Citrus Flan Food

FRESH FRUIT FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10-by-15 inch jelly roll pan.
• For the crust, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together white and confectioners' sugars, butter, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Blend well. Spread the dough evenly on the bottom of the greased pan. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For the filling, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread over the cooled crust. Arrange the fruit on the cream cheese filling and refrigerate.
• For the glaze, mix together the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in the water, orange juice, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil gently for one minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
• Spoon or brush the glaze evenly over the fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

ORANGE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together, then add zest, orange juice, heavy cream, and salt, and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture and fill caramelized lined ramekins. Put ramekins in hot water bath and bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes or until firm.
• Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Caramel:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• Put the sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer without stirring. Cover the saucepan with a lid for 2 minutes, them remove and simmer until mixture is an amber color. Pour caramel into ramekins to cover the bottom, and swirl to coat 1/3 up the sides of ramekins.
• Yield: enough to coat 4 to 6 ramekins

FLAN DE NARANJA: ORANGE FLAN

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Put a heavy saucepan over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup orange juice.
• With a long-handled wooden spoon, keep stirring sugar and juice mixture constantly in the pan until sauce is reduced and thickened. It should be a rich medium brown color (caramelized). This will take 3 to 5 minutes or so on medium-to-low heat.
• Remove from heat and quickly spoon caramelized sugar sauce into 6 ramekins or a large baking dish. (If you wait, sugar will cool and harden.) Set aside.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Grate peel of half of a large orange and half of a lemon into a mixing bowl.
• Pour about 1/2 inch of warm water into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish for boiling water bath if using ramekins. If using one large open baking dish, be sure that the dish is tall enough to accommodate the water necessary to cover 3/4 or the height of the dish.
• Add 1/2 cup orange juice, the half-and-half, and citrus zest to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir. Scald 2 cups of half-and-half in the saucepan and remove from heat. Keep a close eye on the pan, so the cream does not boil over.
• Meanwhile in a medium mixing bowl , beat slightly 3 eggs.
• Mix in 1/4 cup sugar.
• Stirring constantly, gradually add hot cream to egg yolk mixture. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Pour the mixture slowly into another mixing bowl, straining it using cheesecloth to line the strainer. This should catch all the citrus zest. Discard cheesecloth.
• Ladle mixture into ramekins.
• Place each of the ramekins in the baking dish with water. If the water level does not reach 3/4 of the way up the sides of the ramekins, carefully pour more water in.
• Bake uncovered in a water bath at 325 F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean when inserted halfway between center and the edge of dish.
• Carefully remove each ramekin from the water bath. Set on a cooling rack until lukewarm, then chill flan thoroughly in the refrigerator-at least 1 hour.
• When ready to serve, unmold the flan by running a knife around the inside edge of the dish.
• Place a small dessert plate on the top of the ramekin.
• With one hand under the ramekin and the other on top of the place, turn over.
• Tap the ramekin and the flan should drop onto the plate. If it does not, carefully "prod" the flan out of the ramekin with a small paring knife. It should slide out of the ramekin onto the plate and the sauce will surround it.
• Garnish with orange peel or a slice of orange, if desired.
• Serve and enjoy!