Ever fall hopelessly head over heels in love with flan?  The type of love where you have tunnel vision, and all your surroundings just fade to black because all you could think about is your flan?  I had it bad, I was MAD…. as in madly smitten with the sweet and salty cajeta drenched chocolate flan that I had to do something grandiose as a gesture of my amor.  I made this video so lovers around the world could unite and  find themselves in the arms of a delicious flan!  HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

Ingredients for Salted Cajeta Chocolate Flan:

• Non- stick baking spray
• 1/2 – cup cajeta
• 1 – 7.6 ounce Nestle’s Media Crema
• 12 – ounce semisweet chocolate chips
• 5 – large eggs
• 4 – ounces of cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1 – 14 ounce can of  Nestle’s La Lechera Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1 – 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
• 1 – tablespoon vanilla
• sea salt to taste

Directions:

1. Spray a 12 cup budnt pan with non stick spray.
2. Pour cajeta evenly into bundt pan. Set to the side.
3. In a medium sauce pan over a medium flame add Media Crema and chocolate chips and stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
4. Add eggs, cream cheese, La Lechera, evaporated milk, and vanilla to a blender. Blend till smooth.  Then add in the chocolate mixture and blend till combined.
5.  Pour flan mixture over the cajeta filled bundt pan.
6. Cover the bundt pan with a piece of aluminum foil and place inside a large pyrex baking dish.  Pour hot water into the pyrex baking dish to fill up half way.
7. Then place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 1 hour.
8. Once out of the oven, remove from water bath and uncover to allow cooling.  Run a small knife around the edge to ensure it from sticking.
9. Let the flan rest for two hours then flip it over onto a plate.  Slowly lift pan up away from plate.
10. Place in the fridge for 5 hours or overnight.
11. Sprinkle top with sea salt right before serving.
12. ENJOY!

Thank you with my entire heart and gratitude to my most awesome crew! I sincerely love you guys big.

Directors:  Mando Lopez and James Ford

Director of Photography:  Tony Molina

Producer:  Lacey Reilly

 Editor:  James Ford

Set Design:  Mando Lopez

On-set morale booster: Kristen Warren

Sound:  Adriana Sanchez

Equipment: Paul Hopkins

Opening Music: Anger Bros

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nestle, the recipe and opinions are completely my own. 

In my world making Cafe de Olla is a serious process.  If you’re having family and friends over and want to clean up the house, make food, dress up to look nice, decorate your entertaining space, select good music and make your guests feel comfortable…. making cafe de olla is one more daunting task.  I’m tired just thinking about it.  As you all may or may not know, Cafe de Olla is the finishing touch especially when honoring Dia de Los Muertos / Day of the Dead (Nov.2nd).  Nestle just took one less worry off our hands with their new instant Cafe de Olla.

I was invited to the Nestle Headquarters a few weeks ago to speak with experts on papel picado, Dia de Los Muertos history and to learn to paint the perfect calaca face. I have taken part in Dia de Los Muertos year after year and celebrate it at home and make it a point to visit the annual Hollywood Forever Cemetery fiesta.  Click here to see my photo diary from last year’s Dia de Los Muertos celebration.

Above photo of face painting courtesy of PearMama, opening photo by Nicole Presley

Thank you Nestle for inviting me to this fun event.

As a rule of thumb, I surround myself with nice people. I like it better when these nice people become friends and love to eat and cook, just like me.  Sunday night my man and I headed out to an evening of eating a tasting menu inspired by Nestle hosted by Latino Foodie blog. Pamela of LatinaWineBlogger provided pairing wines…. Oh what a wonderful evening we had…..

Here is a look at the menu:

First Flight– Beef Sliders seasoned with Maggi seasoning with caramelized onions, stuffed with bleu cheese & bacon, dressed in a creamy jalapeno cilantro sauce. Served with garlic hasselback potatoes. Wine pairing: 2009 Aspaldi Rioja Cosecha. Rioja, Spain

Second Flight– Three cheese baked peruvian tallarin verde made with Carnation evaporated milk and Nestle’s Media crema. Wine Pairing: 2010 Pisano Torrontes Rio de Los Pajaros. Progreso, Uruguay

Third Flight– Sinfully spicy and nutty Abuelita Chocolate Chicken Mole Taco.         Wine Pairing: 2008 Flichman Malbec Tupungato. Mendoza, Argentina

Fourth Flight– Chile Verde seasoned with Maggi seasoning and stuffed into a pasilla pepper covered in a sweet cream (La Lechera) of corn sauce. Wine Pairing: 2o1o Chateau Los Boldos Chardonnay Cuvee Tradition. Rapel Valley, Chile

Fifth Flight– Red Hot Velvet Cake. Wine Pairing: Sant Orsola Brachetto d Acqui, Italy

All photos taken by: Mando Lopez

And many chocolate snacks…. sooooo yummy. If your mind is racing wondering how you are going to get your hands around some RED HOT VELVET CAKE…. Just click HERE and it will take you straight to Latino Foodie recipe.

A few pictures from the evening:

From L to R: Stephen Chavez and Art Rodriguez of LatinoFoodie.  Javier Cabral of The Glutster. Nicole Presley of Presley’s Pantry. Norma Vega. Pamela of Latina Wine Blogger.

Disclosure: No compensation was received for this post. I am simply blogging this event to celebrate Latino Foodie and their inspired Nestle tasting menu! CHEERS!