Quesillo (Venezuelan Flan)
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- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1 hr
- Yield
- Serves 10
- Difficulty
- medium
The quesillo recipe (pronounced “ke-see-yo”) has bounced around our family since as long as I can remember — every relative with their own quirks on it. These days I frequently get calls asking about my exact recipe. It’s not every day your grandmother asks you how to cook something! I will, however, warn you: quesillo is not for everyone.
Ingredients
- 1 can of condensed milk
- 1 can of milk (use the same can to measure)
- 3 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup white sugar
Instructions
- For this recipe you will need a round tin with a tight lid, also called a "flan mold." If you're in a pinch, a cookie tin works too.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. The quesillo will be cooked using a "bain-marie," or water bath, method -- have the container with the water already in the oven as it preheats. A 9-inch cake pan or a glass pyrex works well.
- Melt sugar in a nonstick pan. No water is needed to make the caramel. Keep moving the mixture so all the sugar melts evenly -- be careful, because it can go from a nice brown color to burnt black very quickly.
- Pour the sugar into the flan container, coating the sides to ensure the egg/milk mixture doesn't come in direct contact with the container itself.
- Blend together the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Fold the mixture with a spatula or tap against the counter to remove some of the bubbles created by blending.
- Make sure the caramel has cooled a bit (you don't want to fry the eggs) and pour the mixture into the flan container.
- Put the lid on and place inside your water bath. Bake for 45 minutes. Don't let the water go over the rim of the tin.
- Uncover and cook for another 15 minutes. This is tricky to do without burning a finger -- using a knife to pry open the lid first makes it easier to remove without injury.
Notes
- Ideally let the quesillo cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge overnight. This will limit the chances of it cracking when you flip it out of the tin. Make sure to slide a knife around the edges to ensure it's fully loose before placing a plate on top and flipping.