A flâneur is not the maker of flans. A flâneur observes, idles, saunters, and loafs, preferably along a Parisian boulevard. Not me. I am a doer and, much to the disappointment of many around me, I am in perpetual motion. There are advantages to this. One being that dinner makes it to the table every night on time.
And so does dessert, might I add. Such as this flan, for example. One of the best things about recipes like this is they must be made in advance. Having it parked in the fridge, ready to go, makes putting together a dinner for guests so much easier. This particular flan can be made the morning of, or up to three days before you need it. How flexible is that?
Flan is big here in the Southwest, but it is a denser flan due to the use of cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk. While I like it, I long for the silky texture often associated with crème caramel — so delicate and refined. I really didn’t know it’s history till I found this version on The New York Times.
My edits to the recipe are few. I’ve already reduced the sugar in the original recipe; you may wish to reduce it further. Otherwise, my additions are mostly side notes for the future flâneur flan maker. Julia Moskin says, “This traditional Iberian flan is now sometimes called ‘Flan a la Antigua,’ or Flan of the Past. That’s because it doesn’t include the common New World ingredients of condensed and evaporated milk. Instead, it is pure poetry made of eggs, sugar and milk.” Truth. Poetry it is.
~ David
Flan de Leche
Click icon below to print recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 cups whole milk (I will try 2% or 1% next time)
- 2 strips lemon zest
- pinch salt
- 6 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Put 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water into a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, swirling the pan to combine the sugar and water. Do not stir. Let boil until dark amber in color, swirling the pan occasionally to caramelize evenly, about 10 minutes total. Immediately pour caramel into a 9- by -5-inch loaf pan and swirl to coat the bottom evenly. Set aside to harden.
- Heat oven to 325°F.
- Combine milk, lemon zest, salt and remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar (I already reduced the sugar; you may wish to reduce it further) in a saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until milk is hot, and sugar has melted, but do not bring to a boil. Remove the lemon zest and set side to cool.
- Combine eggs, egg yolks, and vanilla in a blender and blend on low speed until smooth. With the blender running (on low), very slowly pour the warm milk (if it is too hot, the eggs will cook/curdle) mixture into the eggs (I transferred my milk to a pitcher with a spout to allow for slow pouring). Pour egg-milk mixture into the caramel-lined pan.
- Place the loaf pan in a 9-inch by- 13-inch baking dish. Pour enough hot water from the tea kettle into the baking dish until it comes about halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Place in the oven and bake 65 minutes, until flan is set but still quite jiggly in the center. Remove flan from water bath and cool on a rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered, until cold and firm, at least 8 hours or up to 3 days.
- To unmold, run a thin sharp knife around the edges. Center a rimmed platter upside down on top of the pan and, holding both, quickly flip the pan and plate together. Remove the pan, watch the caramel flow, and serve chilled, in slices.
- Serves 8-10.
- Notes: the amount of liquid barely fit in my blender (7-cup capacity) and the amount of egg-milk mixture filled my loaf pan to the very top with a little left in the blender.
© 2024 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
July 9, 2022 at 5:37 amHa! I wish I had your energy… and your flan making skills. This one looks lovely. Never attempted it myself, even though my better half *loves* flan. Now that I read the recipe, it actually sounds quite do-able. May give it a try!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 9:49 amOh, Frank – you are so kind. But I know you could pull this off with great élan! And your better half will love you all the more for it!
Connie
July 9, 2022 at 6:21 amDavid, your writing is every bit as wonderful and interesting as your recipes. Best blog on the web.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 9:49 amConnie – you are so incredibly kind! Thank you!
Melissa
July 9, 2022 at 7:47 amWe love flan but I usually make it in ramekins so we can work our way through it over several days. Have you tried that with this one?
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 9:50 amI haven’t tried the ramekin version yet, Missy — will need to, and will let you know.
