Rainy Day = Warm Desserts

The weather has been blustery and raining cats and dogs.

The children have been cooped up,

 and are looking sad and drawn.

But here comes Mommy Dearest,

with a treat to clear the clouds.

And blush the cheeks of children,

 with warmth served night or dawn.

Okay, so maybe I'm no poet, but I feel confident that I can whip up a dish that is comforting and delicious. The need for a sweet creamy and warm dish is due to the fact that it has been raining for days (unusual for here), and there is a need for something extra special when the bed sheet tents and movies are growing old. So, while the boys colored and sipped warm cocoa, I whipped up a batch of flan. 

I make custard rarely, because it just isn’t something I crave. Once in a great while, I make it for just such a rainy occasion and/or out of a need to relive my childhood. My mother made custard of all kinds, often. It has a good memory, and I want my kiddos to have the same warm memory.

I came across this recipe in a magazine and decided to give it a try. It was wonderful! Like the wonderful flavor of cheesecake with a creamier texture. It also looked pretty and so I took a picture. The kids loved it, and I won my husband over, who was adamant that he wouldn’t like it.

Cheese Flan

• 1C. sugar
• 1/4C. water

Heat sugar and water until a deep amber.

Pour into ramekins, swirling to coat the sides. Set aside.

• 2 1/2C. milk
• 1 cinnamon stick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring milk and cinnamon to a simmer, remove and cover. Allow to steep for 5 minutes.

• 1 (14oz can) sweetened condensed milk
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 5 large eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt

Blend sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth. Add hot milk, a small amount at a time to temper the egg mixture. If you try to add it all at once, you can get lumps of cooked egg. Yuck!

Blend really well and smooth. Poor mixture into ramekins and place into roasting pan. fill roasting pan with water, approximately halfway up the ramekins. Cover ramekins loosely with foil. Bake 45-55 min.

When checking for doneness, it should jiggle slightly, but be set in the center.

Allow to rest for 15 min. Run a butter knife along inside of the ramekin, place small dessert plate on top and quickly flip over. Very carefully slide ramekin off. There should be a lovely amber sauce covering the top and spilling over the sides into a pool.

Lovely.