Editor's note: This recipe is adapted from Argentine chef Francis Mallman.
Mallman also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious,
which we've added at the bottom of the page.
To read more about Argentine cuisine, click here.
Dulce de leche, a dense, creamy caramelized milk "jam," is Argentina's
favorite homegrown postre (dessert). As an accompaniment to a simple peeled
banana, it is Argentine childhood incarnate, and its appearance at the table
is sure to trigger Proustian flights of memory and rapture in adults.
Flan de dulce de leche is a classic recipe that tends to be permanently
bookmarked in kitchen-scarred copies of El Libro de Do�a Petrona,
the scriptural cookbook that is Argentina's equivalent of Fannie Farmer.
Richer than any flan you've ever had, here it is, as interpreted by Francis Mallman.
For dulce de leche:
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 quart whole milk
4 cups sugar
For flans:
1 large egg
8 large egg yolks
For caramel:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water
Make dulce de leche:
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a large heavy saucepan and stir in pods,
milk, and sugar. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer, then place a small saucer
upside down in pot to keep mixture from sticking to bottom or forming a crust.
Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until thick and brown, about 2
1/2 to 3 hours. Cool.
Make caramel:
Preheat oven to 325� F. Place eight 6-ounce ramekins in shallow baking pan.
Combine sugar, corn syrup, and water in small saucepan with pouring lip.
Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without
stirring until deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with
wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Immediately pour caramel into ramekins,
tilting and rotating ramekins to coat bottom and rewarming caramel over medium
heat if it gets too thick.
Make flans:
Whisk together egg and yolks in large bowl. Whisk in dulce de leche. Strain
mixture through sieve into large measuring cup and pour into ramekins, diving
evenly.
Place baking pan in oven. Pour enough hot water into pan to come two-thirds up
sides of ramekins. Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes.
Tent foil to vent steam and continue to bake 10 to 15 minutes, until flans are
set around edges but still slightly wobbly in centers. Using metal spatula,
transfer flans in ramekins to rack; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours
and up to 2 days. To unmold flans, run a small knife around edges to loosen.
Invert onto plates.
Chef Francis Mallman shares his tips with Epicurious:
� Placing the baking pan in the oven before you add the hot water helps
prevent spilling. Use a small cup with a lip to pour evenly. Be sure to add
enough water to come most of the way up the sides of the ramekins; this
ensures even cooking.
� Be sure to chill the flans completely before unmolding.