My mom is a great cook and she makes the best Cuban food recipes. She is famous among our family and friends for her flans. So of course I asked her to share her recipe with the world! Flan is a delicate, versatile, delicious dessert. One of my favorite kinds of flan is cheese flan. But I also love the original, or coconut flan. They are all great! Since flan is something my mom always makes for special occasions, family dinners, or holidays it will always be, for me, a symbol of home! Give this recipe for the classic flan a try, and impress your family and friends with your knowledge of Cuban cuisine!

Ingredients:

-5 eggs

-1 can of condensed milk

-1 can of evaporated milk

-1/2 tsp salt

-1 Tbsp vanilla extract

-4 Tbsp sugar

In a blender, add eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, salt, and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients come together. Strain mix through a fine colander. Set aside.

Make the caramel by melting the 4 tablespoons of sugar over a low flame, stirring constantly (4 Tbsp is for a small 6-8 in. mold) until it is all dissolved and a deep brown color, careful not to burn.

Note: The container where you are making the flan is very important. We have a specialized mold that is made just for this, therefore you can make the caramel directly on it and then throw it in the oven. But if you are making it in a ramekin, or a glass baking dish then you need to warm it first. I would just throw it in the microwave for a few seconds before you put your melted sugar in it. The reason for it is that if the container is cold it will cool the caramel fast, so it will not distribute evenly over all of the surface area.

Pour sugar into your mold and make sure it coats all of the surface evenly. Be very careful not to get any of the hot caramel on your skin! Let the caramel cool. Once it is at least room temperature it will harden. This is when you add your egg mixture.

Set your oven to 350 degrees. Once it has preheated make a water bath for your flan. In a larger container add warm water, make sure it comes up to halfway up your flan mold. Set mold in the bath and bake for one hour. After the hour let it cool to room temperature you can serve it then or serve it cold. Great with coffee or espresso!