Flan…for an 8 inch Pan

Desserts, Italian, Latin American

 

Flan...for an 8 inch Pan
This classic dessert is surprisingly simple to make. While it may look like many steps, it's mostly to make sure your caramel is perfect. And you'll love this dessert!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: European, Italian, Latin American
Keyword: Baking, Caramel, Dairy, Gluten-Free
Servings: 16
Calories: 197kcal
Author: Chef Bill Collins

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 5 large eggs
  • 14 oz sweetened condensed milk (1 can)
  • 1½ cup whole milk
  • 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
  • â…› teaspoon salt (a pinch)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°. Set aside an ungreased 8 inch round pan (or a specific pan for making a flan), and a roasting pan big enough to hold the 8 inch pan. You can also use individual ramekins (see note below) instead of a 8 inch pan
  • To Make the Caramel
  • In a small heavy saucepan over a medium/high heat, add in the sugar and water. Do not stir it while it cooks. You may gently swirl the pan around to mix the dissolving sugar and water, but don’t stir it (see note below). At first, the sugar will look moist. Bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook it, with occasional gentle swirling, until the mixture begins to turn golden
  • Continue to cook until sugar is a golden brown, like the color of honey. Don’t allow it to get too dark as sugar can quickly burn. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as the color is golden brown, and/or the temperature is achieved. The total cooking time may take between 15 and 20 minutes
  • Carefully pour the caramel into the pan, and gently swirl the pan so the caramel coats the bottom evenly. This should be done quickly, before the caramel has a chance to harden. If the caramel hardens before y the bottom of the pan is coated, warm up the pan in a hot water bath
  • Set this aside and allow the caramel to cool and harden, approximately 8-10 minutes
  • To Make the Custard
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs. Add in the sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, vanilla extract, and salt. Don’t whisk too vigorously, as you want to prevent too many air bubbles from forming. These can cause excess browning while the flan bakes
  • Pour the custard into the caramel coated pan and cover it with aluminum foil or the lid if using a flan pan. Place the custard/caramel pan into the larger baking pan. Pour enough hot water (from the kitchen sink is fine, it doesn’t have to be boiling) to reach about halfway up the flan pan 
  • To Bake
  • Carefully place the baking dish in the oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The flan will be set but jiggly, to the touch
  • Remove the baking pan from the oven. Using a kitchen towel, oven mitts, or thick rubber gloves, carefully lift the flan pan from the hot water. Remove the aluminum foil or lid. On a cooling rack, let it cool to room temperature. At this point the flan will be a bit jiggly but will continue to set when it chills
  • After the flan has cooled, cover the pan and refrigerate it for 4 hours, or overnight
  • To Unmold
  • Carefully slide a paring knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the flan. Invert a serving platter on top of the pan, and turn the pan and platter over. Tap the bottom of the pan to help release the flan, and carefully lift the pan off the flan. It is fine, and desirable, for there to be liquid caramel at the base of the flan on the platter
  • Serve with fresh berries, or simply on its own

Notes

NOTES
  • If you use ramekins, reduce your cooking time to approximately 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your ramekins
  • When caramelizing sugar, you want to gently swirl the pan to mix the sugar, and not stir it with a spoon or anything else. Stirring it risks getting bits of sugar stuck to the side of the pan. This can cause the mixture to seize, and be ruined. Gently swirling avoids the splashing on the inside of the pan
Nutrition Facts
Flan...for an 8 inch Pan
Serving Size
 
16 g
Amount per Serving
Calories
197
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
6
g
9
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
 
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
0.5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
2
g
Cholesterol
 
75
mg
25
%
Sodium
 
138
mg
6
%
Potassium
 
124
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
30
g
10
%
Sugar
 
29
g
32
%
Protein
 
6
g
12
%
Vitamin A
 
222
IU
4
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
133
mg
13
%
Iron
 
0.4
mg
2
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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