Recipe: Guava Cheese Flan

Guava Cheese Flan
The combination of guava and cheese is commonly found in many Latin desserts. Although the exotic guava is not traditionally used in flans, this Guava Cheese Flan quickly became a kitchen favorite and an extraordinary indulgence.

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
5 large eggs
1/2 cup guava paste*
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Preheat oven to 350F.

Add sugar and water into a 9-inch cake pan. Stir until sugar is slightly dissolved.

Place pan on stove over medium heat. Caramelize sugar, without stirring, until sugar turns a golden to golden brown color, about 10 minutes. Use an oven mitt to hold pan and swirl pan to coat bottom and sides with caramel. Place pan on cooling rack to cool and harden caramel slightly.

Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients in an electric blender. Blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into cooled and hardened caramelized pan; cover with aluminum foil. Set pan into a large shallow baking pan or bottom of broiler pan containing about 1-inch hot water.

Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from water bath and cool on wire rack.

Carefully loosen sides of custard from pan with a knife. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or until chilled. May be chilled overnight.

To unmold, invert pan onto a large shallow plate or pie dish. Garnish with mango and kiwi slices, if desired.

Servings: 8