Flan Week: Easy Flan de Cajeta From Mexico {Recipe}

Editor’s note: This is the sixth post in our Flan Week celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. Today is the turn of  Ericka, our The Culture of Food regular contributor and author of Nibbles and Feasts. Ericka shares with us a story and recipe of a traditional and easy flan de cajeta from Mexico . We hope you’ve been enjoying Flan Week and come back for the last recipe {Fat-Free Flan?!} tomorrow.

The smell of simmering cajeta at my grandmother’s house signified two things: Autumn had arrived, and obleas.  We would spend endless nights watching telenovelas and assembling cajeta and obleas (wafers) into little sandwiches of delight.  Wrapping them in cellophane and tying them with blue ribbons to sell at her convenience for 20 centavos. Cajeta is my greatest indulgence because it  sparks my greatest memories of spending time with my grandmother in her kitchen. Being flan week, I could not pass up the opportunity to celebrate than with none other than Flan de Cajeta.

Easy Flan de Cajeta Recipe

Ingredients:

For caramel
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water

For Flan:
¾ cup cajeta (preferably goat’s milk caramel)
2 ½ cups half-and-half
1 strip of lime zest (about 1” wide)
1 vanilla bean
3 whole large eggs
4 egg yolks

Directions for Caramel:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and water to boil.  Swirl or stir slowly until sugar has dissolved and the caramel has turned into an amber color.  Watch for darkening of color but be carful not to burn.

Immediately pour caramel in flan ramekins and swirl to coat bottom and a bit of the sides.

Directions for Flan:
Preheat oven to 350F

In medium sauce pan, put cajeta, half-n-half, and lime zest.  Split vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape seeds into pan.  Simmer and stir until smooth.

In a separate mixing bowl, wisk together eggs and yolks.  Slowly add to cajeta mixture and stir slowly.  Remove from heat and pass through a strainer.  Carefully ladle mixture into ramekins.

In a hot water bath, bake for 30-40 minutes until edges are set.  Center should still be a bit wobbly.

Remove from water and let cool for at least 30 minutes, flan should continue to set.  Unmold before serving.

Makes 6-8 flans

Ericka Sánchez–Proudly born in Torreón, Coahuila Mexico, Ericka arrived in the United States in 1982 to El Paso, Texas. Her love of food began in her mom’s kitchen but flourished in a food photography studio where she assisted in food styling/design and photo shoots.Now a wife and a mom to a 2-year old toddler, Ericka launched her bilingual blog Nibbles & Feasts in 2010 as a guide to satiating food cravings through recipes and to share her restaurant recommendations and food events in Los Angeles. You can read all of Ericka´s recipes here.