Quesillo of the Canary Islands

 

El Quesillo (literally little cheese) is one of the most popular desserts among Canaries islands inhabitants. It is a flan made to a large extent with condensed milk and does not have any cheese, so I do not know very well why the name. I have consulted several sources but none have assured me one hundred percent that they are right in the arguments they defend (that if it is because of the yellowish aspect, that if it is because it used to contain cheese ...) so I refrain from assuring anything. What I can tell you is that it is a dessert that creates addiction and if you like condensed milk this dessert witll turn you mad.

INGREDIENTS (for a familiar quesillo):

• 13 oz condensed milk 
• Milk according to condensed milk  (I'll explain it later)
• 5 eggs
• 1 lemon
• Liquid caramel

In a bowl we add the condensed milk and once it is emptied we fill that same can with whole milk, pour it in and refill it halfway, pouring it in turn. That is, the ratio of condensed milk to whole milk is 1: 1.5. So you can use any amount of condensed milk you want.

We beat the eggs and add them as well, as well as the lemon zest.

If you have bought the liquid caramel, pour it into the bottom of a liter metal flan. But if you want to do it on your own, you simply use 60 grams (5 tbps) of sugar in a saucepan over low heat with a tablespoon of water and a few drops of lemon juice. When it falls apart and takes on a brown color it's done. Do not forget the lemon juice or it will crystallize.

We pour into a metallic mold, once the caramel is at the bottom, the milk mixture. Now we are going to cook the mold in a double boiler. For this we have a pan with water over the fire where the mold fits so that it reaches half its height. It is also convenient that the mold does not touch the bottom of the casserole, so separate it with the help of an iron, such as the one used to put a hot stew on the center of the table and avoid burning the tablecloth.

We let it cook for about 1 hour, until the cheese is visibly set. We let it cool down to room temperature and then we put it in the refrigerator so that it consolidates for at least 6 hours. It is best to do it overnight.

Next day, unmold and cut in portions for the family. They will enjoy a lot !