Vanilla Flan

Vanilla Flan

I made flan for a recent dinner with friends. Flan is a simple and yet elegant dessert. There are many variations out there. I’ve made flan with different additions like lemon zest, coffee and even chocolate. I still go back to the simple vanilla flan most of the time. The prep is pretty similar. Sugar is melted and poured into a pan. A mix of eggs, dairy, sweetener and flavoring is added. This custard is mixed well and poured over the melted sugar in the pan and baked. When finished the pan is inverted and the custard is covered in  caramel sugar syrup. It is dense and rich, so a little goes a long way.

Vanilla Flan

8 eggs
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ cups white sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Have ready 9 inch round cake pan. In blender or food processor, or using electric mixer, combine eggs, condensed milk and vanilla and blend until smooth. In medium saucepan, cook sugar, stirring constantly, until it liquefies. When it starts to turn light brown, remove from heat and pour into waiting pan. Pour egg mixture over liquid sugar. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with water to reach half way up the sides of the baking dish. Bake 70 minutes in the preheated oven, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove pan from water bath and let cool completely, about 1 hour. Run a knife along the edge of the pan, place a serving plate on top and invert. Serve. Serves 6.