Welcome to episode 2 of Spanish desserts I grew up eating, today we are making flan! A super soft and smooth set custard baked in the oven and topped with runny toasted sugar, the perfect summer dessert.

What’s flan?

Flan is the Spanish equivalent of a creme caramel, it’s a set custard baked bain marie in the oven and topped with delicious liquid caramel. It’s really easy to make and it only requires eggs, custard, milk, sugar and water.

I have been doing a bit of digging around the origin of flan, and for what I can find, the greeks and romans had an equivalent, it then became very popular during the middle ages, particularly around Easter when lots of foods were not allowed; this is the the recipe started including caramel.

So, what is it made of?

Flan is really easy to make, and like many traditional recipes, it uses very simple ingredients. I have to be honest, usually when I make Spanish recipes I will reach out to a family member and get the recipe, however, this time around I had to develop the recipe as flan was always something that I either had at a restaurant, or we would buy from the supermarket. Anyway, after 3 attempts I managed to get the recipe right and I have to say, it tastes just like the one growing up. All you’ll need is:

• Sugar
• Water
• Milk
• Eggs
• Condensed milk
• Vanilla extract

Flan

Ingredients:

For the caramel:

• 150 gr of granulated sugar
• 75 ml of room temperature water

For the flan:

• 1 can of condensed milk (397 gr)
• 750 ml of whole milk
• 3 full large eggs and 6 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp of vanilla extract

Method:

1. First prepare the caramel. In a pot, cook the sugar over medium heat until it complete melts, this should take around 10 minutes. Make sure you stir regularly and that all the sugar is melted and there are no solid pieces left. While the sugar is cooking, boil the water in a separate pot, once the sugar has melted, pour the water over it and whisk vigorously. It is important that the water is very hot when you pour it over the melted sugar, otherwise it will solidify due to the change in temperature.
2. Pour the caramel over a 8 inch round deep cake tin making sure it reaches the edges and covers the bottom completely. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes and then place in the fridge until ready to use.
3. After the caramel is placed in the fridge, preheat the oven at 180 degrees celsius.
4. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and condensed milk until fully mixed. Then, add in the milk and vanilla extract and whisk again.
5. Pour the egg mix over the caramel. Use a spoon or spatula to pour the mix over, so it doesn’t hit the caramel directly, this will help not break the caramel coating (see picture above for visual explanation).
6. Cover the flan with tin foil tightly and place in a large oven tray. Once in the oven, add enough water to cover about 1 inch of the baking tin and cook for 85 to 90 minutes. It should be slightly jiggly in the middle but set on the sides.
7. Take it out of the oven and allow it to come to room temperature and then store in the fridge for at least 4 hours so it completely sets.
8. When ready to serve, help yourself with a knife to release the flan from the edges of the tin and invert into a large plate being careful that the caramel doesn’t spill. Enjoy on it’s on or with whipped cream or ice cream!