Home  |  Recipes  |  Diet Recipes  |  Dinner Party Menus  |  Food History  |  Culinary Dictionary  |  Diet, Health & Beauty

Flan may be prepared in a large flan dish or in individual ramekins. In Mexico, flans are usually served in small ramekins (custard cups).

Check out all of Linda's Puddings, Creams, and Custard Recipes.

Don't forget to check out my Spanish Paella Dinner Menu (with recipes) using these delicious Orange Flan.

Orange Flan

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
Drop of lemon juice
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk*
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup half and half or milk
5 large eggs
2 drops pure orange oil (optional)
1/4 cup orange liqueur

*I usually use the fat-free sweetened condensed milk to cut the calories.

Prepare Caramel: 

In a heavy saucepan over low to medium-low heat, combine 1 cup sugar, water, and drop of lemon juice (the lemon juice keeps the mixture from hardening or crystalling). NOTE: I find that maintaining a low heat, I have more control over the caramelizing process, as it is really easy to burn.

Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves and mixture just begins to simmer. After sugar dissolves and syrup is simmering, cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, without stirring. Hold handle of pan and gently tilt the pan off the heat to distribute color evenly as sugar caramelizes. When sugar reaches a uniform golden brown (light amber) color, immediately remove from heat and pour into individual ramekins or custard dishes, coating the bottoms evenly (tilt the dishes so that the caramel coats the bottom). Watch it carefully, it can go past the light brown stage quickly and burn. Set aside and let cool.

Prepare Flan:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a blender, combine condensed milk, orange zest, orange juice, half & half, eggs, orange oil, and orange liqueur; process until smooth. Pour into individual ramekins or custard dishes.

Place ramekins or custard cups into an ovenproof roasting or baking pan. If cooking custards in a metal pan, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of newspaper to ensure an even temperature on the bottom.

Bring the water for the water bath (see definition on right) to a light simmer on top of the stove; carefully pour hot water into the baking pan to come half-way up the sides of the custard cups. NOTE: The most common mistake people make in baking custard is not putting enough water in the hot-water bath.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until set around the edges but still loose in the center. The cooking time will depend largely on the size of the custard cups you are using, but begin checking at 20 minutes and check back regularly. When the center of custard is just set, it will jiggle a little when shaken, that's when you can remove it from the oven (the flans will continue to set as they cool). Remove from oven and leave in the water bath until cooled. Remove cups from water bath and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

To unmold and serve, carefully dip bottom of each ramekin in a baking pan of hot water briefly. Run a thin knife around edge of each ramekin to loosen it from the inside of the bowl. Wipe the outside of the mold dry,  place an individual chilled serving plate (topside down) on top of each flan. Invert the custard onto the plate and carefully lift off ramekin (shake gently to release flan), allowing caramel syrup to run over flan; pour any extra caramel remaining in the mold over the custard.

Makes 6 servings (depending on size of the custard cups).