Bon Appetit Flan Recipe Clara

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven at 400F.
• I use a pot that has a removable handle to go in the oven for this dessert.
• Start by making a caramel with the sugar and the water on a medium heat. Do not stir it (only to help dissolve the sugar and then stop. Once it is done (golden), off heat, spread it on the side of your pot by making circular movements.
• In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the condensed and evaporated milk. Stir well.
• Add the vanilla, in whatever aspect you have it... powder, liquid, for me a bean that I opened the pod and removed the seeds from it by scrapping with a knife. Stir again.
• Pour in your pan (or whatever dish you use and have the caramel is at the bottom.
• Put in the oven for 50 minutes at 400°. To check if it is ready, insert a knife in, if it comes out clean. You've done it!

THE PERFECT FLAN

Steps:

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cream, milk and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into cream mixture; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in another heavy medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Quickly pour caramel into six 3/4-cup ramekins or custard cups. Using oven mitts as aid, immediately tilt each ramekin to coat sides. Set ramekins into 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
• Whisk eggs, egg yolks and 7 tablespoons sugar in medium bowl just until blended. Gradually and gently whisk cream mixture into egg mixture without creating lots of foam. Pour custard through small sieve into prepared ramekins, dividing evenly (mixture will fill ramekins). Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
• Bake until centers of flans are gently set, about 40 minutes. Transfer flans to rack and cool. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. Cover and chill overnight. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)
• To serve, run small sharp knife around flan to loosen. Turn over onto plate. Shake gently to release flan. Carefully lift off ramekin allowing caramel syrup to run over flan. Repeat with remaining flans and serve.

CREAM CHEESE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. Immediately pour caramel into 9x5x3-inch glass baking dish, tilting and rotating dish to coat bottom and 2 inches up sides with caramel. Cool.
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk, then eggs and yolk. Add evaporated milk, vanilla, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup water; beat to blend. Pour custard into caramel-lined dish. Place dish in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Add enough hot water to pan to come 1 1/2 inches up sides of dish. Bake until knife inserted into center of flan comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove flan from water bath. Refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Run small sharp knife around flan to loosen. Firmly hold dish and platter together and invert, shaking gently to unmold flan onto platter. Scrape caramel syrup from dish over flan. Slice flan and serve.

CLASSIC FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 10 minutes. Divide caramel among six 3/4-cup custard cups. Working quickly, tilt cups, coating bottoms and part of sides.
• Stir milk and 1/2 cup sugar in medium saucepan over low heat just until sugar dissolves (milk will be lukewarm). Whisk eggs in medium bowl until blended. Slowly whisk in milk mixture. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Strain custard into prepared cups.
• Arrange cups in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake flans until just set in center, about 50 minutes. Remove cups from water and let stand 30 minutes. Chill until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day. Cut around sides of each cup to loosen flan; turn out onto plate.

CLASSIC FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a small bowl of cold water and a pastry brush near the stove top. Place a 9-inch cake pan in a large roasting pan. Bring a large kettle or pot of water to a boil.
• Make the caramel: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, mix sugar and 3 tablespoons water, stirring to combine. Do not stir again. Cook, washing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water, or cover with a tight-fitting lid, to prevent crystals from forming, until caramel is amber, about 8 minutes, swirling pan to color evenly. Pour into cake pan, swirling to coat bottom evenly.
• Make the custard: In a small saucepan, heat milk with 1/2 cup sugar over medium just until mixture starts to steam and bubble around the edges, 5 to 6 minutes (do not let it boil).
• Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, yolks, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add ladle of hot milk mixture to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. (This is called tempering, and it prevents the eggs from curdling.) Add two more ladles of milk mixture, one at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Gradually whisk in remaining milk mixture. Strain through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup or a bowl (to remove any cooked bits of egg). Stir in vanilla.
• Pour custard into cake pan. Place roasting pan in oven. Add enough boiling water to pan to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake until custard is just set (it should tremble slightly in center when shaken), about 50 minutes.
• Remove roasting pan from oven. Use tongs to carefully remove pan from hot-water bath and place on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 8 hours (or up to 3 days). To unmold, run a sharp knife around the flan, and place a rimmed serving plate upside down over the top. Invert, and gently lift pan to remove. Serve immediately.

