International Recipes
Cream Cheese Flan
(Flan de Queso - Guatemala)
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Flan
- 16 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 7 large eggs
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramelized Sugar
Cookie Crumb Crust
- 8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies
- 4 tablespoons lightly salted butter, melted
Instructions
- Cream Cheese Flan: Whip cream cheese, eggs and condensed milk in a blender
or food processor. Add milk, sugar and vanilla extract; process until smooth.
- Caramelized Sugar: Cook sugar in a small heavy saucepan or a copper caramelizing
pot over medium heat. Stir constantly until the sugar turns a honey color. As
the sugar begins to dissolve, stir only occasionally. Once dissolved, continue
cooking without stirring until it is a deep amber color. The color will change
rapidly, so closely monitor the saucepan. Immediately after removing caramelized
sugar from the burner, pour it into a 2-quart souffle dish. Quickly tilt the
dish in various directions so that the caramelized sugar coats the bottom and
sides.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture into the souffle dish, and then place it in
a water bath — any shallow pan large enough to hold the dish with room
to spare and filled with 1 inch of hot water.
- Bake the flan on the middle rack in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 1
hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted off center comes out clean. The
flan will puff completely, like a pumpkin pie, when it has finished baking.
- Remove the flan from the oven and carefully lift the dish from the water
bath.
- Allow the flan to cool while you prepare the cookie crumb crust.
- Cookie Crumb Crust: Grind half of the cookies in a food processor to make
fine crumbs. Add remaining cookies to the crumbs and grind those. Pour in the
melted butter and process for a few seconds to blend. Spread the cookie-crumb
mixture evenly over the flan (which will have deflated a bit by now). Press
very gently on the crumb mixture to pack it down. Allow the flan to cool to
room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours so that
the crust sets.
- Unmold the flan by running a sharp, non-serrated knife around the inside
of the souffle dish. Invert the flan onto a serving platter.
- Cut it into 8 wedges to serve.
Vanilla wafers, gingersnaps or Graham crackers may be substituted for the
chocolate wafer cookies.