Vanilla Bean Flan Recipes

VANILLA BEAN FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Heat 1% milk with vanilla bean halves in a small saucepan over moderate heat until hot. Remove from heat, cover, then steep 20 minutes.
• Cook sugar in a 6-inch nonstick skillet over moderately low heat, swirling skillet to help sugar melt evenly, until melted and pale golden. Continue to cook, swirling skillet, until deep caramel, 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately pour into custard cups, tilting cups to coat bottom. Let caramel cool.
• Whisk together whole egg, yolk, condensed milk, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Discard vanilla bean pod from steeped milk and gradually whisk milk into egg mixture.
• Divide custard among cups and bake in a water bath, loosely covered with a sheet of foil, in middle of oven until custard is set but still trembles slightly, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove cups from water bath and cool on a rack. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours. Unmold flans by running a knife around edges to loosen and inverting onto plates.

VANILLA FLAN

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup of the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until it begins to melt and turns brown around the edges. Pull the melted sugar around the edges toward the center of the un-melted sugar with a heatproof rubber spatula. Continue cooking, pulling the melted sugar, until all the sugar is melted and the caramel is uniformly dark amber (it should smell caramelly but not burnt), 10 to 12 minutes total. (If you still have undissolved lumps of sugar, stir it off heat until melted.) Pour the caramel into 8-by-2-inch deep cake pan in an even layer, 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep. Let the caramel cool; it will crack as it cools and that's ok.
• Bring the cream, milk and vanilla bean to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove from the heat and steep for 30 minutes.
• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Put the eggs, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a blender and puree on low speed until smooth and the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute.
• Strain the cream mixture into the egg mixture and blend at low speed to combine, discarding any solids. Skim the foam off the top and transfer to the prepared baking dish. Remove any remaining foam from the top and cover the dish tightly with foil.
• Line a roasting pan with a clean kitchen towel; this will keep the baking dish from sliding and it will insulate the flan, preventing it from overcooking. Set the baking dish on a towel and pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish; the flan should not be floating. Bake the flan until it looks set like gelatin(it will wobble when gently shaken), 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, remove the foil and let cool. Cover the dish with plastic and refrigerate until set and cold, at least 3 hours and up to 24.
• When ready to serve, run a paring knife around the edges of the flan to loosen. Invert it onto a platter. Serve cold. The flan can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Unmold and serve.

VANILLA-LIME FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Place eight 2/3-cup ramekins or custard cups on work surface. Stir 1 1/3 cups sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan occasionally, about 8 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into ramekins. Using oven mitts as aid, pick up each ramekin and tilt and rotate to coat sides with caramel. Place ramekins in large roasting pan.
• Using back of spoon, mash 1/2 cup sugar and lime peel in large bowl until sugar is moist and fragrant. Add eggs and yolks; whisk to blend. Bring cream and milk to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk cream mixture into egg mixture. Whisk in vanilla and salt. Ladle custard into caramel-lined ramekins. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins.
• Bake flans until just set and beginning to color on top, about 45 minutes. Remove from water; let cool 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Cut around sides of ramekins to loosen flans. Invert flans onto plates. Garnish with lime slices, if desired.

VANILLA FLAN

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar begins to melt. Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash down the sides of the pan to eliminate sugar crystals. Cook, without stirring, until amber brown, about 25 minutes., Quickly pour into an ungreased 9-in. round baking pan, tilting to coat bottom of pan. Place pan in a large baking pan; let stand for 10 minutes., Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°. In a blender, combine eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and vanilla. Cover and process 1 minute or until well blended. Slowly pour into prepared baking pan., Add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake, uncovered, 35-40 minutes or until center is just set (mixture will jiggle). Remove baking pan from water bath; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate overnight., To serve flan, run a knife around edge of pan; quickly invert onto a rimmed serving dish.