Caramel Custard
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Sugar (for caramel) — 200 g (7.1 oz)
- Eggs — 6
- Milk — 400 ml (1 2/3 cups)
- Condensed milk or extra sugar to taste — 200 ml (3/4 cup)
- Vanilla — 1 tsp
Method
- Preheat the oven to a moderate heat (around 160°C).
- Melt the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns a deep amber caramel, then pour immediately into the baking dish, tilting to coat the base.
- Whisk the eggs, milk, condensed milk (or sugar), and vanilla together until smooth.
- Pour the custard mixture over the caramel in the dish.
- Place the dish in a larger pan and add hot water to come halfway up the sides, creating a water bath.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until just set with a slight wobble in the centre.
- Cool completely, then chill before running a knife around the edge and inverting onto a plate to serve.
Introduction: A smooth, caramel-topped baked custard, a dessert brought from Spain and adopted enthusiastically across colonial Latin America.
Cultural Background: Flan traces its roots to Spanish and earlier Roman custard traditions, arriving with Spanish colonisation and becoming one of the most beloved and enduring desserts across colonial and modern Latin America alike.
Tips: Watch the caramel closely as it melts — it can go from ready to burnt very quickly.
Variations: A little orange zest in the custard is a popular regional variation.
Nutrition: Approx. 260 kcal per serving.
FAQs:
Q: Where does flan originate?
A: It descends from Roman and later Spanish custard traditions, brought to the Americas through Spanish colonisation and embraced widely thereafter.
Q: Why bake it in a water bath?
A: The gentle, even heat of a water bath prevents the custard from curdling or cooking too quickly.
- Sugar (for caramel) — 200 g (7.1 oz)
- Eggs — 6
- Milk — 400 ml (1 2/3 cups)
- Condensed milk or extra sugar to taste — 200 ml (3/4 cup)
- Vanilla — 1 tsp
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