Mexican flan

Throughout Mexico, flan is the most adored sweet treat of all time. With its basic ingredients of eggs, dairy, and sugar combined to produce a creamy, dense custard with a caramel topping… how can anyone resist?

Normally considered a Latin American dessert, flan had its beginnings in ancient Rome. Some say this was thanks to a surplus of eggs when Romans began domesticating chickens. From there, the delicacy made its way to Spain, where caramel topping was added. In the early 1500s, flan travelled to the New World with Spanish conquistadors.

Mexico adopted this sweet dish, and, as with all foods that travel the world, Mexican flan has changed and improved over time. Various recipes call for more eggs, cream cheese, or other flavours such as orange, chocolate, or almond.

One year, when I was living in Mexico, a teenage neighbour appeared at our front gate one day, selling her homemade flan by the slice. It was so irresistible my husband and I soon graduated to ordering an entire pan of flan whenever we needed our fix!

We enjoyed several months of flan-filled bliss, and when we left the area, the lovely girl gifted me with her recipe, so we would never be without! Muy amable, as they say in Mexico…

This variety of flan is rich, thick, and creamy, and is sometimes referred to as “Tres Leches Flan” because it contains three different milk products.

Flan might seem mysterious, but it’s not difficult to make; you just have to pay attention to the steps and don’t over-cook it. And then, you have to wait while it refrigerates, which is actually the hardest part!