John / Kitchen Riffs
July 9, 2022 at 8:21 amDidn’t know the word, flâneur . Thanks for the intro! I’m not quite that — I DO like to relax, but I’m not actually lazy — but I kind of identify. 🙂 Anyway, haven’t had flan in ages, and this looks great. Thanks for this. Oh! And two asides. First, re infusing brandy with peaches to make the Fish House Punch — go for it! I like that idea a lot. Haven’t used peach bitters in that drink, but I”m planning to. Second, you sometimes mention the _NY Times_ food section, which I read too (it’s really good, although I feel it’s declined in the last few years). Do you ever read the _Washington Post_ food section? Much more active — new content daily — and more recipes that I find interesting and that inspire my cooking.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 9:54 amIsn’t that a great word, John? I love it. This is a great version and the only credit I can take is sharing it with you!
I will try th4e peaches in brandy – was going to check back and see what you thought.
And, to see the Post food you need to subscribe – we gave up pour Post subscription quite a while ago. Maybe I need to reconsider. The NY Times is often quite disappointing. The recipes rarely seem tested and they are all becoming all alike. It is rare that one turns my head these days.
Brian
July 9, 2022 at 9:03 amLooks perfect — and delicious.
I’m a long-time fan of creme caramel, even in these days where most folks seem to prefer creme brulee. The best creme caramel recipe I’ve ever found is in the 1964 version of the Joy of Cooking. I make individual dishes and enjoy the suspense of unmolding them individually, sometimes in front of eager guests.
Yours looks so good that I’ll need to make it for a dinner party sometime soon. Thanks. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 9:55 amThanks, Brian! I often do like individual servings – sao much prettier to serve. But this servied at the table as a loaf is quite beautiful. I will definitely try both ways, though. And see what edition of TJOC I have.
Susan Manfull
July 9, 2022 at 9:49 amNo, you are not a flâneur but, clearly, you are a flan maker and you might convert a few of us readers. It looks yummy!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 10:31 amI think you really need to try this, Susan! It is really the best!!
Gerlinde
July 9, 2022 at 10:26 amI love, love flan . Yours looks wonderful, I have to compare it to a recipe I have from an Mexican cookbook I got 40 years ago. Happy eating!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 10:30 amHi Gerlinde – I would be really curious to know the differences! SInce the recipe you have is old, It might be similar. Thanks for your kind words! 🙂
Kirsten Honeyman
July 9, 2022 at 2:04 pmFlans are quite a tradition in my home town of NOLA, but there we call them crème caramels. Such a great finish to a meal! Thanks for this recipe. – Kirsten
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 4:59 pmIt is a nice finish to a meal, isn’t it! Hope you had fun in NOLA!
Eha
July 9, 2022 at 4:21 pmBeautifully prepared and presented flan . . . wish my perpetual motion, of which I am very ‘guilty’, would not always lead me away from the kitchen once the main course had been served – in this case perchance just as well as there is rarely any sugar in the pantry 🙂 !
Cocoa & Lavender
July 9, 2022 at 5:00 pmThanks, Eha – maybe someday you will find some sugar in your larder and this flan will happen!
Jeff the Chef
July 10, 2022 at 5:15 amDavid! I am such a huge fan of flan! And it is not so easy to find a good one. I don’t have a favorite recipe, so I can’t wait to try this one out. It looks absolutely beautiful. I’m so glad you’ve resisted the cream cheese! Ack!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2022 at 9:00 amI don’t know how the cream cheese got in there, Jeff, but I was first given a recipe with it in 1993! So it’s not new. I think you will like this one.
Ronit
July 10, 2022 at 10:50 amYour flan looks perfect!
Although I haven’t made flan in ages, when I did, it was also without cream cheese or condensed milk. The traditional recipe is so much lighter and tastier. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2022 at 9:03 amAs I was saying to Jeff, Ronit, my first encounter with both those ingredients was in 1993! I don’t know where my friend got the recipe but I am so much happier with good old milk!
Sherry M
July 10, 2022 at 10:03 pmi love flan! There used to be a Uruguayan (I think) restaurant near us and they made the bestest flan:-) Pretty sure it had condensed milk and/or cream cheese. Ah for the good old days when we ate dairy …
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2022 at 9:04 amMaybe the use of the condensed milk and cream cheese is a Central/South American thing. One of the recipes I have is defintiely from South America.
