A little bit of Latin!

A friend told me to “put a Latin flare” on my next Saturday meal. What does that mean exactly?

Is using sofrito Latin flare? Is adding chiles Latin flare? I don’t know!

 Being a Newyorican (ethnically Puerto Rican, culturally New Yawker!) does not automatically mean I can put a Latin spin on a dish or that I would want too. I grew up in the Bronx during the late 80’s early 90’s. My neighborhood was diverse. I grew up eating from a sit down Chinese restaurant on 188^th street and the Grand Concourse. A roti spot on 184^th street and before that roti spot opened it was home to an Italian Restaurant where I would have dinner with my aunts all the time, my first introduction to “fine dining”, I was 7! What Puerto Rican 7 year old eats clams posillipo? I did!

I didn’t grow up eating what is considered traditional comida criolla. Don’t get me wrong, every once in a while grandma slaved over a pot of sancocho or made me help her with masa for pastelles, but more often than not Mom boiled a pot of good old blue box mac and cheese, and  fried up a can of Hawaii’s favorite mystery meat. Mom didn’t like to cook, she cooked because she had to feed us. Comfort food was fried chicken wings and instant mash potatoes, the flakes looked and smelled like fish food! It was a love/hate relationship I had with that can of instant mash.

But I thought the suggestion over and I decided flan for dessert would be nice, flan is as Latin as any of us are gonna get. After all it is a treat beloved by the Spanish, French and Italian in all of us!

My first introduction to flan was a Goya instant version; was nothing instant about it! You would have to stand by the stove and baby-sit the thing or it would get lumpy if you didn’t constantly stir, then it needed refrigeration for at least 8 hours. I loved it! I thought everyone ate flan that was made this way, boy was I wrong. The first time I saw someone make flan from “scratch” I was dismayed. And the first time I ate “homemade” flan I wanted to barf. A little girl that can eat clams raw could not down a slice of homemade flan?? Sigh! Something wasn’t right.

I now know what caused my instant barf reflex, evaporated milk! I am not a fan, but I am knowledgeable enough to understand that for some dishes evaporated milk, or any canned milk (condensed) is sometimes a necessity to keep a regions dish authentic. So what occurred was I stayed away from flan. I stood away until I watched Jacques Pepin make flan on “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home”. Not one can of evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk went into his flan and I was relieved. He said his wife loved his flan, and I believed him! He explained the origins of flan and I understood. I also put two together and realized why Latin America utilized canned milks, lack of refrigeration and/or fresh milk, yet the continued urge to have meals reminiscent of the old country (Spain, Italy, and France).  He said his wife loved his flan, and I believed him, she’s Puerto Rican after all!

Ingredients:

6 large egg yolks

1 cup of milk

1 cup of heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split

4 oz of semi sweet chocolate at least 60% cacao

1 ¾ cup of sugar, separated

1 tbsp of corn syrup

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Heat the milks, vanilla bean, and salt in a sauce pan over low heat until hot, but do not boil. Turn off heat and allow the bean to continue to steep for 5 min. After 5 min add chocolate to milk and stir until chocolate is fully melted, strain milk mixture.

3.      In the mean time, make a caramel with 1 cup of sugar and the corn syrup. Good trick is to mix in a splash of water to make a wet sandy mixture. The water and the syrup help in avoiding sugar crystals from forming and ruining your caramel. Cook until a nice medium amber color. Use a candy thermometer if you have it and don’t go over 330 degrees.

4.       Pour caramel into molds/ramekins and place in larger dish that will hold your Bain Marie (water bath.) set aside to cool.

5.       Mix the egg yolks and the remaining sugar until combined. Keep in mind to whisk the moment you add the sugar so you don’t burn the egg yolks. (yes they burn, Google it)

6.       Now temper the egg yolk mixture by whisking in the milk a little at time. Once all the milk is incorporated pour the mixture into a measuring cup to help you fill the molds.

7.       Add hot water to your baking dish and bake for up to an hour, until the center of the flan makes a barely visible wave when the dish is tapped.

8.       Cool in the water bath for up to 20 min then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, I find it best overnight.

9.       Unmold and serve.