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flan

Coffee Flan from Colombia

Did you know that October 1 is international coffee day? I am currently hosting a blog event, which features blogger recipes containing coffee. For this special occasion I wanted to bring a recipe from Colombia: flan. Do you know flan? This is a custard originally from Spain, which has become very popular in all of Latin America. Obviously I already have a recipe for regular flan on my blog. This time I wanted to create great coffee flavor. So when I started consulting the Internet for recipes, I realized that almost all used instant coffee or espresso granules. I didn’t like that too much. I was extra happy when I found out that my Colombian cookbook creates the coffee flavor by making a coffee syrup first. This helps bring the coffee flavor to the front, but is not as bitter.   Continue Reading…

Coconut Flan

My mom loves flan, which can be best described as a dense custard dish with a caramel topping. Originally it is from Spain and became very popular in all of Latin America. There are two good reasons to make flan. A) it comes together in a jiffy, it seriously can be done in ten minutes, the rest is taken care of by the oven and fridge and b) you will need to make it in advance. It has to chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, so this is perfect for any celebration. For that reason I thought that this flan, as unusual as it may seem, will be perfect for Mother’s Day. Barely any work, very diffiult to screw up, yet so delicious, maybe you can make it for your mom as well?

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Flan de Piña or Pineapple Flan

Flan de piña oder Ananasflan

Do you know flan, a custard famous throughout all of Latin America? Flan is mainly made from milk and eggs, try to imagine a steamed custard, creamy and with a caramel topping. I already introduced the classic flan here. In Uruguay vanilla flan is served with dulce de leche on the side, so if you want a bit more of the caramel flavor, that might be for you. I also have a recipe from Mexico on this blog, chocoflan is a mix of flan and a chocolate cake. Chocoflan is also called the impossible cake as the two layers change during baking. Today I am introducing you to flan de piña, aka pineapple flan. The custard has a distinct pineapple flavor and is served with a thin layer of caramel on top.

Flan de piña oder Ananasflan Continue Reading…

Chocoflan or the Impossible Cake from Mexico

Chocoflan aus Mexiko

Today I am offering to you an impossible cake from Mexico. Why is it called impossible? Because the two layers (flan and chocolate cake) reverse during baking. Sounds spooky? It actually is spooky, but I can tell you, it does work. I swear, I did first fill the bundt cake form with chocolate cake and later poured the flan on top. Once I flipped the cooled-off cake over, the flan was again on top, super weird. For that reason this cake is called impossible, because it makes the impossible possible. And as it is a tasty cake, I don’t mind presenting it to you here. Flan is a type of custard, very typical in Latin America, it was brought by the Spaniards. The chocolate cake is a rather straightforward affair.

Chocoflan aus Mexiko Continue Reading…

Uruguayan Flan and Merry Christmas!

Uruguayischer Flan

While you are reading these lines, I will be busy packing my suitcase for Christmas. We are going to visit my parents in law in Spain and I will probably be debating which baking utensils to take along for the trip. I am really looking forward to celebrating Christmas with my Colombian family. Colombian Christmas is very different from German Christmas. There is going to be a lot of dancing, a lot of joy, sparkle and food, so much food. I can’t tell you for how long my mother-in-law has been talking about what she is going to make as a special treat for us and what her ideas are for the Christmas menu. In Colombian culture food is extremely important. I am going to suggest to her that we make Uruguayan flan as the Christmas dessert. Why? Because flan needs to be prepared the night before as it has to be chilled. Perfect in my opinion, one thing less to worry about on Christmas. Flan only requires only a few basic ingredients and is prepared in a jiffy, if this is not enough reason, I don’t know what is.

Uruguayischer Flan Continue Reading…

Quesillo Custard from Venezuela

Today I am introducing the Venezuelan dessert to you named “quesillo”. Quesillo is the Venezuelan name for a custard that is normally known as flan. Flan originates in Spain and is commonly consumed and enjoyed in Latin America as well. There is a reason I have several flan recipes on my blog, you may try the classic flan, flan with pineapple, flan with coconut, chocoflan with a chocolate cake and the cousin called leche asada, which does not require a watherbath. There are a lot of recipes out there, each family has their little secret. However, what they usually have in common is a) the caramel layer on top and b) milk or heavy cream and eggs. But that is about it, some recipes require only egg yolks, others use the full egg, some may ask just for milk and others only cream. Quesillo does use sweetened condensed milk and usually a dash of rum for extra flavor. Preparing this dish only requires around 10-15min, the rest will be taken care of by the oven and fridge. The word “quesillo” comes from the Spanish word “queso” as a slice may look a bit like a slice of queese with some holes in it.

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How to Remove Hard Caramel Fast

Today you will get a lot of tips on how to remove hard caramel fast. You can watch in this reel how I do it. The short answer is: you need (boiling) water and a bit of time. This is possible without any hardcore scrubbing. In addition, you will find my favorite recipe for caramel below plus a lot of recipe ideas using caramel.

I will explain below how you get from the picture on the left to the picture on the right within five minutes

Below is also a recipe for homemade caramel

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Vareniki with Tvorog or Cottage Cheese – Recipe from my Grandma

This is another nostalgic recipe for me: vareniki. Think dumplings filled with cottage cheese from the Ukraine. You may serve these as a savory main dish, but you may also serve them sweet, traditionally filled with sour cherries. I was used to a rather hybrid version, we would eat them with tvorog or cottage cheese and served it with a sour cream sauce we knew as “shmargus”. Since everything was seasoned with salt and pepper, you may think of this as a savory dish. But it is also possible to serve with sugar sprinkled on top and some additional sour cream. As you can see on the last picture, my grandma actually passed on a recipe. This comes as a huge surprise as she normally did not write down any recipes she would make regularly. She knew them off by heart and thus did not see the need to document. So I am beyond grateful that she took the time to write down ingredients and amounts. Mind you, no instructions other than a list of ingredients, but at least this is a starting point. Since it is only the two of us, I halved the recipe, I have learned the hard way that my grandma always wrote down large amounts to feed a crowd. But at least there is something documented.

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Tarantella de Manzana, or Argentinian Bread Pudding with Apples

This blog post contains advertisement for Braeburn apples, Südtiroler Apfel g.g.A.

Yay, today I am present a recipe from Argentina, an apple cake slash bread pudding, which is prepared similarly to “flan“.  I was fortunate enough to make this cake named “tarantella de manzana” with tart apples, the variety Südtiroler Apfel g.g.A. When the package arrived with Braeburn apples, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. But let’s get back to this dessert from Argentina. Legend has it that this cake is named after an Italian dance (tarantella) as a) Italian immigrants supposedly invented this cake in Buenos Aires and b) this cake is a bit wiggly when you take it out of the oven. You either need to dance as you are so excited for being able to eat this delicious cake, or the wiggly movement actually is similar to the movement of the dance. If you are interested in further theories, check out this article in Spanish. Regardless of its origin, this cake is so popular, you will find it basically on every menue of any restaurant in Buenos Aires.

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