Flan is basically a baked-custard. You'll find caramel flan recipes with a variety of names: crème caramel, crème brulee, and pots de crème. Ancient Greeks were the first to combine eggs with cream and once the Romans acquired this combination they added savory herbs. Sweet custards evolved from there and spread throughout Europe. The crème caramel of Spain is the model for the Mexican version. Caramel flan is a very popular Mexican dessert served for nearly every occasion. It’s certainly appropriate for Cinco de Mayo.
This recipe utilizes not only eggs and cream but Mexican chocolate which has hints of cinnamon and chili. The Ibarra brand comes in round cakes which can be grated for this recipe as well as hot cocoa. Though the Spanish explorers take credit for the bars of chocolate from Mexico, it was the Mayans who actually made chocolate into bars hundreds of years prior to the first appearance of Europeans. Mexico also grows vanilla beans and produces a pure vanilla extract that is superb in quality and flavor.
There is a special pan or form used which has a tight fitting lid that allows the flan to be cooked in a bain-marie, stove-top. Flan forms, Ibarra Chocolate and Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract are available at better culinary shops, Mexican markets, and some major supermarkets.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 cups half and half
- 2 vanilla beans, split and scraped ( or 1 tsp Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract)
- 2 Tbsp grated Ibarra Chocolate (or 1 Tbsp cocoa powder)
- 2 tsp espresso powder (or 1 shot brewed espresso)
- 4 whole eggs, beaten
- 4 egg yolks, beaten
- 3/4 cup sugar
Method:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat, melt 1 cup sugar until a golden brown syrup results
- Carefully pour hot sugar evenly into 8 oven-proof ramekins or custard cups, tilting cups to coat bottom evenly.
- In another sauce pan, stir together milk, vanilla seeds, chocolate, and espresso powder. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Stir in ¾ cup sugar and cook until sugar dissolves.
- Combine beaten whole eggs with egg yolks
- Pour ½ cup to 1 cup of milk into eggs, stirring constantly until well combined
- Pour egg mixture back into remaining milk and stir to combine.
- Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel.
- Place ramekins on towel in roasting pan. Place roasting pan on oven rack in center of oven.
- Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Pour custard batter into ramekins so each ramekin has the same amount
- Bake in preheated oven 40 minutes or until set. The center should be slightly softer than the outside and the top should be barely brown in color.
- Remove ramekins from roaster and cool completely.
- Run a thin knife around the side of each ramekin, invert onto a serving dish, and pour any remaining caramel over the flan.
