Milk in the raw, part 2

Vegas marriages, loud parties in a small apartment building, and raw, unpasteurized milk. All of these are things with a finite lifespan. The milk in particular needs to be imbibed within two or three days after squirting out of the cow, before terrible terrible things happen to it... and to your insides.

If you've already drunk all you can of that sweet sweet white stuff, here's what to do with the rest.

Flan (inspired by Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

2 cups milk. If you really are using unpasturized, scald it first (heat to small bubbles form around the edges), otherwise get super organic 2% or whole milk from a natural foods store. It makes a difference. really.

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
grated zest of 1/3 lemon
2 large eggs plus two large egg yolks
1/3 - 1/2 cup sugar, according to taste

First make the caramel:

1. In a heavy frying pan heat 1 cup sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally but mostly just leaving it alone until it liquefies and turns a warm brown (caramelizes). This takes about 10-15 minutes.

2. Pour or spoon a small quantify of caramel to cover the bottom of about six porcelan ramekins, tilting each cup to help spread the sauce. Do NOT touch the caramel or you will get a bad burn. Set aside.

To make the flan:

1. Preheat oven to 300. Have a baking dish (a small lasagna pan is perfect) large enough to hold all the cups and deep enough to bring boiling waiter to within 1" of the top of the cups. Boil some water and keep it handy.

2. Heat the milk in a sauce pan with the nutmeg and cinnamon over medium until it begins to steam but never boil...or even simmer. Keep warm over low heat.

3. With an electric mixer beat the yolks, eggs and sugar until thick. Add lemon zest.

4. A skin will now have probably formed over the warm milk. Take a fine strainer and slowly pour the hot milk through the strainer into the egg mixture. If someone else is around it helps if they are mixing the eggs and milk as you strain it. Or mix it now yourself.

5. Place the ramekins in the deep pan. Ladle some mixture in each cup.

6. Very carefully pour the boiling water into the pan without letting a drop get into the cups. Use a funnel if you have to.

7. Bake about 45 - 50 minutes until firm when lightly jiggled.

When done remove pan from oven and the water bath. You can chill, but they are lovely warm or at room temp too.
To serve: take the point of a sharp knife and run it all around the edge of the ramekin. Quickly invert the ramekin over a small dish. The caramel will have formed a lovely sauce and the flan will be upside down. You will still have a lot of solid caramel in the cup which won't come out. Wait till no one is looking and lick it. To wash to cup just add a 1" of water and let it soak. It will dissolve in about an hour or two.