Fabulous flan

Flan or caramel custard (as it is called in India) has always been one of my favorite desserts. I love the light creamy texture of the custard with the bitter sweetness of the caramel. I was always looking for it in restaurants and would settle for Creme Brulee as that is much easier to find. Its not that I don't like Creme Brulee, but it always left me wanting its less sweet cousin - flan. I was thrilled to find an easy recipe and now flan has become the dessert of choice when we entertain. The recipe is delightfully simple and the ingredients are things that you are likely to have in stock at home. I usually make the dessert the night before for a lunch party or in the morning if I want to serve it for dinner. 

Ingredients (for 4 portions of flan) - 

1/2 cup white sugar (for caramel)

2 cups whole milk

2 eggs beaten

2 egg yolks

3/8 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla essence (ensure it is not artificial vanilla flavor)

Method - 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Put the sugar for caramel in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Make sure that the pan is completely dry. Put the saucepan on low to medium heat. This step takes time and be patient watching the sugar melt. Resist the temptation to stir - it will all melt in time. I learnt this the hard way - but stirring causes the sugar to crystalize. Carefully pour hot sugar evenly into four oven-proof ramekins immediately. If you let it cool the caramel will harden really fast. 
3. In another saucepan, bring milk just to boiling over medium heat. Stir hot milk, a little at a time, into beaten eggs and egg yolks, until well combined. Ensure that the eggs are room temperature or the eggs will scramble. In case you forget to take the eggs out of the fridge, put them in warm water for a few minutes before breaking them.  Stir in sugar. Pour milk mixture evenly into ramekins. Add a dash of good vanilla essence. 
4. Line a roasting pan with a wet kitchen towel. Place ramekins on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
5. Bake in preheated oven 40 minutes, until set. Take it out of the oven when the center of the ramkin still jiggles slightly. Let it cool in the refrigerator, this can take a few hours. Loosen the edge with a butter knife, invert and serve. It looks beautiful and is sure to wow your guests.