Flan is one of those desserts that almost everyone loves.  From a hostess’s standpoint, flan is a terrific dessert, as it really needs to be done in advance.  It’s also a terrific dessert, because it’s simply delicious and deliciously simple.  The true maven of flan, The Goddess of flan, if you will, is my sister-by-marriage.  That woman makes a flan that will bring you to your knees!  It’s smooth, rich, creamy and velvety.  It’s sex-on-a-plate.  I kid you not, it’s to die for.  Really…the  dessert for your last meal, should end with her flan.

Hers’ is a more traditional flan than this one.  I’ve already shared the Great Flan recipe with you, which is a denser flan.  So who needs yet another flan recipe?  Well, I do, because I think options are a good thing!  With this recipe, it’s more the method, rather than the flavor, that’s the difference.  The flavor has a wonderful, freshness, from infusing the milk with citrus zests.  But, it’s subtle, too.  This is very smooth and creamy, with a soft unctuous texture.  The Latin Lover, likes “flan juice”, or the caramelized sugar that’s traditionally served with flan.  So, today I’m making it with “flan juice”, because I like to keep the man happy, because he keeps me happy!  Personally, I prefer this flan served with a strawberry or raspberry coulis, rather than “flan juice”!  I used to make this quite frequently, but then I “moved on” to other versions.  Do you do that?  You know, you make something a lot, then it just slips off your culinary radar.  Months, maybe even years, as is the case with this recipe, go by without thinking about it.  Recently, I’ve been revisiting my recipes, and I ran across this recipe.  I decided it was time to bring it back, so here we are.

Let’s get started—I usually make the caramelized sugar first.  Sometimes I do this the night before.  To make the caramel, place the sugar in a small pan or skillet (a shiny pan makes it easier to judge the color of the caramel).  Add the lemon juice on top of the sugar.  Place the skillet over high heat.  The minute you see the sugar start to liquefy (it may start with a wisp of smoke), swirl the pan.  DO NOT walk away from this; the caramelization happens quickly.  I take the pan off the heat, swirl the sugar to mix it as it melts, then set the pan back on the heat source.  So heat source, swirl to mix, heat source, swirl to mix, heat source, swirl…you get the idea.  The sugar should melt and be a dark copper color.  If it burns, pitch it out and start over…you can’t reclaim burnt sugar—it will be bitter and nasty!  This whole process will only take about 3-4 minutes.  I use a metal loaf pan for the flan.  Once melted, immediately pour the caramel into the pan you’re using.  Using a holder (the pan will become hot with the addition of the hot sugar), tilt the pan back and forth to make certain the caramel covers the bottom and at least 1-inch up the sides.  Set aside.  The caramel will harden almost immediately.  You can do this after you put the milk/cream on to reduce, but as I mentioned, I usually do it the day before.

For the flan, place the sugar, salt and citrus zests in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.  The citrus zests should have as little of the white pith remaining on it as possible; the pith can be bitter.  Stir in the milk and half-and-half, dissolving the sugar a bit.  Place the pan over moderately high heat, stirring now and then, until it comes to the boil.  Lower the heat, to keep it just above a simmer, until the mixture reduces to 3 cups.  It will take about 8-10 minutes.  Do keep an eye on it, as you don’t want it to boil over, burn on the bottom or reduce too much.  When the mixture has reduced, remove from the heat, stir and let stand for at least 15-20 minutes to cool slightly.   In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla together until very well beaten.  I know the recipe says six eggs and since you can count, you realize there are only five eggs in the picture.  These are extra-large eggs, so I only used five.  You can and should make such adjustments.Whisk the still warm milk into the eggs.  Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pressing hard on the citrus peels (you can strain the mixture right into the prepared pan, if you wish).  Make a Bain Marie by dissolving cream of tartar in hot water a metal pan that’s at least an inch larger than the smaller pan with the flan.  An aluminum pan will discolor (darken to almost black, at times) during the baking process and the cream of tartar prevents this discoloration.  Place the pan with the flan mixture in the larger pan of hot water.  The water should come at least 1-inch up the side of the smaller pan.  Carefully place the pans in the oven; bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  See.  Clean as a whistle!  When the flan is done, the middle of the flan will still jiggle slightly, when shaken. Cool to room temperature and chill, for at least 4 hours or overnight.  To serve, unmold by running a table knife around the edge of the pan.  Place a plate, with an edge (or the flan juice will run all over the place), over the pan.  In one smooth motion, invert the two together.  The flan will drop out and “flan juice” will flow over the flan.  Cut into slices and serve, spooning the juice over each slice.

TIP:  Leaving a wooden spoon in a milk-based mixture helps to prevent boil-overs.