TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Flan de huevoEgg Flan
An egg-and-milk mixture is poured into caramel-lined moulds and baked gently in a water bath. Avoiding excess bubbles produces a smooth flan with a light caramel sauce flowing around it.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
This is the standard recipe, exactly as it’s made where it comes from — the highest Authenticity Score possible. Substituting ingredients changes this score; the app shows exactly how, ingredient by ingredient.
Ingredients (4 servings)
- Milk400 ml
- Eggs3 pieces
- Granulated sugar70g for the custard and 60g for the caramel130 g
- Water30ml for the caramel and 1L for the water bath1030 ml
Method
Line the moulds with caramel
- 1 Preheat the oven to 160°C.
- 2 Put 60g sugar and 30ml water in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- 3 Swirl the pan; when the caramel turns deep amber, turn off the heat and divide evenly among 4 heatproof pudding moulds of 180ml capacity.
Ready when
Continue when the base of each mould is covered with a thin layer of caramel.
Caution
Caramel is extremely hot and dangerous if it touches the skin. Do not taste it.
Mix the custard without whisking in air
- 1 Gently mix 3 eggs and 70g sugar in a bowl.
- 2 Add 400ml milk little by little, then pass through a sieve.
- 3 Skim off surface foam and divide evenly among the 4 moulds.
Ready when
Continue when no strands of egg white or large bubbles remain.
Bake gently in a water bath
- 1 Arrange the moulds in a deep baking dish and pour in warm water to halfway up their sides, using about 1L for the bath.
- 2 Bake at 160°C for 35–40 minutes, then gently shake a mould to check the centre.
Ready when
Continue when the outside is set and the centre wobbles slightly as a single mass rather than moving like liquid.
Chill and unmould
- 1 Remove the moulds from the water; once the initial heat has dissipated, cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
- 2 Run a thin knife around the edge, cover with a plate and invert to release the flan and caramel.
Ready when
The flan is ready when the smooth custard holds its shape and the caramel spreads around it.
About this dish
Records of sweets made with eggs and milk can also be found in an ancient Roman cookbook. Apicius, thought to have been compiled in the 4th century, includes a dish in which milk and eggs are sweetened with honey and set.
The flan enjoyed in Spain today combines eggs, milk and sugar and is set in a mould with caramel. Some ingredients are shared with the ancient record, but this does not establish that the method for today’s flan has continued unchanged since that time.
Spain’s national tourism office also presents flan as a dish of Cantabria in the north. A sweet served after a regional meal can thus be viewed against the long history of desserts made with eggs and milk.
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