Rose Petal Flan

Have you ever encountered a stubborn teenager who outright refuses to eat something new, in spite of everyone telling her how good it is?

At some point you just give up and say, “oh have it your way, all the more for the rest of us.”

I was that stubborn teenager one summer in Mexico City, surrounded by my host family pleading with me to try this weird looking dish that they had translated as “burnt milk”.

I’m forever grateful my friend’s mother Señora Argüelles didn’t give up on me that day. After finally submitting to one bite, I ate all that remained in the pot!

Ever since that day flan is one dessert that I simply cannot refuse.

This recipe makes a fabulous flan, giving you the scent of roses with every bite. (Perfect for Valentine’s Day, don’t you think?) The recipe is adapted from the cookbook Dona Tomas: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking from the Doña Tomas restaurant in Oakland, California.

Rose Petal Flan Recipe

Ingredients

Topping:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp water

Custard

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon rose water*

Special items needed

• 4 6-ounce ramekins

*Rose water can be found in Mediterranean markets and also Whole Foods in the baking department. According to the Doña Tomàs book you can also make your own by boiling a cup of rose petals (fresh from a garden, not store-bought, no pesticides, no fungicides) in a cup of water with a tablespoon of honey, for 10 minutes. Let steep overnight and then strain. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

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