# FLAN: How about some techniques or a nice recipe?



## schmoozer (Jan 10, 2010)

This past weekend a friend showed me how she makes flan.  While her information and technique was useful, her results were pretty bad, which was unusual because her flan is generally pretty durned good.

Well, I like flan, and would like to try making some.  Any tips, techniques, or recipes would be welcome.

Thanks!


----------



## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Interesting name... 'flan'

We use 'flan' as a descriptive for an open tart or quiche.  Whilst I think Americans use it as a name for an egg custardy type dish.


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

I found a few flavors you might like for flan:

I guess leche is about the top when it comes to flan but there is, Pineapple/Cherry, Exotic fruit , Lemon Raspberry , Coconut (wonderful) .

Then I spotted this one which I plan on making one day " Candy Cap Persimmon Flan", if anything , I just love the name of it and the fact my boss has never met a flan he didn't like. 

Butternut squash flan, apple flan and my fav. Citrus flan.

There is a another type of flan from Mexico that uses the following ingredients: evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, salt, walnut halves, cream cheese, zest of orange, vanilla, sugar. 

The Lebanese make a similar one called, " Mouhalabieh ".

Then you were asking about techniques.....the site I have attached is pretty straight up. Flan is not hard to do really.

http://www.classicfrenchfood.com/Flan-Recipe.html 

Hope it helps.....


----------



## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I much prefer the name Creme Caramel as opposed to flan which sounds like... well let's not go there.  I have seen and eaten recipes of creme caramel that used evaporated milk and they were awful.  I think it's best to stick with the simple ingredients of eggs milk and cheese for optimal flavor.  Here is a recipe for Scandinavian Creme Caramel by Andreas Viestad.

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 4 eggs

- 1 vanilla bean

- 1 cup milk

- 1 cup heavy cream

1. Place the sugar in a sauce pan with a little bit of water (or lemon juice) and heat slowly until it makes a rich caramel syrup.

2. Dress your molds quickly before the syrup stiffens and reserve some caramel.  Swirl around the mold.

3. In another sauce pan heat the milk and cream gently.  Do not boil!!

4. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds.  Add both the seeds and the bean to the milk/cream.

5. In a seperate bowl beat the eggs being careful not to whisk any air into them.  .

6. Whisk the warm milk mixture into the eggs slowly and take out the bean.  Strain the mixture if necessary.

7. Add the remaining caramel into the mixture, whatever is left over.

8. Bake in a bain marie (water bath) at 300F for 40 minutes until custard is set in the middle, covered with foil.

9. Chill and unmould to serve.


----------



## petalsandcoco (Aug 25, 2009)

Yes, I agree,

The recipe in the link I posted is the one I use, in reality most flans or creme caramels are made the same way. The ingredients I posted are in "one" particular type of cooking, not mine.

The techniques are in the link as well.


----------



## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

Thanks, Koukouvagia - I just couldn't  get my brain to remember the creme caramel name, hence my 'egg custard' remark!


----------



## schmoozer (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions.


----------



## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I watched Rick Bayless make some once. Cajeta for the caramel base and then he mixed egg, sweetened condensed milk and I can't remember what all else.

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=59 This is a bigger batch than he made on his PBS show and I don't remember the coffee but the rest looks about right. Goes together quickly and simply.


----------



## catering101 (Jun 27, 2010)

Session dataNice recipes for a flan...i usually just make the basic flan consisting of eggs, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. I'd wanna try petalsandcoco's variation...sounds yummy!


----------



## rrcos (Apr 2, 2007)

Cheese Flan










Makes about 12 servings

1 cup sugar + 2 ounces of water

One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
6 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Make the caramel: Have ready a 10" cake pan. Pour the sugar and water into a small, heavy saucepan. Set it over medium-low heat until the sugar starts to liquefy and form clumps. Stir slowly and constantly; the sugar will eventually liquefy completely, then begin to color (about 12 minutes). Pay careful attention to the caramel at this point; once it starts to color it will darken quickly. Pull the pan from the heat when the caramel is the color of a bright, shiny penny. Scrape all the caramel into the cake pan, put on the mitts and grab the pan firmly. Carefully but quickly rotate the pan so the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan are coated with caramel. Set the prepared pan into a shallow roasting pan.

