Flan de Puerto Rico (A Day Late)

First, I apologize for posting this late, as it was intended to go up yesterday. I had some more work to do. Our friends from Monday made a terrific Flan de Vainilla, which was exquisite, but they also told us of Flan de Queso, which is Flan de Vainilla with cream cheese in it, so I had to make that first to test it out. I learned a few things.

Let's start with the basics. To make a flan, you first make a caramel, which you pour into the bottom of your flan mold. The caramel usually consists of sugar, just sugar, melted over low to medium-low heat until completely liquid and a deep amber color. This often creates a problem, as any sugar that doesn't get into the mixture may not dissolve but form a tight crystal. To avoid this, another method - a much easier method - can be used. Add a bit of water to the sugar first, being sure that all of the sugar gets wet, and heat evenly. The other consideration when making a caramel is the saucepan. Only use a saucepan with a heavy bottom (the sides may be thick or thin), as a thin-bottomed pan will result in unequal heating and burnt caramel. And wasted time. But when you get the caramel right and pour it our, don't stress when you don't get it all out of the pan. Besides, caramel is fun to play with for the few minutes before it sets up, thus this picture:

Mexican flan is made with sugar, eggs, milk, and sometimes cream. Puerto Rican flan is made with eggs, evaporated milk, and sweetened condensed milk. The Puerto Rican addition of sweetened condensed milk results in a very smooth texture with a rich but not heavy taste. It's quite nice. With both, of course, the most difficult part lies in baking it properly, not letting it overcook, to ensure the smooth texture. As with any custard, it won't look firm when you remove it from the oven unless you've ruined it. If you could come visit me in my kitchen, I'll show you what it should look like when you remove it. Okay, maybe that's not possible. Let me try to describe it: When you first put the flan in the oven and bumped it, it should have jiggled slightly in the dish the way a glass of milk would. Two-thirds of the way through, if you open the oven and bump the flan, you'll notice that the sides have set up a bit and jiggle more like jell-o than liquid. That's about what you want all the way through. Don't err on the side of more done, though. If it's accidentally a touch less done, the center will be a touch soft. If it's a bit overdone, the eggs will cause the texture to go to a bit of a curdle, and all the luxurious smoothness will be gone. Which would you rather end up with?

Here's where I embarrassingly admit my mistakes. The first flan I made had two problems: 1. I didn't use a water bath, and 2. My caramel didn't all dissolve. I'm telling you these things right up front because they were very important lessons. Being careless only results in wasted time, money, and (if you're like me and insist on trying it anyhow) calories. So while I baked the flan for about the right amount of time, it didn't bake evenly and bubbled on one side while still not done on the other. Also, the caramel was frustrating. Most of all, after it had cooled, it was curdled and not at all what I wanted.

So I was doubly careful when I baked it the next time. To the right is my setup. If you add baking stones to your oven (on a lower rack) and preheat the oven 1/2 an hour, the oven temperature will have fewer fluctuations, since the stones help keep it more constant. The water bath slows the cooking process, as water won't get about 212° (even lower here at higher elevation), and you don't get any hot spots as all the liquid in the water bath stays the same.

Now, about the Flan de Queso. It is amazing. It's kind of like taking flan and mixing it with cheesecake, only it's still very delicate and smooth the way flan is, but the flavor is something all new. Oh, it's so good. Nelson told us his father makes a Flan de Queso that is really tall, so I thought I would go for that in my testing. You don't have to use that option, however, as it would be just as good at normal height, and a bit easier to bake. But that's why it looks different.

One more thing: Mexican cinnamon. It's usually found in small packets in the Mexican foods section of the grocery store (if it's difficult to find, try a store with a larger Mexican foods section). Mexican cinnamon has a very different flavor to me than ye olde standard cinnamon from the spice aisle, but if you are unable to find it, regular cinnamon will also do nicely.

I can't think of any other warnings before I start in with the recipe, except this: invite friends over, or you may eat it all yourself. And good luck!

Flan de Vainilla

1 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. water
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
5 eggs
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 t. Mexican cinnamon
1 T. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Place a pan large enough to hold your flan mold in the oven. Fill a large measuring cup (4-8 cups) with water and microwave it on high for 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Add the sugar and water to a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. With very clean hands, mix the two together to be sure that all the crystals of sugar have been moistened. Cover the saucepan with a lid, turn the heat to medium, and leave alone for 3 minutes. Then, take the lid off, turn the heat up to medium high, and watch (but resist the urge to stir) for 7-10 minutes, until the sugar is a deep amber. Pour into an 8" (or 9" if you only have that) round baking dish. If you want a tall flan, pour into a 6" x 3" baking pan (a cake pan will do).

