Flan

This was so very easy to make, there are few ingredients and few bowls to clean after. As simple as it is, it is a time consuming effort between prep, cooking, cooling, and chilling time. I made this treat as dessert when having dinner with some friends at their house. The husband was the one who suggested that I make flan (despite the fact that I never made it before) when we learned that dinner was going to be Mexican.

Dinner with the Fanerty's (as they will now be called) was so much fun. Sara did a great job with the fajitas, rice, and beans. For beverages there was a choice of Dos Equis, Corona, and margaritas. After dinner, we relaxed for a bit before having dessert. It was a hit with all parties. To give the plate some color, the flan was served wtih strawberries and blueberries.

1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
3/4 cup egg substitute
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (12-ounce) cans evaporated skimmed milk

1. Place 1 cup sugar in a large heavy skillet over medium heat; cook 5 minutes or until sugar dissolves (do not stir). Continue cooking until golden, and stir well. Immediately pour into a 9-inch round cake pan, tipping quickly until sugar coats bottom of cake pan, and set aside.
   
2. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar, egg substitute, vanilla, and milk; stir well. Pour into prepared cake pan; place in a large, shallow pan (I used my roasting pan). Add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove cake pan from water; let cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Cover and chill 4 hours.

To serve, loosen edges of flan with a knife or rubber spatula. Place a serving plate, upside down, on top of cake pan; invert flan onto plate. Drizzle any remaining syrup over flan. A few serving notes, placing the flan onto a plate that is completely flat is key. Unfortunately, my place have a slightly raised edge. This caused the syrup to pool in the middle. Second, flan is not the easiest dessert to transport. I was handling the plate quite gingerly.