Versions of this creamy and delicious dessert are served throughout Spain and other areas in the world. This flan is cooked with a thin layer of caramel.
Flan with Caramel Sauce
Versions of this creamy and delicious dessert are served throughout Spain and other areas in the world. This flan is cooked with a thin layer of caramel.
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar (1/2 cup is used for caramel sauce)
- 4 Tbsp water
- 4 cups whole milk
- 5 whole eggs
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Begin with making your caramel sauce: In a heavy-bottomed saute pan, turn heat to medium-low and add ½ cup white granulated sugar and 4 Tbsp water.
- Put lid on your saute pan. Check contents two minutes or so, swirling contents gently. Remove lid when your caramel is starting to turn a light golden color, and continue to swirl as your caramel gets to a toasted golden light brown color.
- This should take between 8-12 minutes.
- Transfer caramel to 9x9 inch round baking tin, and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan, sprinkle with a small pinch (1/8 tsp) of salt, and set aside to cool.
- Add your 4 cups milk and ½ cup sugar and bring to 170F. Do not boil.
- In a separate bowl, whisk your eggs and egg whites with the final ½ cup of sugar and combine well. Add your ½ tsp salt and vanilla extract.
- Preheat oven to 325F. Fill a casserole dish that pits your baking tin with 1.5 inches of water and let heat up.
- Now it is time to “temper” your eggs.
- All this means is that you will slowly whisk in a small amount of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Once you have whisked in roughly 1.5 cups of the milk mixture into the eggs, you can slowly start whisking the tempered egg mixture into your hot milk mixture, stirring constantly as you incorporate the two.
- Gently pour mixture into your baking tin, on top of your caramel.
- Carefully place baking tin into your warm water in the casserole dish, taking care not to spill water as you are moving it around.
- Bake the flan for 50 minutes, or until the flan has set but the middle is slightly wobbly.
- Remove baking pan from hot water bath in the oven and allow flan to rest at room temperature for 30-40 minutes.
- When the flan has cooled, use a flexible knife to loosen the edges from the side of the baking pan.
- Carefully flip the flan by inverting onto a flat plate that is bigger than 9” in diameter. The flan will now have the caramel sauce on top.
Notes
Make sure the flan is cooled and completely detached from the sides of the baking pan before trying to flip the flan during the final stage.
Versions of this creamy and delicious dessert are served throughout Spain and other areas in the world. This flan is cooked with a thin layer of caramel.