Last night I had the pleasure of hosting twenty members of the Greater Greensboro Dietetic Association for a tour of the Greensboro Children’s Museum Edible Schoolyard and Fall cooking demonstration. I as presently surprised of how youthful the group was. Many were UNCG graduates who are now working in hospitals, schools and retirement communities. It was nice to find a professional development community that is also interested in plugging into the community – and having fun. The event was sponsored by the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association, Inc., which works with schools, health professionals, retailers, dairy processors and the public to promote dairy foods throughout the southeastern part of the county. Laura, their representative and fellow dietitian, joined the group to give out some goodies and spread the word about the work they are doing.

With dairy in mind, I prepared a cooking demonstration – and tasting – with my favorite flan recipe. And, I put together a big cheese plate to hold the group over after work. Flan is one of the easiest – yet impressive -sweets that I make.  And, it’s also delicious and versatile. We made a traditional flan last night but I explained how easy it is to make adjustments for a Fall Pumpkin Flan. Here are the recipes!

Easiest Flan

• 6 eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can (from condensed milk can) water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Beat 6 eggs in one bowl. In another bowl, combine 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 1 can of water (use the sweetened condensed can for measuring).  Strain the eggs into the milk bowl and then add vanilla. Wisk together to combine.

Heat about 1/2 cup of sugar in a skillet until golden. You will need to keep scraping the skillet to prevent burning. This stuff is HOT so be careful. Do not stop stirring and scraping until it is ready. Pour it into the bottom of a large ceramic dish and swirl around to cover bottom. If it does not completely cover, don’t worry. Pour in the flan mixture and put the dish in a water bath. Cook at 350 degrees for about 1 hour and a half. Jiggle the dish to see if it isn’t liquid like – but still moves. Refrigerate at least overnight. To plate, run a knife around the edge of the dish a couple of times to separate. Then flip quickly onto a platter.

• ** Fall Flan

Add toasted pumpkin seeds or almonds to the caramel. Then, add the following to the egg mixture:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 can pumpkin puree