Tiny Food: Traditional Venezuelan Quesillo
I’m not a big sweet palette kinda-girl, but when I hear quesillo, I’m the FIRST one in line to get a piece.
Today, we’ll make my grandma’s quesillo recipe, a classic, traditional Venezuelan dessert that is a mix between a flan and a creme brulee, but trust me, even better.
Quesillos are a simple version without the hard brulee crust that doesn’t require any special tools (like a torch) to make, just a blender.
This recipe is super simple to put together (you only need 5 ingredients) achieving a lusciously creamy custard filling made with a milk and egg base, topped with homemade caramel that you’ll learn how to make, high-five!
Let’s talk about caramel!
My grandma’s Venezuelan quesillo recipe has the easiest directions for making your very own homemade caramel. No thermometers, no special fancy tools, just tons of patience, ok?
Before you do anything, this is the first rule: never leave your caramel process alone, say bye to netflix, texts, video calls, or anything that will distract your attention out from your caramel, this is a serious tip.
Grab a pan and add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of water and slowly melt evenly in low heat. In about 15 to 20 minutes you’ll see the caramel turning dark brown, the trick is to shake it every 5 minutes while you cook it.
After an hour and a half, here’s your Quesillo prettiness!
One grandma tip: leave your quesillo on your countertop without the lid on for about one hour right after you take it out from the oven and then, chill it in the fridge for one additional hour before you flip and serve in a plate.
Venezuelan Quesillo
Ingredients
For the quesillo
- 1 can condensed milk
- 1 cup milk
- 5 eggs
- 1 tbsp rhum
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
For the caramel
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Caramel
- Pour the sugar and water into a pot and melt over medium/low heat. Shake the pan occasionally melting the sugar evenly. In about 20 minutes your sugar will become a thick, brown caramel, set it on the side and let it cool.
Quesillo
- Set your oven to 350 degrees
- Bring into a blender all the ingredients: eggs, condensed milk, milk, vanilla and rhum and blend until velvety smooth.
- Pour your mix to the caramel pot and let it set
- Grab a big baking dish and fill it with water. Grab your caramel pot and cover it with a lid, put it inside your baking dish filled with water and bake it for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Using a knife, loose the edges of your quesillo and let it cool one hour without the lid and one hour in the fridge.
- Grab a platter and to serve the quesillo just carefully flip it onto your serving dish allowing the caramel to drizzle over the top.
- Enjoy!
