Dia y Noche

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 can of evaporated milk (12 fl oz)
1 bar of cream cheese (8 oz)
1 tsp vanilla
1 box devil's food chocolate cake

Directions

Combine eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, cream cheese, and vanilla in a blender and mix well.

Prepare devil’s food chocolate cake mix according to box directions.

Butter a Bundt pan (or other large, *deep* pan). The pan should be buttered very well; place the chocolate cake mix in the pan and carefully spoon the flan mixture from the blender on top of the cake mix.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and place in a water bath. The water should cover the pan about half way. Bake for approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes at 375 F. Check the cake with a knife until it comes clean to make sure is cooked. The chocolate cake will certainly be cooked, but the flan may take longer.

Remove cake from the oven let cool for 30 - 60 minutes and then flip onto serving plate. Refrigerate overnight for the flan to completely set. You can serve immediately after cake cools, but the flan may still be a little soft in the middle.

Top with butterscotch, caramel, chocolate syrup, or any other sweet topping just before serving.
 

Quintessential Flan

That's probably a good thing - for the chef who accidentally used too much Habanero in his new recipe.

Many mexican dessert recipes are similar to traditional desserts -- flan is a mexican egg custard.

Spanish writer Vital Aza once said, "If you eat flan, you have a hearty appetite."

• In France, flan is known as creme caramel or creme moulee au caramel.
• In Sweden, the dish is called bryl pudding.
• In Britain, it is called caramel custard, although a similar dish is called Cornish burnt cream.

2 cups sugar
8 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Melt 2 cups sugar in saucepan over low heat and cook until golden brown, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Stir frequently as the sugar can burn quickly. Cover the bottom of 8 custard cups with the caramelized sugar.

Alternate method:  You can use a 10 inch pie pan instead of individual custard cups. 

In mixing bowl add remaining caramelized sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Boil the milk, then slowly add to sugar egg mix whisking well.

Strain through a fine strainer. Ladle the mixture into the caramel coated custard cups (or pie pan), filling each 3/4 full.

Put the filled cups into a Bain-Marie and cover. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature. To serve, run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto plates. Serves eight.

That's it. Easy authentic mexican dessert recipes aren't very hard to make.

Caramel Flan Cheesecake

Makes 1 - 10 inch round pan

This unique recipe is a combination of Flan (mexican egg custard) and cheesecake. Two desserts in one - no extra charge!

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Melt sugar in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until golden brown. Stir frequently as the sugar can burn quickly.

Pour into a 10 inch round baking dish, tilting to coat bottom and sides. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Beat in condensed and evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. Pour into caramel coated pan.

Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake in oven 50 to 60 minutes, until center is just set. Cool one hour on wire rack, then chill in refrigerator 8 hours. To serve, run a knife around edges of pan and invert on a serving platter.