Crème de Caramel

There are several styles of Spanish Flan. From Spain to Mexico to the various countries of Central and South America, every one of these similar, yet different cuisines has its own version.

Some are thick and textured, grainy; others are more smooth and creamy.

While they’re all good, the second style, which is virtually the same recipe as the French Crème de Caramel, is my favorite. It’s a soft and silky custard that would be very good by itself, but becomes fabulous with the addition of the sweet and slightly bitter caramel sauce.

Don’t be intimidated by making the caramel. It’s impressive to look at, but not difficult to achieve. Just make sure you use potholders. Hot caramel is very hot!

Just a cute little anecdote I feel compelled to share:

When my son was taking Spanish in Middle School, the class was given an assignment. The students were to make a Spanish recipe of their choosing, and then bring it in to share with the class. They had to submit the recipe with the dish, translating it into Spanish. I will admit to having helped him with the cooking, especially in working with the boiling sugar, but he really did do most of it himself.

Parents were invited, and as the teacher took a bite of his flan, her eyes welled up as she said to me, “It tastes just like my grandmother’s!”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the technique, a bain marie is a pan of hot water, into which one places a dish while it bakes. Being surrounded by hot water, the contents of the dish bake slowly and evenly. The method is essential for producing a proper silky custard.

But a bain marie is a bain marie is a bain marie, in any language. My son, however, was meticulous in the translation of his recipe. When the teacher read it she burst into laughter out loud—he had directed the cook to place the dish of custard into “la bañera de María,” or, Maria’s bathtub. Nevertheless, he got an A+ for his efforts.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar + 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 cups milk                             

• 2 cups light cream                 

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 6 eggs                                    

• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract

• small cinnamon stick

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325°

• Place 3/4 cup sugar in a large sauce pan. 

• Place the pot over medium heat and cook without stirring until the sugar melts and forms a golden brown syrup.  Watch it carefully because it goes from golden to burned quickly.

• As soon as it’s done, stir it once to blend and, using potholders, pour it quickly into a heated metal 9" straight sided cake pan.  Holding pan with pot holders, tilt and rotate to cover the sides and bottom completely. The syrup will harden and crack. That’s not a problem, but if it hardens before it covers the whole pan, slide it into the oven for a few minutes. It will melt again and you’ll be able to finish the swirling. Set it aside.

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs slightly, then whisk in the sugar, salt, and vanilla. 

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and cream together with the cinnamon stick until bubbles form around the edge of the pan.

• Gradually stir the hot milk mixture into the eggs, one small ladleful at a time, whisking constantly. 

• Pour the custard into the prepared cake pan.

• Make a bain marie:  Place the pan with the custard into a large roasting pan and fill the outer pan with boiling water to half-way up the cake pan. Be careful not to get the water into the custard.

• Place the whole package—the cake pan in the water-filled roasting pan—into the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a butter knife slipped into the center comes out clean. 

• Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate over night. 

• To serve, run a knife around the edge of the cake pan to loosen the custard.  Cover the pan with a shallow serving dish and invert, shaking gently to release.  The caramel will act as a sauce for the custard.