Quesillo (Venezuelan Flan)

Description

The Venezuelan quesillo recipe, pronounced ke-see-yo, has bounced around our family since as long as I can remember. I frequently get calls asking about my exact recipe. It’s not everyday your grandmother asks you how to cook something! I will however warn you: quesillo is not for everyone. I have learned that some people just don’t like the texture. To that I can only really say that at least there will be more for the rest of us.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 ¾ cups milk, or as needed
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. Prepare a bain-marie
  3. or water bath
  4. by filling a 9-inch heat-proof container with water.
  5. Melt sugar in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat
  6. stirring constantly until melted
  7. 7 to 10 minutes; be careful to keep it from burning. Pour sugar into a flan mold
  8. coating the sides to ensure that the egg/milk mixture in the next step will not touch the container.
  9. Pour sweetened condensed milk into a bowl. Fill the empty can with milk and add to the bowl; stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Blend well. Fold mixture with a spatula or tap against the counter to remove air bubbles.
  10. Pour milk mixture into the slightly cooled flan mold. Put the lid on and place inside the water bath; don’t let the water go over the rim.
  11. Bake the quesillo in the bain-marie in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Pry lid open with a knife carefully; continue baking until set
  12. about 15 minutes more.
  13. Let quesillo cool to room temperature
  14. at least 25 minutes; refrigerate 8 hours to overnight. Slide a knife around the edges of the mold to loosen and invert onto a plate.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 7 mins

Total Time: 9 hrs 47 mins

Servings: 8

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