The Real Brazilian Flan (Pudim, or Caramel Flan)

My friend David loves flan. Sometimes, he even dreams about it.

David used to own this large company, so every Christmas they used to have a potluck dinner, and trying to make "the boss" happy, all latin women in the company would bring their own secret recipe family flan.



David tells me he never tasted any flan there that compared to the one below. This is the real thing, the one that used to come in the cans of condensed milk 30 years ago.

AH! Flan should NEVER be eaten with fruit. The only thing you can eat flan with is caramel sauce.

Brazilian Milk Pudim (flan)

Ingredients:

A. Caramel sauce:
1 1⁄2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water

B. Flan:
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (the best one is "La Lechera" from Nestle. I buy it at the Norwalk stop and Shop or any Hispanic market. If you can't find it, Magnolia is second best)

1 can of milk of full milk (use the can from the condensed milk to measure the milk) 3-4 eggs (depends o the size)

1 baking mold with a whole in the center like this one (cannot be the ones with a removable bottom)

Preparation:

A. Caramel sauce:

1. Melt the sugar (over low heat) in a pan.
2. Add the water and bring to a boil until it forms a caramel syrup.
3. Pour the caramel into the mold and spread it by rotating the mold.

B. Flan:

1. Blend all the ingredients in the blender.
2. Pour the mixture in a caramelized flan mold (with a whole in the center, like this one).
3. Bake the pudding in a water bath (Bain-Marie) for 50 min to 1 hour at 330 F – tops needs to be golden brown
4. Let the flan cool down completely
5. Remove the flan from the mold when it is cold and serve. Run a knife around it before you turn the mold upside down
6. If you cannot loosen it from the mold before turning, heat the bottom of the mold in the flame and it should do it (caramel can get hard sometimes)

Another variation is the Pudim de Laranja (Orange Flan). There is a great Recipe here...