The Soup Fairy Cooks!

I attempted to make flan yesterday, and learned an important lesson:

Make Flan The Day Before!!!!

The cook time varies and this really is kind of an all-day project. Not having enough time to cook, cool, and chill the flan can mean your flan turns out to be a flop.

Flan

While flan is not really difficult to make, it requires you to read the recipe carefully, have everything ready when you get started, and planning ahead to give yourself plenty of time!

Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30-60 minutes
Chill: 4 hours or longer
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups sugar, divided


• 2 tablespoons water


• 1/2 lemon, juiced (or 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice)


• 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream


• Pinch of ground cinnamon


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


• 3 large eggs


• 2 large egg yolks


• pinch of salt

Directions

Have ready a glass pan to use as your flan mold. You can use a round flan mold, but i use a glass loaf pan and it works great. You can also use individual ramekins. You'll also need a large roasting pan, large enough for your mold to fit into with enough space around it to pour the hot water in without splashing it into the flan, and deep enough that the hot water will come at least half-way up the side of the mold.

To make the caramel:

Combine 1 cup of the sugar and the water in a heavy-bottomed pot or pan. Place over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar begins to melt. Swirl the pan over the heat until the syrup darkens to a medium amber color, about 10 minutes; don't stir with a spoon unless you must! Remove from heat and immediately add the lemon juice, swirl the pan again to combine, and then pour into the flan mold. Tilt the dish so that the caramel evenly coats the bottom and a bit up the sides. Place in roasting pan and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bring a kettle of water to a boil for the water bath and keep it hot.

Combine the cream, cinnamon, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the cream to a brief simmer, stirring occasionally. Take care not to let the cream come to a full boil.

In a large bowl, use a whisk to combine the whole eggs and the yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar; add a pinch of salt. Whisk until the mixture is pale yellow and thick. Temper the egg mixture by gradually whisking in the hot cream mixture; don't add it too quickly or the eggs will cook. Pass the mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup to ensure that the flan will be perfectly smooth. Pour the custard into the caramel-coated mold.

To create the water bath:

Pour the hot (not boiling) water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the mold; be careful not to get water into the custard. Carefully transfer to the middle oven rack and bake for 30-60 minutes, until the custard is barely set and just jiggles slightly. Let the flan cool in the water bath, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (If you're doing individual ramekins, they can chill a much shorter time - perhaps an hour or so.

When you are ready to serve, run a knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the flan. Place a dessert plate on top of the flan and invert to pop it out.