TWD: Caramel Topped Flan

I was very pleased with Steph's (of A Whisk and a Spoon) choice for this weeks Tuesdays With Dorie.

I love flan and made it before. This one went pretty smooth too. I only used the wrong knife to cut the flan loose from the mold which resulted in "debris" on top of my flan.

The looks didn't interfere with the taste! Which was fabulous, just like the ones I ate in Spain and Mexico.

I got mixed reviews from my trusty tasters, but that wasn't the flan's fault. One thought it was eggy, but it was the first time he ate it and trust me, it tasted like it should. Others didn't care to much for it, but they had the same reaction with my other flans :-)

Ingredients:
For the Caramel
1/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp water
squirt of fresh lemon juice

For the Flan
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/4 cups whole milk
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation:
Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan or a 9-x-13-inch baking pan with a double thickness of paper towels. Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat.

Put a metal 8-x-2-inch round cake pan-not a nonstick one-in the oven to heat while you prepare the caramel.

To Make the Caramel: Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Put the pan over medium-high heat and cook until the sugar becomes an amber-colored caramel, about 5 minutes-remove the pan from the heat at the first whiff of smoke.

Remove the cake pan from the oven and, working with oven mitts, pour the caramel into the pan and immediately tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly over the bottom; set the pan aside.


To Make the Flan: Bring the cream and milk just to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a 2-quart glass measuring cup or in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar. Whisk vigorously for a minute or two, and then stir in the vanilla. Still whisking, drizzle in about one quarter of the hot liquid-this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remainder of the hot cream and milk. Using a large spoon, skim off the bubbles and foam that you worked up.

Put the caramel-lined cake pan in the roasting pan. Pour the custard into the cake pan and slide the setup into the oven. Very carefully pour enough hot water from the kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. (Don't worry if this sets the cake pan afloat.) Bake the flan for about 35 minutes, or until the top puffs a bit and is golden here and there. A knife inserted into the center of the flan should come out clean.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven, transfer the cake pan to a cooking rack and run a knife between the flan and the sides of the pan to loosen it. Let the flan cool to room temperature on the rack, then loosely cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, once more, run a knife between the flan and the pan. Choose a rimmed serving platter, place the platter over the cake pan, quickly flip the platter and pan over and remove the cake pan-the flan will shimmy out and the caramel sauce will coat the custard.


Yield: 6 to 8 Servings


Next week's recipe is Gooey Chocolate Cakes (pages 261-261) selected by Mary of Starting From Scratch.

Comments

CB said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
CB said…
^ oops that was me. Take 2.
Don't even worry about the debris... I'd call it rustic. hehe. Great job!
Clara @ I♥food4thought
Annemarie said…
It looks wonderful! Your caramel turned out perfect!!
Judy said…
Maybe flan is an acquired taste. I happen to love it. Your slice looks delicious.
Mary Ann said…
Yours looks great too! I was messing with my blog when you commented so I hope you got to read my post as well- it wasn't working for a minute.
Bumblebutton said…
You can tell by your 'debris' that your flan was perfectly textured! Great job!
Sarah said…
Looks great...even with the "debris". Great job!
Katrina said…
Looks great! Mine had 'debris' too, so don't feel bad! I love how your caramel looks. I also like the link to the kalua flan... might have to try that the next time I make a flan. yum.
Marie Rayner said…
Great job! Your caramel looks picture perfect!
Shari said…
Your flan looks so thick (mine turned out really thin). Nice caramel color!
Piggy said…
Your flan looks really smooth and yummy. love the color of caramel on the flan too! Mine had debris on the flan as well, I took a long time to scoop them out so that I can take a decent picture of the flan. :-)
Helene said…
Your flan looks fabulous! Debris are just extras yummies, that's all :)
Anonymous said…
I think a lot of us had "debris". Looks great anyway!
Anonymous said…
Looks fabulous "debris" and all! :)
Anonymous said…
Your flan looks so pretty! I love the color of your caramel sauce!
Donna said…
Yours had lots more caramel than mine!
I'm envious!
Delicious debris too!
Heather B said…
Yours has so much caramel! I'm jealous! Great job!
Melissa said…
Looks wonderful! I had to photograph from a particular side so you couldn't see the "debris!"
Mari said…
Nice color caramel, it looks yummy, bits of debris or no!
Anonymous said…
Yes, your caramel is gorgeous! That's a great looking slice of flan there.
your flan looks great. i didnt eat flan when i was in mexico but now i wish i did so i could compare.
Natalie said…
Lovely! I had the bits in mine too, but I figured that was the combination of the ramekin and me not being careful.
Cecilia said…
I don't think you used the wrong knife at all! I think the "debris" added a nice decorative touch to your flan. It's almost like modern, abstract art.

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