flan, and then invert onto a plate.

SOUTHERN LIVING CHEESECAKE FLAN

Steps:

• Sprinkle sugar in a heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugar melts and turns light brown.
• Remove from heat. QUICKLY pour hot caramel into a 9" round cakepan, tilting to coat bottom; set pan aside. (Caramel will harden and crack).
• Combine eggs and remaining 7 ingredients in a large food processor or blender. Process just until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.
• Pour custard mixture over the caramel syrup in cake pan.
• Place cakepan in a large shallow pan. Cover cakepan with aluminum foil.
• Add hot water to shallow pan to depth of 1".
• Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted off center comes out clean. (Center should still be slightly liquid; flan will finish cooking as it cools).
• Remove cakepan from water bath; cool flan completely on a wire rack (while still in cakepan).
• Cover and chill for several hours or overnight. Loosen edges of flan with a spatula and invert flan onto a rimmed serving plate, letting caramel sauce drizzle over the top.