CREAMY CARAMEL FLAN

Prep Time:
15 Min

Cook Time:
1 Hr 15 Min

Ready In:
8 Hrs

Servings  (Help)

US Metric Calculate  
Original Recipe Yield 1 10 inch round

 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened, and at room temperature
• 5 eggs at room temperature
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, cook sugar, stirring, until golden and it liquifies (while you are cooking the sugar, boil a saucepan full of water to pour into the roasting pan) Pour the sugar/caramel liquid into a 10 inch round baking dish, tilting to coat bottom. Set aside. (Have found when you place your baking dish inside the oven while its preheating, it helps with the sugar/caramel staying in liquid form long enough to spread over bottom of baking dish. If it hardens too quickly, it's okay. You will be cooking it so the sugar/caramel will spread itself out again.)
3. Pour the Evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla, and cream cheese (cut into 4 pieces) into your blender and puree it all until smooth. Pour into caramel coated pan. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish, and place roasting pan on oven rack.
4. Bake in preheated oven 50 to 60 minutes, until center is just set. Cool one hour on wire rack, then chill in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. To unmold, run a knife around edges of pan and invert on a rimmed serving platter. (I've found that it's best when refrigerated overnight, and also to get it out of the cake dish, I put something warm on top of the baking dish ie; cup of warm water or anything warm really. When you see a little of the caramel sauce, you know it's fallen and you're good)

 

     That is my creamy caramel flan that we had for dessert tonight. It's a cross between cheesecake and flan. For those that don't care for the eggy-custardy texture, the cream cheese balances it out quite nice. Even my hubby likes it and that's not always an easy task. =) The longest part really I think is cooking down the sugar. It takes a while and for a little while you wonder if it's ever going to change, but then it does, and it goes pretty quick from there. At one point before it turn to liquid, it smells just like cotton candy. Makes me think of the fair. I really wish I didn't enjoy baking so much. Desserts are just fun to make, and of course fun to eat as well. Doesn't help with the whole weight loss thing though. Must change that. As soon as Christmas is over... lol At least I am countering it with the gym and exercising. It's more than I've done before.

     It's November 16th already. I don't even know where the time is going? I feel like time is slipping through my fingers and one day I'm going to wake up and wonder what the heck happened. I always tell myself that I'm going to get out more and do more. I mean, I guess we get out fairly often and do things with the family...but sometimes I just feel like the time goes by so quickly that I'm going to miss something. I look at my nieces and nephew and how quickly they grow up. Sometimes it feels like yesterday that Nanna was born (which was 11 years ago in reality). The reality is that not even Willow was born yesterday. She's already a year old. Oh why can't they stay young longer? I love my time with Nanna at this age, but I miss those cute times when she was young. I'm just lucky to have the best nieces and nephew in the world!

     We're having Thanksgiving at my sisters house this year. It's a new venture. I'm looking forward to it. At first, I was kind of like, what? (you get used to the norm) but then I remembered how much it meant to me one year that Larrs family came here for Thanksgiving, so I was immediately over the shock. Her in-laws will be there also so that will be nice. We all have a good time and enjoy each other. I'll be making some desserts as well as a couple other things. I found a couple recipes for cheeseballs, and one dessert chocolate chip cheeseball that I'm going to be making. My mom and I are going to be doing the Stamp out Hunger 5K Downtown early that morning. It's early, it starts at 8am so we'll be done in no time and back home before Larr even gets up. lol

     Have decided to give up facebook for a few days. Spending the time I would've spent on there in prayer instead. Pretty important trade. I have a few friends that are having issues in their lives and so I'm giving up my biggest addiction and time taker in my life so that I can spend it in prayer for them. It's easy to ask God for things that WE want, but we forget that HE is in control. It's about what HE sees fit for the situation. It's easy for me to pray that God heal my broken heart and take the hurting away. However, what if I'm supposed to experience those trials and pains so that I can share that with someone else and help them through theirs? I have learned more lately that it's best to pray for His will in the situation because ultimately that's what's going to happen. There is a reason behind everything whether we see it or not. It may take a long time but you can trust that He has a reason that makes sense when you're ready to see it.

     I finally saw the doctor and got some medication. I am already feeling a difference as well. I've been interested in things again. I pulled all my scarpabook stuff out the other night and ended up "crafting" until 4am! I haven't done anything like that in AGES. I still have moments, but I have a lot of hope from here on out. I truly believe that God made it easy on me as He knew how scared I was to go through this all again. I'm finally back on track and feeling good!

Since it's half-way through November, I'm going to give a list of 16 things I'm thankful for.

1) God's never-ending love.

2) My niece's laugh and smile.

3) My niece's hugs when she comes home from school.

4) Spending every Saturday with my mom shopping and spending time together.

5) My husbands ability to make you smile no matter how you feel.

6) Having true friends.

7) The unconditional love of my family.

8) The smell of rain on the asphalt.

9) Rainy days with a good book.

10) My camera.

11) The sound of leaves crunching under your shoe.

12) Pictures, Art, Craft Stuff, Drawing, Collages, etc.

13) Reading and discovering things in the Bible I didn't know.

14) Being able to wear flip flops at least 9 months out of the year.

15) Having a roof over our heads, and having a family we love

16) Good music.