Flan de huevo
Classic Spanish baked egg custard with dark caramel
Flan de huevo is the most common dessert in Spain: on the menú del día in every town, from Galicia to the Canary Islands, and made at home for Sunday lunch. It is simply eggs, milk and sugar, flavoured with a little lemon zest and vanilla, baked gently in a water bath over a layer of dark caramel. When it's turned out, the caramel becomes a glossy sauce running down the sides. Spanish flan is firmer and more eggy than French crème caramel, and it slices cleanly. Chef's tip: bake it slowly in a water bath and stop when the centre still wobbles slightly like jelly; overbaking leaves little holes and a grainy texture, the sign of a flan cooked too hot or too long.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the caramel
For the custard
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Put a 1-litre flan mould, round tin or 6 ramekins in a deep roasting tin.
Step 2: Make the caramel. Put 4 oz sugar and 3 tbsp water in a small pan over a medium heat. Let it bubble without stirring (swirl the pan instead) for 6–8 minutes, until it turns a deep amber, the colour of strong tea. Too pale and it's just sweet; too dark and it's bitter.
8 minStep 3: Immediately pour the caramel into the mould and tilt it to coat the bottom. Careful: it's extremely hot. Leave it to harden while you make the custard.
Step 4: Heat 2 cups whole milk with 1 strip lemon peel until steaming, then take off the heat and leave for 5 minutes. Remove the peel and add 1 tsp vanilla extract.
5 minStep 5: In a bowl gently whisk 4 eggs, 2 egg yolks and 3 ½ oz sugar just until combined; don't beat in air or the flan will be full of bubbles. Slowly pour in the warm milk, stirring.
2 minStep 6: Strain the custard through a fine sieve into the mould and skim off any foam from the top.
Step 7: Pour 4 ¼ cups boiling water into the roasting tin to come halfway up the side of the mould. Bake for 40–50 minutes (25–30 for ramekins), until the edges are set and the centre wobbles slightly when you nudge the tin. A knife pushed in near the centre should come out clean.
45 minStep 8: Lift the flan out of the water bath and leave to cool, then chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, so it sets fully and the caramel dissolves into a sauce.
Step 9: To serve, run a thin knife around the edge, put a deep plate on top and flip it over in one go. Lift off the mould and let all the caramel run out over the flan.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 39 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does flan de huevo take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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