Grandma's Design

FLAN

GRANDMA

Ermine

COUNTRY

Dutch Belgium

ORIGIN

Ter Assene

INGREDIENTS

1 litre of milk.
½ gingerbread biscuit
6 speculaas cookies.
6 crackers.
6 macaroon cookies.
150 grams of sugar.
2 chidken eggs
½ teaspoon of cinnamon

HISTORY

The flan was very popular at all the fairs in the small villages of East-Flanders. Every village has its local variations. Famous flans are those of Aalst and Lokeren. These two flans are very similar to each other. It's a kind of dish that was made in a lot of households. Many mothers or grandmothers often have their own recipe. In the past it was very usual that people brought their flans to a local baker, who baked the flans after he made his bread. Famous Flemish novels of Daens and Louis Paul Boon mention these flans. The typical characteristic of the flan is that it doesn't consist of a dough with a filling. It's just a kind of batter that is poured into a mould and placed in the oven.

More Minus

HOW TO

Pour the milk in a pot.Crumble the macaroon cookies and add to the milk.Stir well.Add the speculaas, gingerbread, crackers, sugar, eggs and cinnamon to the milk.Keep on stirring till everything is dissolved.Heat everything.Pour the mixture into a mould, rubbed with butter.Bake it in an oven for twenty minutes at 175°c degrees.Leave the flan half an hour in the hot oven.The flan will be creamier inside if you do it like this.