Caramel- Making Tips

the good life
food
CaramelMaking Tips
1
2
3
Mound the amount of sugar
called for in the recipe in the
center of a large, heavy skillet.
Pour the water called for
around the sugar and place
the skillet over medium heat.
Swirl the pan to completely
dissolve the sugar as the
liquid heats.
Pumpkin Flan
2 ¼ cups sugar, separated
1 can (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened
condensed milk
5 extra large eggs
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can (15 oz.) pureed pumpkin
Place rack in center of oven and
preheat oven to 350°F. Using 1¼ cup
sugar and ¼ cup water, make caramel
(see “Caramel-Making Tips,” at right).
Coat bottom and sides of dish with
caramel. In blender, pour 1 cup sugar
and remaining ingredients and blend
on low until smooth. In roasting
pan or other large baking dish, place
10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Place
pan in oven, pour pumpkin mixture
into pie plate, then pour very warm
water into roasting pan until water
comes halfway up sides of pie plate.
Bake until custard sets around edges,
center still jiggles when pan is shaken
and knife poked into center comes out
clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove
and let flan cool to room temperature,
then chill at least 4 hours (up to 1
day) before serving. To serve, cover
flan with large, round platter, clamp
pie plate and platter together, then
flip over in one quick motion; flan
will release easily from pie plate. Let
stand for 1 or 2 minutes, then scrape
remaining liquid caramel from pie
plate over top of flan and serve.
Cooking time: 1 hour, 10 minutes, plus
chilling time
4
Cook, swirling the pan gently
but not stirring until you see
the sugar start to color.
5
Continue cooking, swirling
the pan gently so the caramel
cooks evenly, until the caramel is
a deep copper color.
6
7
Immediately pour the
caramel into the baking dish.
Grasp the edges of the dish
with potholders or mitts—
caramel is incredibly hot and will
heat up the dish in no time—and
carefully tilt the dish to cover
the bottom and sides until it is
well and evenly coated. As the
caramel starts to cool, it will
move more slowly.
8
Set the dish down on
a heatproof surface and be
careful—it will stay hot for quite
some time.
Thanksgiving Day at Casa Daisy
is a mix of traditional favorites
and newer family favorites. For instance,
I serve sweet potatoes, but the white
fleshed boniato as opposed
to the orange fleshed yams; stuffing
gets longaniza or even
chorizo to give it a Latin flair.
—Daisy Martinez,
author of daisy: morning, noon
and night (atria, $15)
5 4 LATINA .COM november 2010
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9/23/10 1:53:21 PM