Flan

C – I love sweets.

I guess I have been known as a dessert expert for a while now. So, when a few of my friends had a Mexican potluck a while ago, they asked me to bring dessert. I was really happy and excited that they asked me. Sadly, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I made flan.

My flan wasn’t quite cooked in the center and ended up a super soupy sweet mess.

I didn’t dare flip it over and wasn’t going to recook it. It had already completely cooled and would have turned into a burnt mess. I wasn’t too happy about it. But since everyone heard that my dessert was coming, they all had to try it. It was all gone after one serving. No one mentioned how good or bad it tasted, which means it was bad.

I was really scared that this one will turn out the same. But, there are a few things different with this recipe.

Use smaller bowls. The last time I used a really big ramekin and cooked it for 90 minutes, without it being fully cooked. Having the correct tools is a must.
Use a water bath so the custard doesn’t break. I think last time I didn’t place it in a water bath and the custard broke.
Use condensed milk instead of sugar for the custard. It gives you good control of the sweetness and has lots of creaminess.
Make sure to feel the center of the flan. It should be slightly jiggly before taking it out of the oven. This will tell you if it has fully cooked or not. It will be a bit firm to the touch.
Use vanilla bean instead of extract. Vanilla bean always has more flavor than the extract, even if it’s expensive extract.

I think this recipe will make a great custard. There are a lot of eggs, with a balance of cream and sugar. It’s an easy recipe. The only hard part was making the caramel topping. Everything else went into a blender. I just added the mixture to small ramekins and baked.

The flan set up really nicely. I loved how easily the flan came out of the cups, too. I loved the taste. It wasn’t too sweet, even with the caramel on top. It tasted perfect. The custard was creamy and silky. You knew you were eating something rich, because it was also dense. I think adding a little bit of cream cheese made it dense. I loved the vanilla beans in it. It really made the flavors of the cream and the eggs shine through. This was hands down the best custard I have ever made. It also might be the best I have ever eaten, too.

Flan

Recipe type: Desserts

Author: Christina

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 9 ramekins

Ingredients

½ Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
14 ounce can condensed milk
12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 vanilla bean, seeds only
1 ounce cream cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Coat inside of nine 3-inch ramekins in butter. Set aside.
Fill a casserole dish one-quarter full with water. Place in oven and bring to a simmer.
In a small heavy bottom sauce pan, place sugar and let caramelize on medium to low heat. Do not stir. Just swirl when needed. About 5 minutes.
Place caramel into ramekins, making sure to completely coat the bottom of each cup. NOTE: It cools quickly, so don’t hesitate.
In a blender add eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla bean seeds and cream cheese. Blend until smooth.
Pour egg mixture into each ramekin.
Remove water bath from oven and place ramekins in water bath.
Place in oven and cook for 40 minutes, or until custard is set and center is slightly jiggly.
Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Cover in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Once ready to serve, glide a knife along the edge of each ramekin. Place a plate over the top of the ramekin. Turn the ramekin and the plate over together. Flan should release from the ramekin easily with a few shakes.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

I am on a health kick, but this flan got the best of me. I wanted just one bite and save the rest of the piece for Jim. I set it on a plate to leave the rest for him. But, every few minutes I kept coming back for another spoonful. After I returned five times, I knew I just had to finish it.