Mexican cheese and guava flan: Flan de queso y guayaba

Karen Hursh Graber

Guavas, being so plentiful in Aguascalientes, are used in several desserts. A common combination in Mexico is ate, a paste made with guava, quince, pears or other fruit, and cream cheese, served together after dinner. North of the border, ate can be found in the Latin food section of many markets. This recipe for Mexican cheese and guava flan takes the fruit and cream cheese combination a step further, to make an elegant Mexican cheese and guava flan.

Ingredients

For the caramel:

• ¾ cup sugar

For the flan:

• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (La Lechera brand in Mexico)
• 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• 5 eggs
• ½ cup guava paste
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened

Preparation

For the caramel:

Place the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring it with a wooden spoon until it has melted and turned deep golden brown. Immediately pour it into a flan mold, tipping it so that the caramel covers the bottom and halfway up the sides. Set the flan mold aside to cool the caramel while you make the flan.

For the flan:

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the mixture into the flan mold.

Lightly grease the inside of the flan mold lid and cover the flan. If you do not have a flan mold, use a round metal pan and cover the flan with aluminum foil.

Place the flan mold in a roasting pan and pour hot water into the roasting pan to about halfway up the sides of the mold. Bake at 350º for 1 hour or until the flan is set and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove flan to a wire rack and run a knife around the edges of the mold. When the flan has cooled, cover it and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. It may be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated overnight if desired.

To unmold, remove the flan from the refrigerator and dip the bottom of the mold in hot water to loosen for 30 seconds. Invert the pan onto a serving plate and carefully lift the mold off the flan. Serves 8.