A festive Mexican custard dessert is not just good it’s flan-tastic. And this recipe is good enough to have in lieu of birthday cake, even if the rest of the food committee prefers something a little less…gooey.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- pinch of salt
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1 cup plus 7 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the heavy whipping cream, milk, and salt. Scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the saucepan, add the bean pod as well, and bring to a simmer, about 4 minutes. Once the liquid is gently simmering, remove from the heat and let steep for 30 minutes.
- While the mixture is steeping, make the caramel by combining 1 cup of sugar and the water in another medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat to high and cook (don’t stir but simply swirl the pan from time to time) until the syrup is deep golden amber, about 10 to 12 minutes. Quickly but carefully pour the caramel into six ¾-cup ramekins. Tilt each ramekin on its side to distribute the caramel up the sides of the cup. Place all six ramekins into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks, then slowly pour in the 7 tablespoons of sugar. Gently whisk the reserved cream mixture into the egg mixture. Pour through a small sieve, then distribute evenly into the prepared ramekins.
- Pour enough hot water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the flan centers are softly set, about 40 minutes. Transfer the ramekins to a cooling rack.
- Cover and chill overnight.
- To serve, run a small sharp knife around the edge of each ramekin and turn over onto a small serving plate. Drizzle with the leftover caramel from the ramekins.