Cheese Flan

Directions

Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature. To a mixer bowl, add the softened cream cheese and mix with paddle attachment. Add 1 egg at a time until well creamed. Then add the condensed milk and vanilla extract and salt. Mix well and refrigerate while making the caramel coating.

To make caramel sugar coating, mix 1 ½ cup sugar and 3/4 cup of water to a pan. Set stove to medium high heat and stir mixture. Allow it to come to a soft boil and continue cooking until it becomes a pale golden brown. Remove from heat before sugar becomes too burned. Carefully pour caramel on a 8 in. Deep cake pan or a cheese cake pan (do not use springform pan) and move caramel in the pan allowing it to coat the sides as well. Continue doing this until the sauce becomes thick and does not roll. Then add the cheese flan batter to the pan, cover tightly with foil and bake on a Bain Marie at 350 degrees until completely firm. ***exercise caution when handling hot sugar*** once cheese flan is completely cooked, refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

port wine reduction:

On a sauce pan add port wine, pears, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and sugar. Let the pears poach in this liquid until semisoft. Then remove from pan, dice and set aside. Set stove to medium low heat and allow mixture to reduce until it becomes a thick syrup. Strain to remove any film and the cinnamon and peppercorn and allow to cool.

Raspberry pear compote:

On a separate sauce pan add raspberries, water and sugar and allow to cook. Once raspberries are cooked, mash by hand leaving it a chunky consistency, add the diced pears and mix together. Set aside and refrigerate until right before serving.

To serve, turn refrigerated cheese flan over on a platter and cut into slices. Place some raspberry-pear compote on top of the slice and drizzle some of the port wine reduction over it.