BRUSH
Keeping It Clean

When we first met Lela Angelina, she was tall, straight, and quite literally able to climb mountains! She could not speak a word of English, but she was able to communicate great love to our seven year old and to those of us in our thirties, with a look, a touch and of course some of the best food in the universe.

We learned to love Venezuelans and their food very quickly, even before we were lucky enough to travel there and then to meet lifelong friends.

Sadly, the political situation in Venezuela precludes our visiting there these days, but our friends keep in touch, and we now have the best recipe for flan anywhere.

Place 3/4 cup granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is golden brown. Pour into a cake pan or bottom of a 2-inch deep cookie tin. Set aside.

Custard

Place the following in a blender:

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can full of whole milk
• 8 whole eggs (large or extra large)

Stir in by hand

• 1 can Coco Lopez
• 1/2 c. flaked coconut

Place the pan that contains caramel mixture into a larger pan. Pour the custard over the caramel. Pour very hot water into the space between the two pans until water is halfway up the sides of the flan pan. If the flan pan has an ovenproof cover (like a cookie tin lid), use it to cover the custard. If not, cover both pans with aluminum foil.

Place in a 350° oven for 1 hour.

When the flan is done, remove from the oven. Cool uncovered. Chill at least two hours, covered. To serve, place the bottom of the flan pan into very hot water to loosen the caramel. Place the serving plate (with a lip to contain the caramel sauce) onto the top of the flan pan and invert the flan onto the plate. Serve with fruit garnish. Serves 8 to 10.

A Cookie Lady Recipe