Sunday, November 24, 2013

Leche Flan [Filipino Creme Caramel]

 

Leche Flan, a type of creme caramel, literally means "milk flan". It is very famous here in the Philippines, specially on special occasions such as fiestas and birthdays. It is a very creamy flan with a rich caramel topping.

I loved this type of flan ever since I was a kid. These were literally the reason I love special occasions, I could eat llaneras after llaneras [llaneras are elongated molds traditionally used fro flans] of these. But after all those times, I haven't made one myself. So I decided to make them today, and I got the recipe from Trissalicious. I love her recipe because it doesn't need sweetened condensed milk, unlike most of the recipes I have found. And they came out very smooth and delicious. The flans didn't look smooth in the photos because I had a hard time running a knife around a curved surface.

I did some changes on Trissa's recipe, and I cooked them in the oven instead of a steamer. If you prefer the steaming method, go to Trissa's website and follow her instructions on steaming flans. But be sure to cover them with foil, or they might end up looking nasty from all that water.


Leche Flan
Notes [ HEAD: Caramel, BASE: Milk, Egg ]

Ingredients [adapted from Trissalicious, makes about 5 servings]
3/4 c. sugar [for caramel]
2 tbsp. water

3/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. evaporated milk
6 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
1. MAKE CARAMEL: Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, cook until golden amber in color. Pour into metal panna cotta molds [or any other mold your prefer], covering the bottom surface, and allow to harden.
2. MAKE FLAN MIXTURE: Preheat oven to 350°F, then boil some water for the water bath. Combine the milk, sugar, egg yolks in a bowl and beat thoroughly until all the sugar have dissolved. Add vanilla extract. Pour mixture into prepared molds.
3. PREPARE WATER BATH: Put the molds in a cake pan, or any pan large enough to fit the molds. If you want the top remain smooth, cover each mold with foil. Pour about an inch of hot water into the pan.
4. BAKE THE FLANS: Bake for about 40 minutes or until the flan is set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour. Run a knife around the molds, flip over, then serve.

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