Happy Cinco de Mayo! Flan #Recipe

I hope you are having a wonderful Saturday! I always enjoy a reason to celebrate and I wanted to top off our Cinco de Mayo with the perfect dessert. In my opinion that is a flan.

Creamy custard baked with it's own caramel sauce... does it get much better?

A lucky coincidence had me planning this soft and delicious treat for after my husband had some dental work done. He can't open his jaw very wide, but wouldn't pass up his flan for the world.

I remember how exciting it was to order flan at our favorite Mexican restaurant. My parents didn't let me do it often, it was a real treat. Theirs was served in a margarita glass and topped with a huge doll-up of whipped cream. I didn't care about the cream. I would scrape it off to the side to reveal the golden custard underneath.

Making flan is simpler than you might imagine. Grab your ramekins or small glass pyrex bowls, and put them in a large roasting pan. I like the roasting pan because the edges come up higher. a tea towel placed underneath the ramekins will keep them from slipping as you take them out of the oven. Heat up some water to fill the pan with and get started making the glorious caramel...

Working with melted sugar used to intimidate me, but it is actually pretty simple. Make sure you have a good,  heavy-bottomed pan, heat-proof spatula and keep an eye on everything. Hardened sugar will come off with a good soak in the sink.

The main skill necessary is patience. The sugar will melt and caramelize... but don't try to rush it.

Work quickly to transfer the caramel sauce to the ramekins. It cools quickly.

Be it homemade puddings, custards, creme brulee or flan, they are all easy to make but a great fresh egg will go a long way to making the usual treat even better. I have so many other egg delights to share with you over the next few weeks.

Okay, so ready to make some for your Cinco de Mayo festivities?

Go ahead and grab a spoon...

Flan

You Will Need:
½ c. water
1⅔ c. granulated sugar
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. milk
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch salt


Prepare 6 ramekins in a roasting pan.


Make caramel sauce - Pour 1/2 c. water into a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup of sugar to the center of the pan. Gently stir to dissolve but take care not to push any sugar up the sides of the pan. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once it begins to turn golden, lower the heat to medium low and continue to stir. Cook until the sugar comes to a deep amber color.


Remove from heat and divide the sauce equally into your ramekins. Set aside and let cool slightly.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle position.


Make the custard - Add the heavy cream and milk to a saucepan and heat until steaming, over medium heat.


Whisk together the eggs, remaining sugar, vanilla and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk in the heated milk quickly. Pass through a fine strainer to remove any cooked egg. 


Divide the egg mixture equally between the ramekins. Pour enough boiling water into the broiler pan to reach halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until a knife come out clean. Cool custards slightly and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 


To serve, slide a knife around the edges of the custard and invert onto a plate. Enjoy!