Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat. It should not boil. Transfer the milk into a glass measuring cup. Pour heated milk in a steady stream over the egg yolk mixture. Beat at low speed. Transfer the mixture into a large pot and place it over medium-high heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture starts bubbling, turn heat to low and simmer until cream thickens, about 15 minutes. It should have the consistency of thick, chocolate syrup. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into small bowls. Sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Once the natilla cools completely, cover bowls and refrigerate until cold.
Serves 4 to 6.
Mamá’s Flan de Coco
COCONUT FLAN
PUERTO RICO
1 cup sugar
One 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
One 12-oz. can evaporated milk
One 15-oz. can sweetened coconut milk
6 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place sugar in a 9-inch fluted tube pan. Place the pan on the stove top over medium-high heat. Sugar will dissolve and turn caramel brown. After it has melted, wear oven mitts and gently rock the pan so that the bottom and sides become coated with caramel. The caramel does not have to reach the rim. Set aside.
Place condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and eggs in a large bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat at medium speed until the mixture is smooth. Pour into the caramelized pan.
The flan has to cook in a boiling-water bath. Pour water to cover the bottom of a deep pan that is larger than the tube pan. The water has to be at least 1 inch deep. Place the filled tube pan in the water. Place both pans in the oven. Cook for one hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Take tube pan out of the water and remove from the oven. Let flan cool completely. With a knife, gently loosen sides of flan. Turn flan over onto a large round platter and pour the caramel syrup remaining in the tube pan on top of the flan.
Serves 12 to 14.
Have an adult help you when caramelize the pan.
ABOUT THE RECIPES
The country mentioned before each recipe is meant to show where that particular variation of the recipe comes from. However, most of these recipes are popular in many other Spanish-speaking countries in addition to the country mentioned. For example, it is well known that flan is a common dessert in Spain, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Argentina, among others. But the coconut-flavored variation of flan is more specific to Puerto Rico. Perhaps it is less known that the flour tortilla, which is frequently associated with Mexico, is also a staple food of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Costa Rica.
All the recipes included here have been tested in my kitchen. Many have been favorites of my family for generations.
ABUELA (ah-BWEH-lah): Grandmother
ABUELITA (ah-bweh-LEE-tah): Grandmother (Abuelita is the diminutive term for Abuela)
ABUELITO (ah-bweh-LEE-toh): Grandfather (Abuelito is the diminutive term for Abuelo)
ABUELO (ah-BWEH-loh): Grandfather
AGUINALDO (ah-gee-NAHL-doh): A small Christmas present
ALFAJORES DE DULCE DE LECHE (ah-fah-HOR-ays day DOOL-say day LEH-chay): Sandwich cookies filled with milk caramel
ALFOMBRA (ahl-FOHM-brah): A carpet or rug
APÚRATE (ah-POO-rah-tay): Hurry up
ARROZ CON POLLO (ah-RROSS kohn POH-lyoh): Rice dish with chicken
¡AY! (EYE): Oh!; used to express an emotion, such as surprise or pain
AY, SANTO DIOS (EYE, SAN-toh DEE-ohs): Oh, Dear God
BACALAO A LA VIZCAÍNA (bah-kah-LAH-oh ah lah viz-kah-EE-nah): A traditional codfish stew eaten during Lent
BARRIO (BAH-ree-oh): District or quarter
BENDITO (ben-DEE-toh): Blessed; dear
BESITOS DE COCO (beh-SEE-tohs day KOH-koh): Coconut kisses, a dessert
¡BUENO! (BWEH-noh): Good!
CALDERO (cal-DEH-roh): A small cauldron
CHICO (CHEE-koh): Little boy
CHILES RELLENOS (CHEE-lays reh-LYEH-nohs): Roasted chili peppers that are stuffed with white cheese, then coated with a beaten egg mixture and fried
CHORIZO (choh-REE-zoh): A spicy Spanish sausage
COBITOS (koh-BEE-tohs): Small hermit crabs
COMAL (koh-MAHL): A heavy iron pan
CONGRÍ (kohn-GREE): Cuban rice with black beans
COQUITO (koh-KEE-toh): Holiday drink made with coconut milk and rum
CUCURUCHO DE MANÍ (koo-koo-ROO-choh day mah-NEE): A paper cone of roasted peanuts
LOS CUCURUCHOS (los koo-koo-ROO-chohs): The porters
CUENTOS (KWEN-tohs): Stories
¡CUIDADO! (kwee-DAH-doh): Careful! Look out!
¡DALE! (DAH-lay): Hit it!
DAMAS PRIMERO (DAH-mahs pree-MEH-roh): Ladies first
DAME UN BESO (Dah-may oon BEH-soh): Give me a kiss
DIOS TE BENDIGA (dee-OHS tay ben-DEE-gah): God bless you
DOÑA (DOH-nyah): Title of courtesy and respect preceding a woman’s first name
FELIZ AÑO NUEVO (feh-LEEZ AH-nyoh NWEH-voh): Happy New Year
FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS (feh-LEEZ koom-play-AH-nyohs): Happy birthday
FLAN DE COCO (FLAN day KOH-koh): Coconut custard made with milk, sugar, and eggs
FRIJOLES (free-HOH-lays): Beans
GARÚA (gah-ROO-ah): Drizzle
GRACIAS (GRAH-see-ahs): Thank you
GÜIRO (GWEE-roh): A percussion instrument played by scraping a stick along the notched surface of a gourd
HELADO DE COCO (ah-LAH-doh day KOH-koh): Coconut-flavored sherbet
HOLA (OH-lah): Hello
LA HORA DEL TÉ (lah OH-rah del TAY): Teatime
HORCHATA (or-CHAH-tah): A chilled drink made of sugar, water, and crushed sesame seeds
MAMÁ (mah-MAH): Mama
M’IJO (MEE-hoh): Shortened form of mi hijo, which means “my son”
MOJO CRIOLLO (MOH-hoh cree-OH-lyoh): A sauce made with onion, garlic, olive oil, bay leaves, and peppercorns
MORENOS (moh-RAY-nohs): Africans brought to Peru as slaves (moreno is the singular, masculine form and morena is the singular, feminine)
¡MUY PELIGROSO! (MWEE peh-lee-GROH-soh): Too dangerous!
