Diaz Family Flan

Fresh quality ingredients + a pinch of love will always result in a tasty dish.

Flan is one of those desserts that there is a variation of vary depending on the province, county, state, and country but being that I love this one and me not having a sweet tooth, I tell you my family has it on this one. Amazing with a capital A. try it yourself and see why I feel it is one of the best out there.

Note: Easy to follow links have been to added to certain ingredients not commonly found. For quality ingredients that you can have delivered right to your front door, go to Amazon Fresh - follow this link or Amazon Whole Foods Market .

Serves: 8 - 10 (depending on the slice)

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 60 min

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 bar (8 oz) of cream cheese at room temp)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 can (8 oz) condensed milk

1 can (8 oz) evaporated milk

1 can (17oz) grated coconut in heavy syrup

5 Tbsp. of sugar

pinch of salt

Cooking Steps

1. Place an 8"aluminum cake pan on medium-high heat on the stove. Add the sugar and a teaspoon of water and evenly spread the sugar. Lower the heat to medium and cook the sugar & water until you see it start to change color. Using an oven mitt, gently move the sugar around the pan. As you cook the sugar, it will caramelize and start changing color. Keep moving it around, coating the pan. When the sugar turns a deep amber color, remove from the heat. At this point, the pan should be coated half-way up the sides. Keep in mind that as the caramel hardens, it also thickens and it's harder to coat the pan.

2. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a bowl, using an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese until smooth. Gently add the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Gradually add the vanilla extract, condensed milk, evaporated milk and grated coconut until it's all blended.

3. Add your mix to the cake pan with the caramel to about 3/4 from the top and tent/cover with aluminum foil. This will help the top not brown to the point of looking burnt. Place your cake pan in a rectangular baking dish and place in the oven. Before closing the oven door, fill your rectangular baking dish with enough water to cover the cake pan filled with the flan mix to half-way.

4. Bake for about an hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. At this point, the flan will be wobbly. This is normal. Once cooked, remove from the oven and let cool for about 30 min. The flan will continue to set as it cools. Transfer the flan to the fridge and finish cooling for about 4-6 hours or overnight.

5. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake pan to separate the flan from the cake pan. Place a plate large enough to extend about an inch from the edge of the cake pan on top of the pan. Flip the cake pan and let it sit for a minute to let all the caramel sauce run down from the cake pan to the served flan. Remove the cake pan.

6. To plate, cut the flan into slices and garnish with a dollop of the grated coconut. Enjoy!