![\"Mexican](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.amyglaze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/DSC_0026.jpg\" "\\"Mexican")
<\/a><\/p>\nFlan made by Edible After School, yes that is an ant in one of the flowers….<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Flan is one of those beautifully simple desserts that many countries and cultures claim as their own. Whether you call it cr\u00e8me caramel or custard, history has it that this dessert dates all the way back to the Romans who originally domesticated chickens (flan is a custard that uses lots of eggs). The Spanish got hold of the recipe and added caramel to the mix and then imported it to Mexico when they came and conquered. I don’t know when France picked up the recipe but I do know they feel it is purely their creation.<\/p>\n
But how can making a dessert that only has 3 ingredients be so complicated?<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nFlan aka Cr\u00e8me Caramel aka Custard<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It’s always the simple things in life that are the most difficult to master. With flan the key to a smooth texture is the cooking temperature. Cooked for too long or cooked at too high of a temperature and the custard will have a slightly pock-y curdled texture.<\/p>\n
I made flan with my Edible After School students to finish up our Mexican Cuisine unit. We made all sorts of shapes and sizes and we even layered flan to create a more dramatic effect.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nLayered Flan<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Keep in mind when checking flan for doneness that the center should be slightly jiggly \u2013 just about a dime size of the center. It will set as it cools. Just as in cheesecake or quiche, if you cook it past this stage you end up risking curdled yuckiness.<\/p>\n
I like to add a little cinnamon and orange zest along with vanilla to the flan batter, but that’s up to you. My students were purists and opted to NOT add anything but extra vanilla….<\/p>\n
This my second year teaching Edible After School, a course I created with Puente for Middle School Students. Over the last two years we have begun our own food business selling grab-n-go food at the farmer\u2019s market in the Summer and jams (hibiscus-strawberry and Tomatillo-ginger-lime) and various salsas too. During the school year we study: baking & cooking techniques, food safety, and regional world cuisine. We are ALWAYS looking for funding and have been running on a generous grant from the Packard Foundation which will be depleted soon. Will you consider making a donation to\u00a0PUENTE\u00a0<\/a>so that we can continue? THANK YOU!<\/p>\n My current students want to continue this class next year and I want to as well, please pass on the word would you? We need some buzzzzz!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"