Flan

How To Make Authentic Flan

Servings: 8 (6oz ramekins) | Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 40 mins

How to make rich and creamy flan complete with its own caramel sauce. A dessert popular all over the world, flan is enjoyed from Spain to Latin America to Vietnam to the Philippines and beyond. Here, we share our authentic flan recipe made with 3 types of milk: Sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and regular whole milk. We found the perfect proportion of eggs and yolks to set this baked custard so its texture is soft and silky, still jiggly and not overly firm. No thickening agent is used. We make the caramel directly in individual ramekins with an easy, no-mess approach you'll love not having to clean up after. It's a fantastic flan recipe rich in taste, silky in texture, and elegant in presentation. A wonderful dessert to make ahead of time, ready to go when you are. Garnish with fresh mint, raspberries, strawberries, or simply invert onto a pretty dessert plate.

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
• 1 can evaporated whole milk (12 fl oz)
• Whole milk, fill empty 14 oz can above
• 3 whole eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• 12 tsp regular granulated white sugar
• Boiling water, ready to use

Preheat oven to 400° F. Ready 8 (6oz) ramekins. To make the caramel, we are going to melt a layer of sugar into the bottom of each ramekin, pre-caramelizing it. Line each ramekin evenly with 2 tsp of sugar. Arrange ramekins evenly on a removable wire rack or baking pan, giving some space between each other.
Meanwhile, boil some water. Keep on low heat and ready to use.
When oven temperature reaches 400° F, place the wire rack with sugar-lined ramekins centrally on the lowest oven rack. Keep a close eye on the sugar and do not go anywhere. (This process is better done with a see-through oven door with oven light turned on so you don't have heat escaping.) When you've got a nice golden brown color, remove the entire wire rack with ramekins from the oven. Once they turn a golden brown color, they can burn very quickly thereafter. (If your oven has uneven heat distribution, you can remove just the ones which look ready and give the others more time.) Your new caramel glaze will start to harden and crackle as they cool. That's expected, but not to worry, the hardened caramel will liquify again once you bake your flan. Turn oven temperature down to 325° F.

To make the flan, whisk the three kinds of milk and salt together. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a separate bowl. Then combine the milk and egg mixtures and mix well. Strain the mixture through a sieve to eliminate clumps. Divide mixture evenly into the individual caramel-lined ramekins.
Evenly distribute ramekins into a baking pan leaving space around each one. Fill baking pan with boiling water to halfway up the ramekins. Bake in this water bath on the lower middle oven rack for 40-45 minutes until set but still jiggly in the center.
Remove flan and cool for 30 minutes. Individually cover each ramekin with plastic wrap making sure it's air-tight. Chill for 8 hours or overnight.
When you're ready to serve flan, uncover the plastic wrap and loosen the sides of the ramekins by running a paring knife around the edges. Invert flan on a pretty dessert plate, letting all the caramel sauce drip out. Serve and enjoy!