Flan – Easy 5 Ingredient Dessert

Flan has other names such as Crème Caramel and Custard. This flan recipe is a version of Spanish flan or cream caramel. This is a grilled custard with a simple caramel top. This classic dessert only has 5 ingredients and is extremely easy to make. I originally posted this many years ago and updated it to make it even simpler and easier.

Fran always reminds me of my late grandmother, Corina. She was from Venezuela. My grandmother wasn’t passionate about cooking, but she had some dishes that she had made us many times for her grandchildren. Fran was one of them. I have always had sweet teeth so my memories of her Fran have a lot of staying power. 🙂

material

• Granular white sugar
• egg
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Evaporated milk
• Vanilla bean

How to make flan

In a small pot, heat the sugar over medium heat until it melts into a light brown and turns. It should smell like caramel. Remove from the heat, pour the liquid onto the ramekin and distribute evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the egg yolk, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla bean seeds. Mix until the ingredients are combined well. Pour it on a ramekin.

Bake in a water bath at 350°F for 45 minutes. They still have a small jiggle even after baking. Allow to cool completely and then refrigerate for at least an hour. I like to make the flan the day before I plan to serve it so it can be refrigerated overnight.

Run a thin knife to the edge of the flan between the custard and the ramekin dish. Next, place a small plate on the ramekin and turn it over. The flan should be easily removed from the ramekin. Do not give some light taps to loosen the bottom. Some of the caramel pours the sides, this is normal and will be added to the presentation.

Tips and notes

• In this recipe, evaporated milk can be used in place of whole milk.
• I use six egg yolks because I love the richness and colour that brings to this recipe. It is said that three eggs can be used instead (white and egg yolk). However, using all egg yolks will save the white and make meringue, white bites on eggs, or omelettes.
• Vanilla bean It can replace 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. But I love using vanilla bean in this recipe. It loves to add a beautifully spotted look and flavor to the flan. Spanish franc is very simple and has very few ingredients, so using high quality vanilla beans is expensive.
• Tips for baking in a water bath. Place the ramekin in a casserole or roasting pan. I don’t plan to bake it. Then fill it with caramel and custard dough. Heat the water in a gooseneck kettle (200°F or around this), then place the baking pan in the oven, then carefully fill it with hot water. Once baking is done, removing the bread from the oven is the most difficult part. Be careful not to spill hot water.
• Instead of six ramekins, you can bake this in one 9-inch glass shaved pan for one large flan, not individual flan. Increase the baking time by 5-8 minutes.

More Latin America and Tex Mex Recipes

Fran can be provided by itself, but no styling is required. However, in the above photo I saved the used vanilla beans and styled it with some francs. Another option that you’ll find so much fun is to create a crunchy sugar top that you’ll place on top of the flan before serving. The crispy sugar is a fun juxtaposition with silky smooth custard.

Sugar Top Ingredients

• Granular white sugar
• Light corn syrup
• water

How to make spinning sugar

First, prepare the work surface. Place some small bowls on the cutting board. Lightly oil them. Also, make sure the work surface is covered with plastic wrap or wax paper in case some of the sugar gets off the cutting board.

In a small pot, stir together the sugar, corn syrup and water over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Raise the heat and use a candy thermometer to check the sugar temperature. Once it reaches 300°F, remove it from the top of the stove. Cool the mixture to about 280°F.

Soak the fork in the mixture. Pull up the sugar onto the bowl with oil and swing it around like a cane. This gives you time to cool some as the sugar stretches and falls towards the bowl. I like to wear oven MIT while doing this. Always be careful when using really hot sugar. Once it’s cool, lightly greas your clean hands and gently move the sugar spun from the bowl. Lightly press to form a small nest. Place it on an inverted flan.