Cheesecake flan a perennial fan favorite

Several years ago, you published a recipe for an easy flan. It was made with cream cheese and evaporated and condensed milk. It was delicious, but I since have lost the recipe and would dearly love to have it again.

- Genny B., Athens

This is one of my favorite desserts - creamy, luscious, easy to make and light enough to serve after a big meal.

It has been a perennial favorite with Cook's Corner readers, too, since it won a Miami Herald dessert contest in 1987.

The creator was Irela Messer, who loved cheesecake and wanted to combine that taste with a simple flan from her native Cuba.

CHEESECAKE FLAN

For caramel:

Vegetable oil spray

3/4 cup sugar

For flan:

1 (14-ounce) can condensed milk

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

5 eggs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 ounces cream cheese, cut into small pieces

Coat a 6-cup mold with vegetable oil. In a small, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook the sugar with 1/4 cup water (just enough to make the sugar cook smooth), stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is syrupy and light brown. Do not overcook; the color will change rapidly near the end of cooking. Pour the syrup immediately into the mold and tilt to coat the sides.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place the canned milks, eggs, salt, vanilla and cream cheese in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into cool mold. Place mold in larger pan, and pour enough hot water into larger pan to come half-way up the sides of the mold. Bake 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate until chilled. Makes 12 servings.

Per serving: 330 calories (40 percent from fat), 14.9 g fat (8.7 g saturated, 4.5 g monounsaturated), 133.2 mg cholesterol, 9.7 g protein, 40.7 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 199.3 mg sodium.

When Mary Gilchrist asked for a recipe for cottage cheese bread that was "moist and had a wonderful flavor," I provided one I'd always liked.

But then a reader named Kathy sent the recipe here for a honey wheat bread with cottage cheese that is truly delicious - a recipe you'll make again and again.

"It was given to me a few years ago by a good friend who received it from her mother-in-law," Kathy wrote. "It's real easy to make and is a favorite in our house."

HONEY WHEAT BREAD

1 cup cream-style cottage cheese

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons salt

2 envelopes dry yeast

Heat 1 1/2 cups water, cottage cheese, honey and butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, until very warm (120 to 130 degrees).

In a large bowl, combine saucepan mixture, 2 cups of the flour, the whole wheat flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir in enough of the remaining flour by hand (or use dough hook on heavy-duty mixer) to make a stiff dough. Knead 2 minutes. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise until double, 45 to 60 minutes.

Grease two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans. Punch down dough, divide and shape into 2 loaves. Place in greased pans, cover and let rise in a warm place until double in size, 45 to 60 minutes. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake bread 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden b

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