At some point you just give up and say, “oh have it your way, all the more for the rest of us.” I was that stubborn teenager one summer in Mexico City, surrounded by my host family pleading with me to try this weird looking dish that they had translated as “burnt milk”. I’m forever grateful my friend’s mother Señora Argüelles didn’t give up on me that day. After finally submitting to one bite, I ate all that remained in the pot! Ever since that day flan is one dessert that I simply cannot refuse. This recipe makes a fabulous flan, giving you the scent of roses with every bite. (Perfect for Valentine’s Day, don’t you think?) The recipe is adapted from the cookbook Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking from the Doña Tomas restaurant in Oakland, California. *Rose water can be found in Mediterranean markets and also Whole Foods in the baking department. According to the Doña Tomàs book you can also make your own by boiling a cup of rose petals (fresh from a garden, not store-bought, no pesticides, no fungicides) in a cup of water with a tablespoon of honey, for 10 minutes. Let steep overnight and then strain. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
Custard:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rose water*
Once the sugar has melted it will begin to turn golden and then darker brown. As soon as it turns a strong shade of reddish brown, remove the pan from the heat, working quickly, evenly divide the sugar between the ramekins, coating the bottom of each ramekin. Place the ramekins in a 2-inch deep baking dish. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and rose water. Temper the egg mixture with a little (about 1/4 cup) of the warm milk mixture, whisking as you add the milk. Add the egg mixture back into the pan of milk. Lower the heat to low and whisk the egg mixture in for a minute until the egg mixture is fully incorporated. Repeat with remaining flans and serve. If you have refrigerated the flan over night and the flan won’t easily release, you can heat it in the microwave for a few seconds (10-15) to loosen it.
