Flan (Endgame)

'Nuf said.

Flan de Leche a la Cubana

Sugar, condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla extract...

Hungry yet?

So, if the lechón asado recipe from yesterday left you hankering for something sweet (and a bit easier and less time-consuming to prepare), here is our very own Flan de Leche a la Cubana* recipe (with a few adjustments in honor of our Dominican neighbors here in Washington Heights, Nueba Yol (aka, Nueva York, aka, New York).

*As our step-by-step pictures show, we have referred to the recipe of Cuba's very own Julia Child, the one-and-only Nitza Villapol, in her book Cocina Cubana.

Ingredients:
1 cup of sugar.
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces).
1 can of evaporated milk (12 ounces).
A pinch of salt (una pisquita de sal).
A dash of cinnamon.
5 eggs.
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Equipment:
A mixing bowl.

A pressure cooker (no Cuban kitchen is complete without one).

Una flanera (see photo of ours from "Da Heights").

A small strainer.

Japy San Guivi!

Como se dice Turkey en cubano?

Lechón asado, don't you know!

Y como se dice Cranberries?

Well, flan, of course.*

In honor of those adventurous souls who want to translate their boring Yuma Thanksgiving to reflect a bit of the color and spirit of the traditional Cuban holiday celebrating the always popular San Guivi (syncrotized with the orisha known as Chanchó Ayé in Santeria - patron saint of pork lovers around the world!), I have decided to post my not-so-secret recipe for the Cuban national dish, Lechón Asado. (I'm plagiarizing this recipe from my own book, Cuba: A Global Studies Handbook).

Lechón asado/Lechón a la criolla
(roasted pork/roast suckling pig)

The preparation of roast suckling pig is a day-long event, usually engaged in by the whole family on special occasions. It is the Cuban equivalent of the American Thanksgiving turkey, only a lot bigger, juicier, and tastier (though perhaps not as healthy, given the amount of yummy pig fat involved)!