FLAN, CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES: NO GLUTEN IN SIGHT

2 gluten-free desserts (for Shaina and Kim)

The quickest flan you'll ever make, courtesy of my Tia Chelo.  It does require some equipment:  a pressure cooker, and a stainless steel bowl that fits inside it.

Caramel (this is a somewhat tricky part, but really just the first time)

• 1/2 cp. sugar

Have the stainless steel bowl at your side, and ideally some rubber dishwashing gloves on, just in case.  Put the sugar in a heavy-bottomed smallish saucepan on the stove over medium heat and WATCH it carefully.  Let it start to melt, and then shake the pan from time to time until it is all melted and just golden brown. (It will get brown on the edges first, which is why you need to shake it, to try to get a uniform color.) This should take about 5 minutes if that. When it gets to be all golden brown, quickly take off the heat and immediately pour into the bowl, and then swirl the bowl around until it coats the bottom and about halfway up the sides.  This is super hot! so do not swirl with carefree abandon - and do use the gloves or oven mitts.  

Flan (this is a piece of cake - well, piece of custard)  If you really want to make people happy, also have ready some sweetened whipped cream; if you want them delirious, some dulce de leche.

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can's worth whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk this together until well blended, and pour into the now caramel-coated steel bowl.  Put about an inch of water in the bottom of the pressure cooker, and place the bowl inside.  Put the top on, turn on the burner and when the button pops up, cook at medium pressure for exactly 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let it cool another 15 minutes without opening it.  Then open it up and take out the bowl.  When it cools completely, put it in the refrigerator.  

To serve, put a plate with a little ridge on it (like a pie plate) over the top and turn upside down - it should plop out as a cute little half-sphere with a nice coating of caramel.  There will still be some delicious caramel sauce on the inside of the bowl, and since that is really the best part, you'll want to scrape as much of it as you can around the flan.  Pass around the whipped cream and optimally the dulce de leche too.  Now you are transported to Buenos Aires.


Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies  (OK, basically a Whole Foods recipe but here I'm telling you about it with a few changes).  These are much better than the peanut butter cookies you make with butter and flour - cleaner tasting and a chewier texture.

• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cp. unsweetened peanut butter (I use Trader Joe's, creamy or crunchy is fine.  If it doesn't have salt, then you'll need to add some.)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cp. chocolate chips
• another 1/4 cp. sugar in a bowl

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  With an electric mixer, beat together the egg, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, and peanut butter until well blended.  Mix in the chocolate chips.  Roll into 1" balls and dip into the sugar, then put on the parchment paper and flatten slightly - about 2 " apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes until they start to crack and look done.  Cool on a rack.