I made my 1st flan.
My mom was a flan master. She could rock the flan. Everyone always asked what her secret was, and whatever magic she did, she took it to the grave with her back in 1998.
Flan is simple, but technical. After she died, I was on a mission to find a flan like hers, and after many, many disappointing flans, I stopped looking, and I never dared to try to make it by myself... until last night.
This time of year is when the veil that separates our world from the spirit world becomes thin, and our ancestors are near.
It took me 3 tries to get the caramel to work. As I was chipping cooked sugar out of the bottom of the pan yet again, I asked my mom for help... and it appears she did because other than a bit of cracking, it looked like a success!
Ofrenda means offering. Part of the offering is that you can't taste the food as you prepare it. It's for the ancestors to have first. Eventually, after the offering, you can eat the food.
When I finally tried the flan... OMG! It tastes exactly like how I remember my mom's! Smooth and creamy and not too dense. Awesome! and spooky! and also deliciously grateful.
¡Gracias, Mama!