Vanilla Flan
Updated Sept. 15, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2cups sugar
- 8large eggs
- 2cups milk
- 1cup half-and-half
- 1teaspoon vanilla extract
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
458 calories; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 73 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 155 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place 1 cup of the sugar in a skillet and set over medium heat. When the sugar begins to melt, stir constantly with a fork until it is completely melted and has turned an amber color. Immediately pour the melted sugar into an 8-cup ovenproof baking dish and swirl to coat the bottom and an inch or two up the sides of the dish.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together. Whisk in the milk, half-and-half, vanilla and the remaining cup of sugar. Strain through a sieve into the dish.
- Step 3
Place the dish in a roasting pan and pour boiling water into the pan about halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake in the top third of the oven until the center of the custard is set, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the flan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the dish and invert the flan onto a serving plate. (There will be a fair amount of liquid, so choose one with a rim.) Serve warm or chilled.
Private Notes
Comments
Put baking dish in the oven while preheating and making the syrup. Then the syrup stays liquid when poured into baking pan. When I poured it into a cold pan, it solidified before I had time to make it go up the edges.
Beat eggs by themselves first. Then add sugar and vanilla, then milk and cream. The custard will have a more uniform consistency.
Remember to take top rack out of the oven before preheating so that there is room for the roasting pan in the oven.
This is close to the typical Spanish flan except we would use only milk instead of half-and-half. We also warm the milk with a cinnamon stick and a wide piece of lemon zest, which are removed before adding to the eggs.
I doubled the recipe and filled 12 individual ramekins, with custard to spare. Though this recipe was easier than most, I did not like the eggy taste and texture.
Needs salt, at the very least in the caramel sauce, but probably the custard portion too.
I used six eggs instead of eight, and rich soy milk (12 G protein per cup) instead of milk and cream. It worked really well. I wish I had taken it out sooner than I did. The middle was the best part. The edges were cooked too much. So take it out when it is extremely jiggly. I only used 1/2 cup sugar in the milk which made it only mildly sweet. I might use 3/4 cups next time.
After reading the comments, I made this recipe with one change. I used 7 eggs instead of 8 and the flan came out perfectly. The texture was delicate but still firm enough to hold together. It was a hit at our little potluck dinner. This would be a perfect and satisfying dessert for a light summer dinner that is heavy on vegetables.
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