Spanish Flan
If there is one dessert that takes me back to my mum’s kitchen it is a ‘Spanish flan’. A super humble sweet made with just egg, milk and sugar, the origin of this recipe can be traced all the way back to the Roman Empire where it was then a savoury meal called ‘tyropatina’. However, it was in Spain in the Middle Ages, that it developed into the tasty dessert now known worldwide. It is so popular that you’ll find versions of it in countries like Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Portugal, etc... In English, it is known as Crème caramel, although interestingly we use the French term ‘crème’, which means custard.
Whatever name you use and regardless of what ingredients you add or remove, I believe it is one of the easiest and most economical desserts you can surprise your family with. I remember as a kid being fascinated by the wobbly texture of it — and I always ended up licking the plate clean in order to consume every single piece of it.
But before you get cooking, there are a few technical steps we must talk about. First, and most important, is how do we make caramel? It is as simple as heating sugar and a few tablespoons of water in a saucepan ( although some people add a few drops of lemon juice to help with the consistency). However, there are a few important tips to getting it right.
One, do not stir it. Two, swirl the pan occasionally to ensure it caramelises evenly, and once golden, take it off the heat straight away and pour it into the moulds (remember that caramel goes from light brown to amber, then dark amber and then burnt!). Finally, please be very careful! You don’t want to burn yourself with caramel, trust me! I learnt my lesson the hard way as an apprentice.
The flans are going to be cooked in the oven but in a deep tray with water surrounding the moulds. This technique is called ‘Bain Marie’ and it is a great way to protect the dessert from the hot temperature, ensuring it will cook gently and achieve that deliciously creamy and wobbly texture we love so much. The best advice I can give one preparing the flans for cooking is to put a piece of cleaning cloth at the bottom of the tray, place the ramekins full of the flan mixture on top (you can cover them individually with foil) and then once they are in the oven, pour in hot water until it covers three-quarters of the way up the sides of your flan containers or ramekins. The whole idea here is to avoid getting any water in the dessert! Trust me, I’ve seen many chefs making that mistake before.
Finally, let’s talk about how to remove it from the mould and serve it. Once the flans have been cooked, allow them to completely cool down and chill in the fridge. Then, using a paring knife or similar small knife, warm the blade in hot water and run it all around the edge of your mould. Now flip it over onto a plate and watch as the caramel oozes down the sides of the flan. For extra yumminess, serve it with a little bit of whisked cream or a good scoop of vanilla ice cream (a quenelle of ice cream if you want to be fancy).
Ingredients
For the light caramel (golden colour):
100 g sugar
3 tablespoons of water
For the flan:
500 ml Milk
5 Eggs, whole
100 g sugar
½ lemon peel
Caramel
Method:
1. Preheat oven at 160 degrees.
2. Infuse the milk with sugar and lemon, cool it down and strain well.
3. Make the caramel in a saucepan until it is a light and golden colour.
4. Pour the caramel into the moulds.
5. Whisk the eggs really well, in a bowl
6. Little by little, add the milk to the eggs while whisking.
7. Pour this mixture into the moulds or ramekins and cover them with foil individually.
8. Place the tray in the oven, and with the door open add the warm water to the tray until covering three-quarters of the moulds.
9. Cook for 40 minutes in the ‘Bain Marie’.
10. After this time, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool before putting them in the fridge. When you are ready to serve, remove from the mould using a small knife and serve straight away.
(Optional: Serve them with a bit of whisked cream or our local Spilt Milk vanilla cream).
Enjoy!
Ruben Lopez Mesa
A table of 10
P: 0424 605 158
E: atableof10@gmail.com