Pudim de leite condensado is the dessert that follows a Sunday churrasco: a cold caramel custard made from condensed milk, milk, and eggs. People make it ahead so it is waiting when the fire is done.
The US name people use is Brazilian flan. In Spanish, flan de leche condensada.
Ingredients (one ring mold, about 8 slices)
The common home formula is one can, one can, three eggs.
- 1 can (14 oz/ 395 g) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 can whole milk, measured in the empty condensed-milk can (about 395 ml/ 1 2/3 cups)
- 3 large eggs
Caramel: 1 cup (200 g) sugar and 1/2 cup (120 ml) water. That 2-to-1 sugar-to-water ratio is the usual calda.
A softer restaurant pudim uses 2 cans of milk with the same condensed milk and 3 eggs. Stay with one can of milk unless you want it looser.
Method
- Melt the sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it is amber.
- Add the water carefully. It will spit. Stir until the lumps dissolve and the caramel is smooth.
- Pour it into a ring mold and tilt to coat the bottom. Let it set.
- Blend the condensed milk, milk, and eggs only until smooth. Long blending beats in air and makes holes.
- Pour through a strainer into the mold. Cover with foil.
- Bake in a water bath at 350°F/180°C for about 50 to 65 minutes for a typical 8–9 inch (20–23 cm) ring mold, until a knife comes out almost clean. Smaller or larger pans may run shorter or longer.
- Cool, then refrigerate at least 4 hours, overnight if you can. Unmold onto a plate so the caramel runs down the sides.
How you know it’s done
A knife comes out almost clean. It has to be cold.
After a churrasco
Make it the morning of the fire, or the day before. It has to be cold. Serve it after the meat, not beside the Brazilian tomato-onion sauce (vinagrete).
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