In a blender, blend the sweetened condensed milk with the eggs for a few seconds, until an even consistency. Add the evaporated milk, vanilla, and cinnamon, and blend for a few more seconds, until evenly blended. Pour on top of the caramel.

Set the pan inside the preheated dish in the oven. Gently pour the hot water in the preheated dish to form a water bath, being careful not to splash, until the water is about halfway up the sides of the flan mold.

Bake 45 minutes to an hour for an 8" or 9", and perhaps a bit more for a 6" pan. The flan should still jiggle like loose gelatin if bumped when done, but not like water. Remove to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator. Turn out onto a plate before serving, setting the baking dish in hot water for about 5 minutes beforehand if necessary. Mmmmmm.

*For Flan de Queso: Blend 8 oz. room temperature cream cheese with the sweetened condensed milk until smooth before adding the eggs. Follow the rest of the recipe as written, noting that your pan should be deep enough to hold the extra 8 oz. of filling.

Puerto Rican Rice and Plantains

Last night we had an incredible dinner at the home of our friends the Negróns. Nelson is from Puerto Rico and his wife Kristine has lived there for several years as well. They served us roast pork, cabbage and tomato salad, fried plantains, and rice. Not just rice, but the best rice we've ever eaten. It was delicious, and I had to stop myself from eating it only when I became conscious of taking a third serving. Lucky for me, they sent us home with some leftovers.

While the entire meal was outstanding, my second favorite item was the fried plantains, which I've not eaten enough of in the past. They are so easy to make, and I'm not even going to give you directions, just pictures:












That's simple enough, right? They are so good. When we lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I used to go to this place called Bev's Caribbean, and she would serve fried plantains and fried sweet potatoes with a delicious mango chutney. It was just heaven.

So, the rice is a little difficult to explain. I can't tell you what about it makes it so wonderful, but it's more addictive than the Colonel's chicken. It's definitely due in part to the salt pork, but the red beans just seem to belong to the dish as well. The addition of stuffed green olives may seem foreign to some, but they also just fit in. I think what it comes down to is that every part of this dish is in just enough proportion to blend with and not overpower the others. It is definitely worth the time. So, here is the recipe, as given to me.

Arroz Mamposteado

2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 c. salt pork, cubed
1/2 c. cooking ham, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 c. cooked red beans
3 T. tomato sauce
3 bay leaves
1/4 c. green olives (stuffed)
*2 1/2 c. cooked white rice (medium grain), prepared with salt and a little oil in a medium saucepan and set aside

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the green pepper, garlic, cilantro, salt pork, ham, and onion. Sauté until the onions are clear.

Add the red beans, tomato sauce, bay leaves, and olives. Simmer about 2 minutes. Add mixture to the cooked rice. Mix well.

Let cook over medium-low for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Serve immediately.

And you'd better double the recipe.


*I prepare my medium grain rice with the following ratios: 1 3/4 c. rice to 2 1/4 c. water.

I forgot to mention they served flan for dessert. Puerto Rican flan is made a bit differently than most Mexican flan recipes, from what I've heard. It was smooth and creamy and just what flan should be. And I'll be posting about it tomorrow.

Training Meals, Part 2: Chicken and Nectarine Salad

One of my very favorite fruits is the nectarine. I may even like it better than the peach, which is saying a lot. But it's close. The thing about nectarines is that, to me, they are the perfect element in a fruit salad. No fruit salad can be bad if there are ripe, juicy, sweet nectarines in them.

Chicken salad also lends itself well to nectarines. I've played around with lots of chicken salad recipes, and I generally like them best if they contain a fruit and a nut (chopped apples or grapes with smoked almonds, for example).

I came across this recipe when my friend Elizabeth made it for a small cooking group we used to have. She'd taken it from Cooking Light, and I've altered it just a bit. It doesn't have any mayonnaise, so it's terrifically light, sweet, and healthy. Other than the sugar, it's probably a perfectly nutritious meal. It's also very light on calories, so I recommend serving it with some bread if you're going to be running or biking the next morning. White bread is delicious, a whole-wheat baguette would really round out the meal nicely.