COCONUT FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup custard cups in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Mix in coconut. Divide mixture among cups. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of cups.
• Bake flans until just set in center, about 30 minutes. Remove flans from pan and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

VANILLA FLAN WITH RASPBERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• In a saucepan over low heat combine 2 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until sugar caramelizes, swirling pan occasionally. Immediately pour into 2 (9-inch) pie dishes. Turn dishes, so bottom and sides are coated. Set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together eggs, egg yolks and vanilla.
• Stir in whipping cream, milk and 1 1/2 cups sugar.
• Divide mixture among pie dishes.
• Place pie pans in a heavy baking pan, adding enough hot water to come up halfway up sides of pie dishes.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes clean. Remove custards from water and cool. Refrigerate overnight (*can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.).
• Invert custards on platters; sprinkle with raspberries to serve.

FLAN MEXICANO (MEXICAN FLAN)

Steps:

• Place sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and turns a golden amber color, about 10 minutes. Watch carefully once syrup begins to change color, because it burns easily. Carefully pour the melted sugar syrup into a flan mold. Let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Pour whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, egg yolks, orange juice, orange peel, vanilla extract, and cornstarch into a blender, and blend for a minute or so, until the mixture is smooth. Pour in the cream, and pulse several times to incorporate the cream. Pour the mixture over the cooled caramel syrup in the flan mold.
• Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the flan mold on the towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the center of the flan is set but still slightly jiggly when moved, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let the flan cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. To serve, run a sharp paring knife around the inside of the mold to release the flan. Invert a plate on the mold, flip the mold over, and gently remove the mold to unmold the flan and reveal the syrupy caramel topping.

PISTACHIO-TOPPED FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped into water and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into prepared cake pan. Using pot holders to protect hands from hot caramel, rotate pan to coat bottom (not sides) of pan. Cool.
• Whisk remaining 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in medium bowl to blend. Whisk in milk and cream. Pour custard mixture through sieve into caramel-lined pan. Place pan with custard in roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan with custard.
• Bake custard until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken and knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove custard from roasting pan. Cool 15 minutes. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Run small knife between pan and custard to loosen. Place platter atop custard. Firmly hold pan and platter together and invert, shaking gently to unmold custard onto platter. Sprinkle custard with pistachios and serve.

CARAMEL-COATED PUMPKIN FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush. Boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into 7- to 8-cup soufflé dish (7 1/2x3 1/2 inches), tilting and rotating dish to coat bottom and 2 inches up sides thickly. Place dish in 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan.
• Whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, sugar, and spices in large bowl to blend. Whisk in eggs and yolks, then cream and vanilla. Pour custard into prepared dish. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come 1 1/2 inches up sides of dish.
• Bake flan until deep brown on top and firmly set in center and blade of small sharp knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 2 hours 10 minutes. Remove flan from water; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate uncovered until very cold, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
• Cut around flan to loosen. Place platter on flan dish. Holding platter and flan dish together, invert, allowing flan to settle onto platter. Scrape out any caramel syrup remaining in dish and drizzle over flan. Surround flan with frosted grapes. Cut flan into wedges; serve with grapes.

CHOCOLATE-KAHLUA FLANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange six 3/4-cup custard cups in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine condensed milk and evaporated milk in medium saucepan and bring to simmer, stirring often. Remove from heat; add chocolate, cream cheese, Kahlúa, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk in eggs.
• Divide flan mixture among custard cups. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake flans until set in center, about 35 minutes. Remove flans from water bath and chill uncovered until very cold and firm, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

COFFEE FLAN

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cook sugar in a dry small heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Immediately pour into a 9-inch round ceramic or glass baking dish or metal cake pan (2 inches deep) and tilt dish to coat bottom (use caution, dish will be hot). Cool until hardened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Blend remaining ingredients in a blender, in 2 batches if your blender is small, until smooth. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve over caramel in dish, then transfer dish to a 17- by 11-inch roasting pan lined with a kitchen towel. Cover dish loosely with a piece of foil, then pour enough boiling-hot water into roasting pan to reach 1 inch up side of dish. Bake until custard is set but still wobbly in center when gently shaken and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Transfer dish to a rack to cool completely, about 40 minutes. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 8 hours.
• To unmold flan, run a thin knife around edge of dish to loosen flan. Invert a large platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. Caramel will pour out over and around flan.