Since it's best served well chilled, flan is a great make ahead dessert. Try it for your next dinner party.
The keys to a perfect flan include baking it in a water bath so it cooks gently and taking your time with the caramel, allowing the sugar to melt and turn rich and dark with deep caramel flavor.
You can make flan in individual custard cups if you want, but I think it's easier to bake it in a 9-inch round Pyrex pie plate.
**************************************
Flan Recipe
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a large roasting pan in the oven. It needs to be large enough to hold a 9-inch round baking dish. Have a 9-inch round glass baking dish out and ready to use. (I use my Pyrex pie plate.)
First make the caramel. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar and water. Cook, swirling the pan from time to time, until the color is dark brown and smells like caramel. This will take about 15 minutes. To prevent your caramel from getting grainy, the key is to wash down any granules that accumulate along the sides of the pan with a pasty brush dipped in cold water.
Carefully pour the hot syrup into the 9 inch round glass baking dish, turning the dish to evenly coat the bottom and sides with the caramel. Set aside.
While the caramel is cooking, prepare the custard. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla until smooth. This can also be done in a blender, if you prefer.
Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish. Place the baking dish inside the roaster and then fill the roaster with hot water until it is halfway up the side of the glass flan pan. Be careful not to splash water into the flan.
Bake in preheated oven until the center just feels firm when pressed with a finger, about 60 minutes. Remove the flan, still inside the roasting pan from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Remove from the water bath, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least four hours.
To serve, carefully run a knife along the edge of the pan. Invert on serving plate and lift the pan from the flan. Cut into wedges.
Yield: Makes 8 servings of flan
Coconut Flan Recipe Variation
Add 1 cup toasted unsweetened shredded coconut into the custard mixture before baking.
***************************************
You may need:
A Pyrex Pie Plate
OR
Pyrex Custard Cups
for making your flan