THE FLAN SHOWDOWN

Okay, flan is (yawn) boring. I just couldn't get excited about it. Stir water and sugar together, pour in pan. Boil water in tea kettle. Mix some eggs together. Yawn. It also doesn't help that I think flan is just okay. Custardy-type stuff has just never really appealed to me. I like crust, I like crunch---not this smooth, sexy (as Dorie refers to it) stuff. I don't want my dessert to be sexy. I want fattening, messy, gooey. This is way too lady-like for a gal like me....and if I don't like it-- you know Eric won't even touch it.

Anywhoo-Making this was pretty easy. The caramel turned a lovely amber and it easily covered the bottom of my pan. The flan portion came together quickly and I shoved it in the oven in my trusty blue roasting pan. It baked, it cooled, and it went into the fridge for a chilling. I let Eric flip onto the serving plate while I attempted to get ready to go to Easter dinner. When I came down stairs he informed me that the caramel portion was almost dripping over the sides of the plate---so he drained it off, that way it would be much easier to tote to grandmas. Ah, god love him. I couldn't be mad on Easter and since we were already running half an hour late, I didn't have time to worry.

Good thing I didn't get upset. No one touched it. My feelings would have normally been hurt, but heck--I didn't even want it. Especially when it is sitting right next to my grandmother's homemade cherry pie. I felt really bad for my flan, so I ate a little piece to make it feel better. Then I ate a ginormous piece of cherry pie. Shame, shame on me.

Well, now I have a lot of leftover flan and I am going to eat it this week with berries and some biscotti. If you love flan, go ahead and try this recipe. I will not be making it again though. I would rather save my eggs for an omelet or more brioche:)

Caramel Topped Flan

(Baking: From My Home to Yours, Dorie Greenspan)

For the Caramel

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp water

squirt of fresh lemon juice

For the Flan

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1-1/4 cups whole milk

3 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan or a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with a double thickness of paper towels. Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Put a metal 8-x-2-inch round cake pan-not a nonstick one-in the oven to heat while you prepare the caramel. To Make the Caramel: Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Put the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar becomes an amber-colored caramel, about 5 minutes-remove the pan from the heat at the first whiff of smoke.Remove the cake pan from the oven and, working with oven mitts, pour the caramel into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom; set the pan aside.To Make the Flan: Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.Meanwhile, in a 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar. Whisk vigorously for a minute or two, and then stir in the vanilla. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the hot cream and milk. Using a large spoon, skim off the bubbles and foam that you worked up.Put the caramel-lined cake pan in the roasting pan. Pour the custard into the cake pan and slide the setup into the oven. Very carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. (Don't worry if this sets the cake pan afloat.) Bake the flan for about 35 minutes, or until the top puffs a bit and is golden here and there. A knife inserted into the center of the flan should come out clean.Remove the roasting pan from the oven, transfer the cake pan to a cooking rack and run a knife between the flan and the sides of the pan to loosen it. Let the flan cool to room temperature on the rack, then loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.When ready to serve, once more, run a knife between the flan and the pan. Choose a rimmed serving platter, place the platter over the cake pan, quickly flip the platter and pan over and remove the cake pan-the flan will shimmy out and the caramel sauce will coat the custard.Yield: 6 to 8 Servings