John
July 11, 2022 at 10:48 pmI was shocked to read about condensed milk and cream cheese. Really? Excuse me as I clutch my pearls and blurt out … Sacrilegious!
David, yours looks like perfection.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2022 at 9:04 amI am just so glad you have pearls. Clutch away!
Thanks, John – this is a pretty solid recipe.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
July 12, 2022 at 8:54 amI’ve never actually made a Flan (Nor any similar desserts), but I must say it looks impeccable; so smooth, silky, and delicate. And that caramel looks absolutely inviting. Please pass me a spoon, I mean 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2022 at 9:05 amI lvoe when the caramel is like a mirror, Ben! It really does pull one in… Thanks for your comment!
Raymund
July 12, 2022 at 5:54 pmLol, I thought a flâneur is a flan maker :p
The recipe looks similar the the Filipino leche flan but instead of baking them the Filipino ones are steamed, we also use just egg yolks no whites.
Love a good flan like this
Cocoa & Lavender
July 13, 2022 at 9:06 amThat sounds really good, Raymund – I will need to see if you have the recipe on your blog!
Chef Mimi
July 14, 2022 at 2:08 pmGreat post! This looks just like my mother’s creme caramel. I guess there’s little difference except the source of the recipe?! She’d make it for me when I was sick. And these Chinese chicken wings that look like lollipops. That was mom at her best!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 16, 2022 at 11:37 amThere are so many wonderful variations on this… I think you’re absolutely right, Mimi. This is basically creme caramel! Anyway it comes to me, I love it!
Valentina
July 15, 2022 at 9:34 pmI always love your post titles. So clever!
My mom loved flan (as do I). When she’d order it in a restaurant, she’d ask the server, “is it silky smooth, or like sand on the beach? I only was it if it’s like silk.” Usually in Mexican restaurants, she’d say all of this in her grammatically perfect Spanish, but with a major American accent. It was hilarious. She would have loved this flan, that’s for sure! My mouth is watering just looking at your beautiful photos. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
July 16, 2022 at 11:38 amNow, if I could only get a job as a title writer! 😉 I really think I would’ve gotten along great with your mom, Valentina!
2pots2cook
July 20, 2022 at 1:07 amWe haven’t had flan for such a long time also. Your presentation is beautiful!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2022 at 8:06 amThanks, Davorka. I have been thinking I need to make a mini version suitable for two or three!
Christina Conte
July 20, 2022 at 6:21 pmOh I’d just say that’s a beautiful custard dish! hahaha! The Brit in me 🙂 Sounds fabulous, and I can almost taste it, David. Perfect for entertaining!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2022 at 7:52 amPotato, potahto… right? Maybe I should research hoe many dishes lik this exist around the world.
Pauline
July 22, 2022 at 7:06 pmDavid, I think everyone deserves to be a flaneur when they are on holidays, especially in Paris, love the word. And I love your flan, which to me is like a creme caramel in a loaf form, what a brilliant idea for a a dish which is pure perfection. It’s ages since I’ve made creme caramel, so I’m going to tuck this recipe away for a special occasion. Love your photos as well, really enjoyed your whole post. Thanks for the inspiration.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2022 at 7:46 amI like the way you think, Pauline. Yes, I think I do want to be a flâneur in Paris. Considering your comment ant those of others, I wonder how many countries/cultures/cuisines have a flan/crème caramel? Probably many!
Happy Retirees Kitchen
July 22, 2022 at 7:08 pmDavid, Just doing a little test here to see if comments will accept my blog name instead of my real name. Seems to work, Best, Pauline
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2022 at 7:35 amHi Pauline. It did do into my spam box — but I have approved it, so please try it again and let’s see if it goes through! That happened once before to another friend and it was fine after I approved the first one. Finger crossed! Hope you are staying warm this weekend.
Fran @ G'day Souffle
July 25, 2022 at 2:44 amI love flan- it is both sweet and light so I could eat the whole thing in one sitting! I consider myself to be both a flâneur and an active person, so this recipe would suit me just fine!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 29, 2022 at 12:51 pmI like that you are both a flâneur and one who is active! Any custard dish that you put in front of me makes me happy. It sounds like you were the same way.