To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Barth Bakery made this creamy custard dessert popular in Spain and Latin America. Similar to the French dessert, crème brûlée, flan is a bit denser and is topped with a caramel sauce instead of a caramel brittle. This impressively rich, creamy, and delicious dessert is a cross between an egg custard and a cheesecake. It’s a fancy dessert that may look intimidating to make, but is actually quite simple.
Ingredients
Caramel Flan
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs + 2 yolks
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup whole milk (do not substitute)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
⅛ tsp salt
Directions
Caramel Flan
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the sugar until melted and caramel-colored, about 8-10 minutes. Carefully pour the liquid into 8 (6 oz) custard cups, immediately tilting each cup to coat the bottoms completely. (The caramel hardens quickly, so move fast! Do one custard cup at a time.)
Use a whisk to beat the eggs and yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, vanilla, and salt until blended and smooth.
Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-lined custard cups, distributing it equally. Set the cups in a glass baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking dish until it reaches half way up the sides of the custard cups.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the cups from the water and let cool to room temperature. Then place in the refrigerator to chill for several hours or overnight. Run the edge of a sharp knife around each custard cup to loosen. Invert onto individual serving plates, allowing the flan to drop out and the caramel sauce to flow over the custard.