Flan

 

Ingredients for caramelized topping:

Loaf pan used to bake flan

1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons Kahlua

Ingredients for Custard:
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
5 large whole eggs
5 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 Tablespoons Kahlua
mint sprigs for garnish (optional)
fresh fruits for garnish (optional)

Directions for Caramelized topping:
Heat at medium high a heavy duty saucepan (preferably stainless steel).  Add 1 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water.  Stir until the sugar dissolves and then leave undisturbed until the sugar starts to turn a caramel color.  Once caramelized mixture looks like a caramel color, immediately pour into the loaf pan, swirling up the sides about an inch.  At this point, immediately add the 2 tablespoons Kahlua -- be careful in doing so, then quickly swirl the pan to evenly distribute the Kahlua.  NOTE:  Do NOT add the Kahlua to the hot sugar mixture on the stove -- it will splatter horribly and could burn your skin.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltsFE9mr-x4&feature=youtu.be

Directions for making the custard:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In another saucepan, scald (heating to just below boiling point, until a skin forms over top), the milk and cream. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, yolks, and remaining 1 cup sugar. Add scaled milk mixture in a stream while whisking. Stir in vanilla. Pour custard through a fine strainer into the prepared loaf pan.

Now you need to prepare the "water bath" method of cooking flan -- follow the below:

Set loaf pan into a larger shallow pan or baking dish (a large roasting pan works great or even a 3 quart oblong or square casserole dish). Pour hot tap water into the outer pan until the level reaches two-thirds up the sides of loaf pan or halfway up the sides of ramekins. Cover with a layer of foil and place pan on middle rack of preheated oven.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a knife inserted 1 inch in from the edge comes out clean. Flan will continue to set as it cools. Remove loaf pan from water and remove foil, as described above. Let flan cool on a rack. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours, or up to 1 day in advance of serving.

Note: Set your loaf pan inside the larger pan placed on the middle oven rack -- do not pull out the rack. Pour the hot tap water inside larger pan and gently place the foil over all. This way you don't have a complete nasty mess of spilled flan and water all over the oven and floor because of trying to get the rack pushed in to the baking position. Trust me, I've learned the hard way. Now -- when you need to remove the flan from the oven, you may have a "bit" of a mess but not too much. Gently pull the oven rack out, remove the foil and test the flan to see if it's done -- then lift the loaf pan (dripping water from the bottom of it but, oh well, it's better than scalding yourself to death), and place on cooling rack. Leave the larger pan with water alone -- let it cool, then remove later. Much safer!

To Serve:  Run a thin knife around all sides of the pan, invert a platter over pan, and invert flan onto platter. Arrange fruit around flan and garnish with mint sprigs, if desired. Flan is delicious with fresh fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, sliced peaches or a combination of fruits.

Serves 8