Sophia has been craving flan so I offered to make it for her. I picked out a highly rated recipe and started working. I noticed that the recipe leaves out a lot of detail in terms of technique so I was hoping I’d remember all that stuff I learned in culinary school. So, here are some tips (that should apply for any flan recipe).
1. The big one that I forgot (D’oh! I haven’t made flan in about 6 years) is NOT to whisk the ingredients together. It creates air bubbles that resulted in ugly holes. Just combine gently with a spatula or wooden spoon. It’s a nice extra to strain the combination again, but be careful not to incorporate air into the mixture.
2. While you are preheating the oven, heat the pie plate in it so that the caramelized sugar spreads more easily and more evenly when you pour it in.
3. To brown the sugar, spread the sugar in a cold saute pan and turn it to medium low, stay on the low side. Don’t stir, just wait till it browns a bit, then shake the pan. Let some more brown, then shake again. Continue until it’s all caramelized. Pour into the heated pie plate and tilt around until the bottom is evenly covered.
4. Bake the flan in a water bath.
5. After it’s done baking, cool completely on the counter top, cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight. When it’s time to serve, dip the under-side of the pie plate in hot water to loosen. You may need to loosen the edges with a pairing knife as well. Invert onto serving platter.
*Notes on this particular recipe:
It’s too much custard for a 9″ pie plate so don’t over-fill. This flan is a little denser than most, but pretty standard otherwise.
That is a really goof trick will not getting hole in your flan. Too be honest, it still looks beautiful.
mmm my family loves flan!
Yum, I love flan. Thanks for the tips!
i don’t think i’ve given flan a fair shot. i’ve always turned my nose up at it simply because the texture freaks me out a bit. but really, besides that, what’s not to love?
Thanks for taking time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on the topic. If possible, as you gain expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more information? It is extremely helpful!!