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© Michael Lionstar

CAROLINA DE ROBERTIS’SFAMILY SECRET FLAN

Flan is notorious for being difficult to prepare. Complicated recipes abound, along with cautionary tales about the many things that can go wrong. Most notable among them is the failure of white sugar to melt smoothly into hot caramel sauce. Flan novices often see their caramel become lumpy and clotted with hard, crystallized chunks. This is one of

the reasons that less confident cooks often avoid making flan, and, in South American circles, a dependable flan recipe is quite prized. I am not a confident cook, so it is surprising that I’ve become known among friends as a maker of fabulous flan. It’s all because my mother gave me an excellent recipe, much simpler than most, complete with a secret twist that virtually guarantees a smooth caramel sauce.

The twist came from my grandfather, a Uruguayan pharmacist who also composed The twist came from my grandfather, a Uruguayan pharmacist who also composed tangos in his spare time (framed sheet music for his Nunca te Olvidaré hung on the wall of my childhood kitchen). He brought his chemistry background to bear on the flan conundrum. His secret: a few drops of vinegar, sprinkled over the white sugar just as it begins to darken with heat, catalyzes the right reaction, and has no impact on the flavor. It is kitchen science, and it works.

A little-known cooking strategy is one kind of family secret. Perla, the protagonist of the A little-known cooking strategy is one kind of family secret. Perla, the protagonist of the novel that bears her name, confronts very different family secrets, which tie her own origins to the painful history of disappearances in Argentina and the hidden crimes of the parents she has always loved. I’d like to think that Perla Correa would enjoy a flan like this one—not just the taste of it, but also the experience of cooking it. I’d like to think she’d viscerally appreciate the role vinegar can have in creating a full-bodied dessert. The sour drops that make the sweetness possible.

This recipe is adapted from my mother’s notes, now translated into EnglishThis recipe is adapted from my mother’s notes, now translated into Englishfor the first time.

A NOTE FROM CAROLINA DE ROBERTIS:

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CAROLINA DE ROBERTIS’SFAMILY SECRET FLAN