How To Make Flan From Scratch

Knowing how to make flan from scratch is essential in many parts of the world. This popular Spanish dessert is a creamy, sweet custard that gels with the cooking of the eggs it contains. Topped with a caramel syrup, this treat will surely become one of your favorites.

To learn how to make flan from scratch, you will need:

For the syrup:

• ¾ cup of sugar
• Two to three tbsp. water

For the custard:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 vanilla beans or
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract    5large eggs     
• 1/3 cup of sugar

• Two saucepans
• Six small ramekins
• A whisk
• A mixing bowl
• A small knife
• A baking pan

1. Preheat the oven to 325º. Pour three fourths cup of sugar into one of the saucepans and add enough water to saturate all the sugar. Heat the mixture, dissolving the sugar and bringing it to a boil. Don't stir it at this point. Let it boil without stirring until the sugar is a medium brown color. Pour this syrup evenly into each ramekin dish, covering the bottoms completely. Learning how to make flan from scratch is a time consuming, but rewarding experience.
2. Put the vanilla beans, milk, and half and half into the other sauce pan and heat until it boils. Don't let it continue to boil. Right after it starts, cover it and take it off the heat. Let this sit for five minutes so that the vanilla flavor permeates the milk. You don't have to add the vanilla beans to make flan from scratch. You can just use the vanilla extract listed in the ingredients instead.
3. In a mixing bowl, blend one third cup of sugar and the eggs with the whisk just until the sugar dissolves. Take the vanilla beans out of the milk and slowly whisk the milk mixture into the egg mixture. Make a slit lengthwise in the vanilla beans and scrape out the tiny black seeds to add as well, whisking one last time.
4. Pour the custard mixture evenly into each ramekin on top of the caramel. Put the ramekins in the baking pan and fill the pan with hot tap water about halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 35 minutes. Check the water every so often to make sure it doesn't boil. If it starts to boil you can add some ice cubes to cool it down a little.
5. The flan is done when it is firm to the touch, but not solid. Insert a knife blade straight into the center of the flan and if it comes out clean, it's done. Take the baking pan out, the remove the ramekins. Cool to room temperature and then cover and refrigerate for at least four hours before trying to serve. Knowing how to make flan from scratch involves patience and timing.
6. To serve, run a knife all around the edge of the flan to loosen it. Using the dish you plan to serve it on, invert the plate on top of the ramekin and then turn the whole thing upside down. Gently pull off the ramekin. The caramel will then be on the top of the flan.

Be very careful when removing the baking pan from the oven. The water will be very hot and could cause serious injury if spilled or splashed.

Exploratorium: Flan