Bring a tea kettle of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs, salt, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Using a stand or hand held mixer, beat the mixture on low speed and blend a few seconds until smooth.

Pull out the oven rack and set the roasting pan with the caramel-lined pan on the shelf. Pour the custard mix into the cake pan. Pour enough water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake until the center of the flan is set, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature in the water bath. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

To serve, center a large plate over the flan and, with one quick flip invert the flan over the plate. Give it a few seconds-the flan will slip right out of the mold and onto the plate (you may need to tap the botton of the cake pan to allow air into the pan). Scrape any caramel left in the mold over the flan. Serve cold.


----------



## azusena (Dec 8, 2011)

Hi,

Can you confirm the link again. It said domain not found. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It's truly appreciated. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


----------



## margcata (Sep 18, 2011)

Crème Caramel

The word Flan in French signifies Pâstisser, a type of tart derived from the word Flaon. However, Crème Caramel and its many varieties, comes from the French dessert Crème Caramel. Note, however, that The Romans knew how the intricate process of binding with eggs. This dessert, has travelled the globe and has numerous variations in South America and Cuba as well as England, France and Spain.

Here is my recipe for the way in which Catalans ( Barcelona based ) prepare their version of this dessert. Note: in Medieval and ancient times, condensed milk did not exist, and thus, was not employed until much later in the 1800s in Argentina, where a similar dessert is made called Dulce Leche, translating to Sweet Milk.

The key to the dessert´s success, is the way one makes the caramel.

Serves 6:

Individual oven baking molds

11 ounces / 320 grams of sugar

a cinammon stick

6 egg yolks

2 strips of lemon rind

2 whole eggs  

1) in small saucepan boil 2 3/4 ounces of sugar with 2 tablespoons of water until the syrup turns a deep golden brown.

2) quickly pour into molds and cover the sides of the molds with this syrup

3) heat remaining sugar with 2 Fl. Ounces or 60 Ml. water in a saucepan

4) add lemon strips and cinammon stick and cook to a thread fine consistency at 230 degrees farenheit / 120 centigrade degrees on a candy thermometer

5) discard the lemon rinds and the cinammon stick and remove pan from stove top heat

6) beat the yolks and whole eggs together lightly and gradually pour into the hot syrup, stirring constantly; to prevent the eggs from curdling. Do very slowly.

7) strain mixture thru a fine strainer into the molds.

8) bake at 180 degrees centigrade / 350 degrees farenheit for 25 to 30 minutes until the tops of each mold are firm.

*** chill overnight before Un-molding the molds.

*** serve with a cordial of choice and espresso.

Margcata.


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

I always thought the difference between flan and cream caramel was cream cheese.


----------



## margcata (Sep 18, 2011)

@ Sh Roomgirl,

There are as many ways to make Crème Caramel or Flan as there are to make tomato sauce !

Each family and each restaurant have another take on it. I have never seen anyone in Spain put heavy cream or condensed milk in this dessert. I have seen some Spanish people use milk. It is a traditional dessert dating back to The Romans. 

However, it seems that this has taken off in Mexico and Argentina amongst other regions in South America as well as Cuba.

Have a nice evening.

Margcata.


----------



## gonefishin (Nov 6, 2004)

Hi all!

   I love a chai flavored creme brulee and flan, yum

Dan


----------



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

other than where the caramel goes what's the diff in your chai flan/brule?


----------



## colombochute (May 18, 2011)

> The word Flan in French signifies Pâstisser


Hello Margcata. Not sure what you mean by Pastisser? It doesn't exist in French, and sounds more Catalan to me?

The ancestor of the word "flan" (however it was spelled in the past) used to refer to some kind of cake, more precisely a gallette or crêpe. You get the idea...


----------



## ishbel (Jan 5, 2007)

That's interesting, because as I said waaaay up the thread, here in the UK we use the word flan for a savoury or sweet custard open tart or pie.  Sort of like a Quiche!


----------

