mexico reminiscing: homemade flan

Last week was an exhausting work week – and the weekend was just as exhausting after moving into my new home (stay tuned for an update on the move soon)! All that I could think about was our time in Mexico – which already seems so far away! This flan definitely helped take me back. One night for dessert while in Mexico, we had the best homemade flan I’ve ever tasted. So good that I had two very large servings. And I’ve been craving it again ever since.

This version was pretty incredible – though I think it would taste better in 80 degree weather on the beach!

I combined several recipes to make this…and I hope you enjoy!

Homemade Flan

Makes one large (but thin) tray, or about 8 servings

Ingredients
1 and 2/3 cups of sugar
4 eggs
2 cups of heavy cream
2 cups of half and half
3 teaspoons of vanila extract

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees – ideally convection bake. Place indivdiual ramekins or a thin baking pan on a rimmed cookie sheet and fill with water, about 1/2 up the baking pan.

2. Pour 1 cup of granulated white sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. It will take about 5 minutes to start melting, so be patient! Remove the newly formed caramel from heat as soon as it turns a light golden brown. The caramel won’t taste good if it starts to burn! Immediately pour the caramel into the baking pan, as it hardens quickly.

3. Using an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, mix the remaining 2/3 cup of sugar with the 4 eggs. Once combined, add in heavy cream, half-and-half, and vanilla. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.

4. Pour the cream mixture through a strainer into the baking plan with caramel. It’s important that the mixture is not lumpy.

5. Cover the cookie sheet with foil and place in oven. Bake for 50 minutes.

6. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the flan has set.

7. Remove from oven, and remove flan from cookie sheet. Let cool for 30 minutes and cover with plastic.

8. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, carefully flip over the baking pan with flan onto a platter. Let flan shimmy out of baking pan so that caramel portion is on top, and serve!.