Spanish Flan

A classic Spanish dessert known for its smooth, creamy custard and rich, flavorful caramel. This recipe features dark rum, lemon zest, and a 'wet' caramel technique to achieve perfection.

Spanish Flan

Cook time: 105 minutes

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 cup caster sugar
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 tablespoon Honey or golden syrup or honey
  • 0 caster sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 0.5 cup sugar
  • 0.25 cup milk
  • 1.33 cups milk
  • 0.67 cup double cream
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 0.67 cup dark rum
  • 1 vanilla pod sliced lengthways
  • 0 lemon zest
  • 0 water hot

Instructions

  1. Start by making the caramel. Pour 1 cup of caster sugar and 3 tablespoons of water into a saucepan, and begin to heat the mix gently.
  2. Once this starts to bubble, add 1 tablespoon of liquid glucose (or golden syrup or honey) to prevent crystallization.
  3. Without stirring, allow the mix to bubble and boil, swirling it gently in the pan until it starts to brown. The mixture should be heated to 320°F. Pour it quickly into six ramekins. Remove the pan from the heat if the caramelized sugar is browning too quickly.
  4. To make the crème, prepare a cold mix by combining 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of milk in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
  5. For the hot mix, put 1 1/3 cups of milk, 2/3 cup of double cream, 3 egg yolks, 2/3 cup of dark rum, one vanilla pod sliced lengthways with the seeds scooped out and stirred in, and the zest of a lemon into a saucepan. Gently bring to a boil.
  6. Take the pan off the heat, then slowly combine the hot mix into the cold mix, whisking them together to form a custard.
  7. Pour the custard into the caramel-lined ramekins.
  8. Place the ramekins in a baking tray. Create a bain-marie by pouring hot water into the baking tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake at 250°F for 20 minutes until the flans are set. They should feel soft and wobbly, not too firm.
  9. When the flans have cooled, place them in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.
  10. Retrieve the flans from the fridge one hour before serving. Use a sharp knife to release the edges, then flip the flans over on a plate before serving.
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