| Level: | Easy |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 quart half and half
- 2 teaspoons port
- Violets, nasturtiums, or other edible flowers, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make caramel: combine the sugar and the water in a medium saucepan. Be sure all the sugar granules are washed down from the sides of the pan (use a wet pastry brush). Cook over moderate heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the color is golden brown and the mixture smells like caramel. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes. Pour the caramel into a 9 inch round cake pan and, holding the pan with an oven glove, swirl it around to generously coat the bottom and sides. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, gently whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla, and 2 cups of the half and half, without whisking in any air. Bring the remaining half and half and the port to a simmer in a small saucepan and begin whisking this into the egg mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly until it is all incorporated. Pour through a strainer into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan inside a large roasting pan and pour very hot tap water into the pan so that it comes halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake for about 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until the center is slightly jiggly but not wavy. Cool to room temperature and then cover with plastic wrap with the plastic gently touching the top of the flan. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 4 days.
- To unmold the custard, run a small sharp knife around the inside edges of the dish several times to loosen it. Dip the bottom briefly in a basin of very hot tap water. Invert a round platter over the dish and turn them both over together, shaking the two a little to help release the custard (or rap the bottom of the platter gently on the work surface). The caramel sauce will run out around the edges of the platter. Garnish the top of the flan with violets or other edible flowers.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 412 |
| Total Fat | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Sugar | 57 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 258 mg |
| Sodium | 101 mg |
Reviews
just place sugar ONLY (you don’t need water) in the mold pan
over medium heat…shake the sugar around as it melts…It should be a
deep golden color, but DO NOT burn. Allow to cool, then pour in the egg mixture.
over medium heat…shake the sugar around as it melts…It should be a
deep golden color, but DO NOT burn. Allow to cool, then pour in the egg mixture.
As good as this recipe is the caramel took me three tries to get it right.
I’ve made this flan numerous times and my guests repeatedly tell me it’s the best they ever had. Delicious!
I made this for a friends birthday brunch and she (and all the other guests) couldn’t get over how smooth and tasty it was. I didn’t have port and substituted Cointreau. I also garnished with sliced strawberries instead of flowers.
Since I’ve never made it with the port, I’m not sure what the difference might be. I can’t imagine a couple of teaspoons of an ingredient could make a HUGE difference.
The only problem I had at all was in what pan to use. When I read 9 inch cake pan I figured a layer cake pan. It didn’t look big enough to handle the volume and luckily I poured the custard in before adding the caramel. It wasn’t large enough so I ended up using a 9 inch springform pan (with tightly wrapped foil on the outside). It came out great – although the sauce was leaking.
I think I’ll try to find a deeper 9 inch pan before I make this again. I’d be curious to hear what types of pans others used.
I made this flan for Thanksgiving and everyone LOVED it. Texture was so smooth, no bubbles whatsoever! It was requested again for Christmas.
This recipe is the best! I was in heavan when I took a bit of the flan.