Master the Art of Flan-Making With Just 5 Ingredients

Ever since I was a little girl, I’d watch my mom pull out a ragged, old notebook filled with recipes every time she would walk into the kitchen (which is a strange phenomenon that only happens about five times a year). As I got older and my interest in cooking grew, I started flipping through the pages of what seemed like a simple stained notebook without really realizing the bulk of what was in it.

Until one day, my mom explained that my grandmother, before she passed, gave her the little notebook as a token of her love and for the sole purpose of my mom continuing her legacy in the kitchen. Luckily for me, I inherited my grandmother’s passion for cooking and am fascinated by the recipes I find every time I flip through its pages. This flan recipe is only one of my favorites.

Flan is by far an all-time Latin-American favorite. There are so many variations to this custard-like dessert, but this one shows you how to master the art of flan-making with just five ingredients before adding any crazy changes to it.  The simplicity and flavor of this dessert will inspire you to travel through Latin-America to taste it again and again.

Authentic Latin-American Flan Recipe

• Prep Time:15 mins
• Cook Time:1 hr
• Total Time:1 hr 15 mins
• Servings:10
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar

• Step 1

  Gather all of the ingredients listed above, except the sugar. You will use the sugar to make the caramel later. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  

• Step 2

  Add all of the ingredients, except the sugar, into a blender and mix it on medium speed or until all of the ingredients are incorporated completely. Set aside.

  

• Step 3

  Melt the sugar in a medium sauce pan on medium heat on the stove. Stir gently and constantly to prevent the sugar from burning. Once all the sugar has melted, quickly add it to the bottom of your pan. Distribute it evenly over the entire surface.
  
  #spoontip: Use gloves! The caramel is very hot and the heat will transfer among the entire surface.

  

• Step 4

  Slowly add in your flan mixture into the pan that already has the caramel spread out in it.

  

• Step 5

  Prepare a large pan with 1 inch water, and place your recipient with the flan mixture in it. This is called a water bath or baño maria in Spanish. Keep the same temperature (350°F). Bake for approximately 45-60 minutes.

  

• Step 6

  Let it cool completely before flipping it over. Once you flip it over, all of the caramel on the bottom of the pan will now be on the top part of the flan. Serve and garnish with a slice of strawberry and a mint leaf. (Make sure you have lots of caramel, too.)