Caramel Flan

Print this recipe Now!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole milk
Rind from 1/2 an orange
1 tsp. pure vanilla bean paste
1 cup superfine sugar
1/4 cup water
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed orange juice
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
Candied orange curl for garnish

Instructions

To make superfine sugar, take 1 cup granulated sugar and process in a food processor to grind down to a superfine grain.

To make the rind, you want to be able to put the long piece of orange rind (zest) out of the mixture without having to strain it out. So take a sharp pairing knife and peel the colored part of half an orange. Try not to get the white pith of the fruit.

Take six individual soufflé cups and butter the inside to prevent sticking. Set aside.

Heat milk, orange rind, and vanilla extract in a non-reactive saucepan until boiling. Add 1/2 cup of superfine sugar. Remove from heat and cover. Allow milk mixture to steep off heat for 15 minutes.

To make what will become the caramel of the caramel flan, in a clean, non-reactive saucepan put remaining half cup of sugar with the water. Stir just to incorporate the sugar into the water to dissolve it. You may want a little extra water with a pastry brush to remove sugar crystals from the sides of the pan. Once the sugar is dissolved, stop stirring and allow the sugar mixture to heat up and turn golden brown. You want to remove the mixture from the heat just before you think it is done or you may over cook the sugar. Immediately add the orange juice to stop the cooking process and stir.


Pour the caramel into the 6 prepared soufflé cups. Set aside.

Take the steeped milk mixture and remove the orange rind. Place mixture onto the heat just to bring up to a simmer. Do not boil.

In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs and egg yolks. Liaison the two mixtures to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Then marry completely. Pour mixtures into the six soufflé cups.

Place the cups into a baking dish with sides. Pour water into the dish to go half way up the outside of the soufflé cups. Very important not to get water into the soufflé cups. Place the baking dish in the oven to bake slowly at 325° for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours.
Flan is done when a clean knife inserted into the center of the mixture comes out clean and the mixture giggles firmly.

Remove pan from oven and remove flans from pan. Allow the flans to cool covered overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve the flans, run a flat metal spatula around the edges to release. You can quickly heat the bottoms of the cups with a blow torch to release the caramel. Turn the cup upside down on a dish and release.

I serve the flan with candied orange curl garnish.