San Miguel FAQ

This is a Mexican flanera (flan pan). It's made of aluminum; the lid fastens down with a hinged clamp. If you have one, use it. If you don't, you can use any kind of oven-proof pan that holds about two liters. It need not have a lid. That's San Pascual Baylón, the patron saint of the kitchen, in the background. He can be especially helpful at the moment you turn the chilled flan onto the serving platter.

Start by caramelizing the sugar in a heavy pan. This is an 8" enameled cast iron omelet pan; it's been in the pantry for nearly 20 years and, for this purpose, works better than any other pan in the kitchen. Just dump the sugar into your pan over very low heat; when you see that the sugar begins to melt a bit around the edges, move the pan a little to redistribute the sugar so that it caramelizes as evenly as possible.
Mexico Cooks! Orange Coconut Flan :: The Best Flan Ever!

Both crème caramel (French 'caramel cream') and flan are French names, but flan has come to have different meanings in different regions.

In Spanish-speaking countries and in The United States of America, flan refers to crème caramel. This was originally a Spanish usage, but the dish is now best known in the United States in a Latin American context. Elsewhere, including in Britain, a flan is a type of tart somewhat like a quiche.
Wikipedia: Crème caramel.


All Recipes: Baked Flan.

Preheat the oven to 360 degrees.
In a pan, heat the cup of sugar over low heat until it achieves the consistency of caramel. It takes a while, but don’t leave it unattended and move the pan as it begins to melt. Once it looks like caramel and is melted, decide how dark and strong you want the caramel to be. The lighter the color of the caramel, the lighter flavor. But be careful because if it gets too dark it can taste bitter and can burn quickly. Take it off the heat and pour it into the bottom of a flan or round tube mold or into 10 individual custard cups. Do so quickly, since caramel hardens fast.
Pati Jinch Orange and Almond Flan

Also from Pati Jinch Coffee Flan with Tequila Whipped Cream. Leave out the coffee and tequila for a traditional flan.

Want flan but don't want to cook?

Flan at Tacos Don Felix.

More in the category Cooking.

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