Flan

After tasting flan at a local restaurant in Bellevue, I was hungry for more. Flan is similar to creme brûlée, a creamy egg-based custard on the bottom and some form of caramelized sugar on top. While creme brûlée has a layer of crunchy sugar that is crystallized with either a blow torch or in the oven, flan is coated with more of a runny caramel sauce. My first time making this involved a lot of beginner's luck (heh), but when I made it the second time my caramel crystallized twice until I could get it to brown. 

This impressive but fairly simple dessert will be pleasing crowds from guests to grandpas! (true story. We ate one whole flan in an hour, meted between 7 people.) 

INGREDIENTS

Original recipe credit to 12tomatoes.com

-1/2 cup sugar

-2 tbsp water + about 8 cups (+) (separated) 

-2 large eggs

-3 large egg yolks

-2 tsp vanilla extract (Yes, use both teaspoons)

-1 can sweetened condensed milk

-1 1/2 cups milk (1%-2%) 

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

-small saucepan

-large pot

-9 inch cake pan

-large baking dish (not a cookie sheet- but large enough to hold cake pan)

- medium bowl + whisk (or stand mixer)

DIRECTIONS (makes one flan, serves 1-?)

Set up

1. Place cake pan in large baking dish.

Caramel*

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan, swirling gently until sugar is dissolved (about 3 minutes).

2. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 7-10 minutes until the mixture is a deep mahogany, swirling again every few minutes. 

3. Remove from heat and pour in cake pan. Use gravity and let it spread evenly to all sides of the pan. It will slightly harden, which is what you want. (Even if it's stuck to the bottom, it will melt back into a sauce while cooking.) 

Flan

1. Bring large pot of water (8 cups or more) to a boil. Meanwhile...

2. Whisk eggs and yolks together in medium bowl for about a minute, until one consistency and color. 

3. Mix in vanilla, condensed milk, and milk, again, until one consistency and color. 

4. Pour flan mixture into cake pan, then transfer to the oven. 

5. Pour boiling water using a measuring cup with a spout, then into the baking dish, until water comes up half way the cake pan.*

6. CAREFULLY slide into oven, there is a lot of liquid! Bake for 40 minutes at 350℉.

7. Flan is done when it softly jiggles if you give it a little shake. If liquid is sloshy, it isn't set yet. (It will set a little more during cooling.)

8. Let cool for two hours (or until room temperature) on a baking rack. Then, cool until chilled in fridge. 

9. To serve, gently flip onto a platter that is wide enough* to hold the flan + the sauce that will drip out.

*TIPS*

Making caramel- Not stirring the caramel will help it not crystallize. If there is a little crystallization, wait and see because the mixture can still caramelize. However, if all the sugar turns solid, throw it out and try again. I've also found the sugar won't begin darkening until later in the cooking time.

Why the water?- Water can only reach 100℃ (212 Farenheit), so baking the flan in water will help keep its temperature, and so the eggs don't scramble. 

Size of serving platter- Should be deep enough so the caramel won't drip off. Also, make sure it is large enough to hold the flan itself. If the dish is too small of just right, you won't be able to move the flan once it's flipped onto the dish so it could end up breaking off. There's nothing sadder than a broken flan!

Scrumptiously,

Tiny Mangoes 💕