Granny Celia’s flan

Mexican flan differs from Spanish and Filipino flan with its use of whole eggs instead of yolks and addition of vanilla; Granny Celia's flan omits vanilla and adds good-quality cream cheese.

Granny Celia’s flan Credit: Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Urquiza

• serves

  6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 x 400 g can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 x 375 g can evaporated milk
• 90 g good-quality cream cheese

Instructions

1. Heat the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it melts. Cook until it turns a deep golden brown colour, then pour the caramel into a flan mold and rotate the pan carefully, using a tea towel to protect your hands, so the insides are coated in caramel.
2. In a bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the milk, then the cream cheese. Whisk for 5 minutes until foamy, then pour into the flan mold. Cover with foil and place in a pressure cooker. Add water to come halfway up the sides of the mold, then place on the lid of the pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes from the moment it starts to sound.
3. Let the pressure cooker cool, remove the lid and then the mold. Remove the foil and invert the flan onto a serving platter.

Note

• You can also cook this in individual ovenproof containers in a roasting tray of hot water, in an oven set to 160°C for 30 minutes.

Images and text from The Mexican Vegetarian Cookbook by Margarita Carrillo Arronte, photography by Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Urquiza. Published by Phaidon (RRP $74.95).

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.