Traditional Caramel Custard - Flan a la Antigua
Submitted by gfpurdue342
Silky Mexican flan baked in homemade caramel with cinnamon-infused milk, whole eggs, and extra yolks for richness. A traditional custard dessert that’s slow-baked in a water bath until set like velvet.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
120 minREADY
190 minFlan a la antigua is the kind of dessert that rewards patience.
Milk simmers slowly with cinnamon sticks and a curl of orange zest until it reduces and concentrates into something deeply aromatic. That perfumed milk gets stirred into a rich mixture of whole eggs and extra yolks, then poured into a mold coated with golden, bittersweet caramel.
Two hours in a gentle water bath transforms it all into the silkiest custard you’ll ever taste.
When you unmold it, the caramel pools around the flan in a glossy amber sauce that tastes like burnt sugar and spice. This is old-world Mexican baking at its most elegant.
Chef Tips
- Don’t stir the sugar while making caramel. Just shake the pan gently. Stirring causes crystallization and grainy caramel
- Reduce the milk by about ⅔ cup. This concentrates the flavor and gives the custard a denser, creamier texture than shortcuts with condensed milk
- Let the custard cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating. Rushing it into the fridge can cause the surface to crack
- Test with a skewer at the 2-hour mark. It should come out clean, not wet. If there’s custard clinging to it, give it another 15 minutes
Ingredients
Directions
The caramel: Heat the sugar for the caramel in a small, heavy frying pan over low heat until it begins to dissolve.
Shake the pan slightly (do not stir) until all the sugar has melted.
Increase the flame and let the sugar bubble and color.
Pour the caramel into the mold and quickly turn it around in all directions, tipping it up in a circular motion until the surface - bottom and 2 inches up the sides - has been lightly coated with the caramel.
If the caramel thickens and becomes sluggish, gently heat the mold in a pan of hot water or over low heat, depending on the material, and continue the coating action.
Set aside to cool.
Put the milk, salt, sugar, and cinnamon or vanilla into a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
Continue boiling slowly, taking care that it does not boil over, until the milk has reduced by about ⅔ cup.
Set aside to cool.
Place an oven rack on the lowest rung of the oven and heat to 325℉ (160℃).
Beat the eggs and yolks together and stir into the tepid milk.
Pour the mixture through a strainer into the flan mold and place it in a hot water bath in the oven.
Test after 2 hours with a skewer or cake tester; if it comes out quite clean, the flan is cooked.
Remove from the oven, but allow to sit in the water bath for about 15 minutes longer.
Remove and set aside to cool completely before refrigerating.
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