Flan has been around as far back as the Roman Empire. Back then, most versions of flan were savory rather than sweet. In Roman times, flan was considered to be a health food and believed to soothe the chest, aid the kidneys and liver, increase fertility, and reduce urinary tract infections. But it is the sweet dessert flan of Mexico most people are familiar with and love! Did I mention my husband is crazy about flan? He says he’s feeling kind of flan-ish if he’s gone too long without some flan!
Here we are back to Cortes and his encounter with Montezuma. The Spanish were particularly taken with flan and were the first to serve it with a sweet caramel sauce. As in life, when people get together, good things and not so good things can happen. The Spanish brought Seville oranges, sugarcane and the idea of flan to the Aztec people. The Aztec people showed the Spaniards the wonders of the cacao bean and chocolate. But in the process of sharing all this goodness, quite a few people lost their lives!
It is the Mexican’s that have taken flan to a whole other level! Creating flavors that are as unique as each family’s recipe. Coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin, orange, and coconut flavored versions are just a few of many dessert flans to choose from. The recipes have been handed down generation to generation for us all to enjoy!
Flan de Naranja ~ Eggs, heavy cream, and citrus! With ingredients like these how can it not taste delicious?
Make caramel by melting 1 cup sugar, water and lemon juice (lemon juice keeps the mixture from hardening or crystallizing) and cayenne pepper over low heat. Stir just to combine the sugar and water. Stop stirring now! Sugar is made up of water so it will liquefy without adding water but this gives it a gently head start. Even when the sugar is melted, crystals remain in the sugar so stirring helps them bond back together and will cause the sugar to seize. Not a good thing ‘cuz you get a hard mass and have to start all over again!
Cook for 6-8 minutes without stirring! Stirring the caramel will cause it to crystallize and become grainy. Gently tilt pan, swirling the sugar to distribute color evenly as the sugar caramelizes. Gently! Don’t swirl the sugar too vigorously! As you swirl the bubbles move so you can see the color. When sugar reaches a uniform golden brown/light amber color, immediately remove from the heat. Do not stir here either!
The caramel will continue to cook and darken very fast in the pot, so pour it into the ramekins as quickly as possible. The caramel is like molten hot lava so be careful not to spill any on yourself!
See the beautiful color and the lovely specks of cayenne! Pour caramel into 8 individual custard cups (ramekins) and tip the cups side to side to disperse the caramel evenly over the bottom. The caramel will harden at this point but will liquefy once it has been refrigerated with the custard over it. Set the custard cups aside.
Zest the orange and squeeze the fresh juice. Loads of flavor and a very Spanish taste.
In a bowl, add all of the custard ingredients and gently combine with a wire whisk. Remember, air bubbles are the enemy of your creamy flan so don’t whip this into a frenzy!
Strain the custard through a mesh sieve into a pitcher for easy pouring into your ramekins. This will remove any air bubbles and bits of egg membrane from your custard too. The air bubbles affect the texture of the finished product and you won’t get a creamy flan.
Use a reamer to squeeze out as much of the orange flavor as you can. We are looking for orange flavor but a very creamy texture. If you want to set aside some of the zest and add it in once you have strained the custard for extra flavor, now is the time to do it. It won’t be as smooth but it will taste great!
Pour the creamy custard into the 8 ramekins. Doesn’t it look yummy?
Bake in a water bath. Place a kitchen dish towel in the bottom of a large roasting pan and place the ramekins on top of it. The towel will insulate the ramekins and help create a gentle cooking process.
Pour hot tap (not boiling) water 1/2 of the way up the side of the ramekins. Some recipes call for boiling water but I found it causes the ramekin to overheat and can cause it to be overcooked. The water insulates the custard and keeps it from cooking too fast, which causes cracks in the finished flan and a rubbery texture. Bake until the flan is set; about 50-60 minutes.
The center will jiggle slightly when moved. Start checking at about 50 minutes and test by inserting the blade of a knife into the center of the custard. No worries, this will be the bottom when served. If the knife comes out clean, the custard is done. If not, cook for 5 more minutes and check again. Don’t overcook the flan; it will continue to cook a bit in the water bath after you remove it from the oven.
