Quesillo – Venezuela Custard Flan

To make the caramel sauce to cover the baking disk:

In a heavy sauce pan, mix the sugar and water over high heat. The sugar will start to boil and then will start to slowly turn color on you, first into a pale amber, and escalating into a medium, dark color. Note: once you hit the pale stage, DON’T WALK AWAY FROM IT, because it will jump into medium and then dark very, very fast and there is nothing more horrible than BURNED sugar! So make sure you are on top of it at all times. When you see it turn into a dark rich color, remove from heat and pour into the baking dish.

Tilt the dish back and forth to cover the bottom and sides of dish. Get it nice and coated. Again, be careful, the caramel at this stage is very hot and may burn you (badly!). I usually cover my baking dish with a towel while I’m coating it. Set aside and let the caramel in the pot cool.

For the custard:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees….

Separate 2 of the 6 eggs. You will need 4 whole eggs and 2 yolks. In a blender, pour the can of sweetened condensed milk. In a separate bowl (I use a measuring cup), pour the whole milk and add the strip of (or grated) lime and put the measuring cup the microwave for about 2 minutes to warm up.

Pour the warm milk into the blender, then the vanilla and rum (if using, which I highly recommend you do). Turn the blender to medium speed and run for about 1-2 minutes. While the blender is running, add the eggs one by one until fully incorporated.

Pour the custard mixture into the baking dish that you coated with the caramel. I like the specks of the lime peel, but if you don’t, you can strain the custard before it goes into the baking dish.

You are ready to bake it!

Take your baking dish and cover the top with aluminum foil, nice and tight. Then place it in a bigger heavy dish/pan. You are ready for the water bath. Pour in enough hot water into the larger pot to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Tip: if you squeeze the previous peeled lime into the water, the pot you are using will not turn black during the baking process.

Slowly place into the middle rack of your hot oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, covered. Then remove the foil cover and bake for another 20 minutes. The custard is ready when you touch it and it feels firm but still jiggles in the middle.

Take the custard out of the oven, again being very careful since the water inside the large pot is very hot! Set aside to cool off, about 30 minutes or so. Once is cooled, place in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or overnight before serving.

When ready to serve and un-mold, dip the quesillo in a saucepan of hot water, or in a sink full of hot water from the tap for a few seconds. It should loosen up. If not, run a knife around the edge to help it a bit. Invert the quesillo onto a plate with a lip in order to save all that yummy caramel!

Served and enjoy the praises.