NADA (NAH-dah): Nothing
NATILLA (nah-TEE-lyah): A creamy custard made with sugar, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla
NIÑA (NEE-nyah): Small girl
¡NIÑOS! (NEE-nyohs): Children!
PALITOS (pah-LEE-tohs): Sticks used to make sound by striking them against each other
PICO DE GALLO (PEE-koh day GAH-lyoh): Relish made with tomato, onions, cilantro, and jalapeño peppers
PIÑATA (pee-NYAH-tah): A decorated vessel, usually made of papier-mâché, that is filled with fruit, candy, and peanuts
¿POR QUÉ? (por KAY): Why?
¡QUÉ MALA PATA! (kay MAH-lah PAH-tah): What bad luck!
QUERIDA (keh-REE-dah): Darling or dear
SALSA (SAHL-sah): A style of Latin American music and dance; also, any kind of sauce
¡SALUD, DINERO, AMOR, Y TIEMPO PARA DISFRUTARLOS! (sah-LOOD, dee-NEH-roh, ah-MORE, ee tee-EHM-poh pah-rah dis-froo-TAHR-lohs): Health, money, love, and time to enjoy it all
SEÑOR (say-NYOR): Mister or sir
EL SEÑOR DE LOS MILAGROS (el say-NYOR day los mee-LAH-gross): Lord of Miracles
SEÑORA (say-NYOR-ah): Missus
SÍ (SEE): Yes
¡SINVERGÜENZA! (sin-vair-GWEHN-zah): Little rascal!
SOFRITO (soh-FREE-toh): A seasoning sauce
SURULLITO DE MAÍZ (soo-roo-LYEE-toh day mah-YEES): Puerto Rican corn fritters
TEMBLEQUE (tem-BLEH-kay): A sweet dessert made with coconut milk
TÍA (TEE-ah): Aunt
TÍO (TEE-oh): Uncle
TORREJAS (tor-RAY-hahs): Bread dipped in milk and egg that is pan-fried and served with homemade syrup
TORTILLA (tor-TEE-lyah): A thin round cake of cornmeal or wheat flour
TORTILLA E
SPAÑOLA (tor-TEE-lyah ehs-pah-NYOH-lah): Potato omelet
TURRÓN (too-RROHN): A nougat dessert
¡VIVA! (VEE-vah): Hurrah!
YUCA (YOO-kah): A fleshy rootstock plant; also called cassava
Many people inspired and guided me through the making of this book.
I’m very grateful to Roger Alexander Sandoval and José Rodolfo Rosales for their generous insight into Guatemalan traditions. I owe the pictorial information of Holy Week in Guatemala to my good friend Germán Oliver.
Rodolfo Perez and Lucía González shared their memories of growing up in Cuba. Olga Alonso shared not only her childhood anecdotes, but also her recipes. Thank you.
I also thank Iris Brown for shedding light onto the daily life of Old San Juan in the 1940s.
For her stories about her childhood in Buenos Aires, her constant encouragement, and for instilling in me a love of cooking, I must thank my mother, Marta Orzábel de Delacre. Nellie Carpio was a great help in the search for the perfect recipe for alfajores.
I will not forget my Mexican friend Victoria, whose inner strength I so admire and with whom I learned how to make chiles rellenos and pico de gallo.
It was Mayté Canto who introduced me to her Peruvian friend María Rosa Watson. María Rosa’s enthusiasm for the legend and traditions associated with El Señor de los Milagros was irresistible. To her I owe the recipe for turrón de Doña Pepa.
I’m greatly indebted to Diana Oliver, who was so generous to share her wonderful recipes for tembleque, flan de coco, and natilla.
I thank Priya Nair and Monique Stephens for their great assistance with back matter. I also appreciate the valuable art direction of Marijka Kostiw, Dave Caplan, and David Saylor. For her editorial direction, dedication, insight, and commitment to my work, I thank my editor Dianne Hess.
Finally, for their unconditional love, I should thank my husband, Arturo Betancourt, and my two daughters Verónica and Alicia. Thank you, Verónica, for critiquing my stories.
This book was originally published in hardcover by Scholastic Press in 2000.
Copyright © 2000 by Lulu Delacre. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
Cover illustration © 2000 by Lulu Delacre
Cover design by Marijka Kostiw
e-ISBN 978-0-545-46962-3
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
*Available where Latin foods are sold
*Available where Latin foods are sold
*Available where Latin foods are sold
*Available where Latin foods are sold
*Available where Latin foods are sold
*Available where Latin foods are sold
*Available where Latin foods are sold