Classic Spanish Flan
Classic Spanish flan recipe. I did a semester abroad when I was in college in Spain. Every Sunday night we had paella and flan, and the flan was just like this.
Classic Spanish flan recipe. I did a semester abroad when I was in college in Spain. Every Sunday night we had paella and flan, and the flan was just like this.
- Carbohydrate 58.6940083333334 g
- Cholesterol 302.084 mg
- Fat 52.58008 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 11.187465 g
- Saturated Fat 31.927801 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (202g)
- Sodium 168.714 mg
- Sugar 58.6940083333334 g
- Trans Fat 3.030148 g
- Calories 740 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat.
- Shake and swirl occasionally to distribute sugar until it dissolved and begins to brown.
- Lift the pan over the heat source (4 to 6 inches) and continue to brown the sugar until it becomes a dark golden brown.
- You may slightly stir while cooking, but continually stirring causes the sugar to crystallize.
- Pour carmelized sugar into a 8X8 casserole dish.
- In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla.
- Blend on high for one minute.
- Pour over the carmelized sugar.
- Place the filled casserole dish into a larger pan and add 1 inch of hot water to the outer pan.
- Bake in preheated oven for 70 to 80 minutes, or until set.
Swapping heavy cream for whole milk alters the protein structure entirely, yielding a lighter custard that lacks the velvety mouthfeel expected from a traditional Spanish flan. Achieving a deep amber caramel requires dry heating white granulated sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan without excessive agitation, swirling the pan manually rather than using a utensil to prevent unwanted sugar crystal formation. When the syrup reaches a dark golden brown hue, immediately pour it into the casserole dish before it hardens past the point of fluidity. If a dedicated roasting pan is unavailable for the water bath, any larger metal or glass baking vessel that accommodates the 8x8 dish with space for one inch of surrounding hot water will suffice to regulate the ambient oven temperature.
Blending the dairy, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla extract on high speed for exactly one minute incorporates enough air to create tiny bubbles, though straining the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve afterward removes foam and guarantees a flawless glass-like cross-section upon unmolding. Whole eggs provide the necessary lecithin emulsifiers that bind the heavy cream and milk into a cohesive matrix during the long baking cycle. Processing the custard base until completely homogenous prevents pockets of separated proteins from forming while the eggs coagulate under gentle heat.
Baking at 350 degrees Fahrenheit inside a water bath shields the perimeter of the dairy proteins from overcooking while the interior slowly registers as set. Determining doneness relies on a distinct visual and physical cue: the edges should feel firm and stable while the exact center retains a slight, gelatinous wobble when the casserole dish is nudged gently. Pulling the dessert out too early results in a runny soup, whereas leaving it in past the eighty-minute mark risks curdling the eggs and introducing an unpleasant porous texture.
Allocating five total hours accounts for the crucial chilling phase, as hot custard cannot be inverted successfully without collapsing into a sweet puddle of syrup. Letting the baked flan rest at room temperature for one hour before transferring it to the refrigerator for at least three hours allows the milk fats to solidify completely. Run a thin paring knife around the inside perimeter of the dish to release the vacuum seal before flipping the dessert onto a rimmed serving platter.
