Caramel Flan

Caramel Flan with Spun Sugar

I am a flan lover. I LOVE flan. It's basically a custard dish that is baked using the Bain-Marie or water bath technique. I have always thought it would be difficult to make so I always buy the ready-made flan at my local Asian Market. Today, I finally decided to make it after doing a lot of research on recipes, variations and techniques. I found a simple recipe/method on YouTube and so here is my first attempt EVER, at making flan. AND IT WAS A SUCCESS!!
I made the basic caramel flavor and it was awesome. I also tried my hand at spun sugar, which was a bit of a hassle since it was also my first time and I didn't have enough patience to properly set up an area to "spin" the sugar. I burnt one finger because I forgot how hot the sugar syrup would be...silly me.
Recipe for the flan is written below.

Caramel Crust:
In a saucepan, melt around 3/4 cup sugar on medium heat until liquefied and caramel in color. Pour a thin layer into ramekins or custard cups. Set aside.

Custard:

3 eggs

50 grams sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract/essence

500ml milk

In a bowl, gently whisk eggs and sugar together until sugar is dissolved. Add in vanilla extract and milk. Strain into a large measuring cup to remove the egg white strands and skim off any froth that is visible.

Pour mixture into ramekins, leaving 1 cm space between mixture and rim. Place ramekins in a roasting pan or double broiler and fill pan half way up with boiling water.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius and bake for 45 minutes until set. Remove and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before placing into the fridge to chill for 4 hours. 

Loosen sides and flip onto a  plate (you may have to tap or shake it a bit for it to slide out).

Garnish with whatever you like or just serve plain. 

SO RICH, SMOOTH AND CREAMY!! IT TASTES LIKE BLISS IN HEAVEN!