Lemon Custard - a new family favorite

Note:  The photo is not my lemon custard.  Mine looked much better, actually.

I have always loved Flan.  What is not to like?  Creamy custard with sweet carmel sauce.  Who on earth couldn't love that?  When I eat it the flavor reminds me of childhood, so I must have eaten it in Brazil.

I always wanted to make it.  Then when my son was in fourth grade they had a southwest "feast".  Everyone was supposed to bring something, hopefully home made.  I decided I would make flan.

I found a painfully easy recipe online.  I chose the recipe because the person claimed that their mother originally got the recipe in either Peru or Brazil.  It tastes exactly like I remember and definitely as good as the ones I have ordered in restaurants and loved.  The kids love it and it doesn't last long when I make it.

Now that we have eggs in abundance I have an excuse to make it most of the time.  (The recipe calls for 6-10 eggs.

The other day I was in the mood to cook, but not in the mood to caramelize sugar, so I decided to try to alter the basic custard recipe.  I substituted one half teaspoon of lemon extract for one half of the vanilla, then put in the zest of one (fresh from the tree) lemon.  Baked as usual, and a new family favorite was born!  Lemon custard.  They said it was great warm, better cold, and best the next day.

I wish I could have tasted it.  It smelled fabulous.  I was wondering what would happen if you tried to caramelize lemon Jello for the top.  Has anyone ever tried to caramelize Jello powder?

Today I will try the exact same thing with orange.  We have lots of citrus these days.  The lemons, limes, grapefruit and oranges are all ripe and delicious right now.  Also, I only cook with Penzy's spices and flavorings.  They are the best.  They used to only be mail order and are definitely worth mail order if you don't have a store nearby.  I was a mail order customer before they opened stores near me.  Give them a try if you love to cook and don't shop there already.

I'm getting anxious to start cooking again!  I'll be on a very low carb diet for three weeks after my last injection on Sunday.  Obviously custard won't be on that menu!