Set pan on a cooling rack being careful not to slosh water into the flan. Let the flan cool while sitting in the water bath until the ramekins are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Place the ramekins on a cooling rack or a towel and let them cool completely.
Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight). The longer they are in the refrigerator the softer the caramel will become.
When ready to serve, run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekins. Place a small dessert plate on the top of the ramekin. With one hand under the ramekin and the other on top of the plate, turn it over. Tap the bottom of the ramekin and the flan should drop onto the plate. If it doesn’t come out easily, place the bottom of the ramekin in hot water for 10 seconds and that should loosen it up. Place the dessert plate over the ramekin, flip and try again. If all else fail, just eat it out of the ramekin!
Garnish with toasted almonds. Place almonds in a small skillet to toast. It will seem like nothing is happening while the pan heats up but watch out. Once they start to toast, it goes really fast, so don’t walk away!
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
- A large pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 whole eggs
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Make caramel by melting 1 cup sugar, water and lemon juice (lemon juice keeps the mixture from hardening or crystallizing) and cayenne pepper over low heat. Stir just to combine the sugar and water. Stop stirring now!
- Cook for 6-8 minutes without stirring! Stirring the caramel will cause it to crystallize and become grainy. Gently tilt pan, swirling the sugar to distribute color evenly as the sugar caramelizes. Gently! Don't swirl the sugar too vigorously! When sugar reaches a uniform golden brown/light amber color, immediately remove from the heat. Do not stir here either!
- The caramel will continue to cook and darken in the pot, so pour it into the ramekins as quickly as possible. The caramel is like molten hot lava so be careful not to spill any on yourself!.
- Pour caramel into 8 individual custard cups (ramekins) and tip the cups side to side to disperse the caramel evenly over the bottom. The caramel will harden at this point but will liquefy once it has been refrigerated with the custard over it. Set the custard cups aside.
- In a bowl, add all of the custard ingredients and gently combine with a wire whisk. Remember, air bubbles are the enemy of your creamy flan so don't whip this into a frenzy!.
- Strain the custard through a mesh sieve into a pitcher for easy pouring into your ramekins. This will remove any air bubbles and bits of egg membrane from your custard too. The air bubbles affect the texture of the finished product and you won't get a creamy flan. Pour the custard into the 8 ramekins.
- Bake in a water bath. Place a kitchen dish towel in the bottom of a large roasting pan and place the ramekins on top of it. The towel will insulate the ramekins and create a gentle cooking process. Pour hot tap (not boiling) water 1/2 of the way up the side of the ramekins. Some recipes call for boiling water but I found it causes the ramekin to overheat and can cause it to be overcooked. The water insulates the custard and keeps it from cooking too fast, which causes cracks in the finished flan and a rubbery texture. Bake until the flan is set; about 50-60 minutes.
- The center will jiggle slightly when moved. Start checking at about 50 minutes and test by inserting the blade of a knife into the center of the custard. No worries, this will be the bottom when served. If the knife comes out clean, the custard is done. If not, cook for 5 more minutes and check again. Don't overcook the flan; it will continue to cook a bit in the water bath after you remove it from the oven.
- Set pan on a cooling rack being careful not to slosh water into the flan. Let the flan cool while sitting in the water bath until the ramekins are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Place the ramekins on a cooling rack or a towel and let them cool completely. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight). The longer they are in the refrigerator the softer the caramel will become.
- When ready to serve, run a knife around the inside edge of the ramekins. Place a small dessert plate on the top of the ramekin. With one hand under the ramekin and the other on top of the plate, turn it over. Tap the bottom of the ramekin and the flan should drop onto the plate. If it doesn't come out easily, place the bottom of the ramekin in hot water for 10 seconds and that should loosen it up. Place the dessert plate over the ramekin, flip and try again. If all else fail, just eat it out of the ramekin!
- Garnish with toasted almonds. Place almonds in a small skillet to toast. It will seem like nothing is happening while the pan heats up but watch out. Once they start to toast, it goes really fast, so don't walk away!
- Sugar is made up of water so it will liquefy without adding water but this gives it a gently head start. Even when the sugar is melted, crystals remain in the sugar so stirring helps them bond back together and will cause the sugar to seize.
