I have always loved custard of any kind, and while I love crème brûlée for the custard, I tend to pick off the hard sugar because it is too sweet. I also don’t love a flan that is drowning in sugar, so I tend to drizzle just enough to free the custard from the mold. It usually works, but I have never been as brave as my mother to make a single large flan in a pie dish. I imagine the horror of a stuck flip and serving a messy pile of goo. Smaller cups are easier, plus single servings and leftovers. Yay.
Flan
Ingredients
- 4 eggs room temp
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups milk room temp
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Caramelized sugar
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Place 6 custard cups or a large custard mold on a rimmed baking pan filled halfway with hot water (the pan, not the cups).
- Preheat the oven to 300F.
- Make the caramel first. Add the sugar to a small saucepan and heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as it turns golden brown, pour the caramel into the cups.
- Beat together the eggs and 1/2 cup sugar until creamy.
- Add milk and vanilla. Mix until well combined and pour into the custard cups.
- Cover the cups with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Jiggle the cups to ensure the custard has set. If liquid, bake up to one hour max to ensure they are firm.
- Remove the cups from the hot water bath. Let the custard cool at room temperature, then place in the refrigerator to chill overnight or at least 6 hours.
- To serve, loosen the sides of the custard with a butter knife, then invert on a plate.