Chicken and Nectarine Salad

1 1/2 lbs. (about 3 large halves) chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
1 lemon
1 c. loosely-packed fresh mint leaves
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. white wine vinegar
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced (a generous cup)
1/3 c. chopped pecans, toasted
3 large nectarines, chopped (about 2 1/2 cups, at most, if you have a 3-year old helper)
1/4 c. finely minced red onion

To poach the chicken, fill a medium saucepan halfway with water. Add 1 t. salt and a few slices from the ends of the lemon. Place the chicken breasts in the water, being careful not to stack them. Turn the heat to medium and bring the water just to a simmer, just until you barely see bubbles rising to the surface. Turn the heat almost to low and keep at a low simmer for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off, remove the saucepan from the burner, and let the chicken rest for 20 minutes. Remove from the water to a plate and cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut up into chunks for the salad; you should have about 3 cups.

In a food processor, blend the mint leaves and sugar until the leaves are finely ground. Add in the vinegar, 1 T. lemon juice, 1/2 t. salt, and a few grinds of pepper, then process another few seconds.

In a bowl, combine the chicken, cucumber, pecans, onion, nectarines, and dressing. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. Chill and serve.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Oatmeal Cookies

It's your lucky day. I happen to have one of the best cookie recipes ever created, and I'm going to share it with you.

I'm also going to tell you why you should make them. The addition of oatmeal makes them a very chewy cookie, unlike many regular chocolate chip cookie recipes made with butter. They taste delicious right out of the oven (well, given 2 minutes to cool), as do most cookies, but they also taste delicious frozen for a month and thawed. And they have toasted pecans in them.

Did you know that toasted pecans makes nearly everything better? Carrot cake, cookies, pecan pie, green salad, chicken salad, cheese, fruit, nearly everything. Maybe not pizza, but I can't be sure, as I haven't tried it yet. I usually just toast the pecans for this recipe as I'm preheating the oven for about 10 minutes, then toss them in the freezer to cool before adding them to the dough.

One other note about storing these: where you store your cookies is terribly important. If you throw them in a zip-top plastic bag, they'll taste dry and plasticky. (My computer is telling me "plasticky" is not a word, but I don't believe it.) Those are two things you really want to avoid, as they will seriously diminish the pleasure of eating your cookies in the days ahead. Hard plastic leftover containers are really not much better, since they are not nearly airtight enough. You'll still end up with dry cookies. What works best is a glass container with a tight lid. My favorite one is from Pyrex, has many other useful purposes, and can be found here. However, I'm sure there are several options, as I also keep my flour and sugar and granola in glass containers with metal screw-on lids I bought at Target. Those should do. I can't speak for the ceramic cookie jars that are labeled "Cookie Jar" and found all over the place, since I haven't tried them, but I would avoid them unless they're airtight. If you don't have a great place to store them, they'll stay fresher by wrapping them and storing them in the freezer.

One very final note before handing over the recipe. If you want a variation, you can exchange 1 cup of the chocolate chips or all of the lovely toasted pecans for 1 cup of peanut butter chips. So, before I go off on something else, here is the recipe. Let me know what you think.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

courtesy Jen Gastelum

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. all-purpose or bread flour
2 c. oatmeal
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 c. chocolate chips (preferably Ghirardelli 60% cacao, or half milk/half dark, or chunks of dark and milk)
1 c. toasted, chopped pecans (or 1 c. peanut butter chips)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out a baking sheet topped with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, mix butter and sugars with a wooden spoon until thoroughly blended. (Please believe me on this, and don't use an electric mixer, or your cookies will turn out flat!) Stir in the eggs and vanilla until completely incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda and salt. Stir into the butter blend until just moist. (OK, I admit it, I don't alway whisk them in a separate bowl, but I'll throw the baking soda and salt directly on top of the flour and whisk it together a bit before adding the oatmeal and stirring into the rest. It works.) Add the chocolate and pecans; stir gently.

Drop the cookie dough onto the prepared pan in 2-Tablespoon portions (I like using my 1-oz. scoop). Bake for 12-15 minutes, until just set and slightly golden. Remove from oven. Let rest 1 minutes on tray before removing to cool completely on a clean countertop. Delicious with milk.