Egg flan: the quick and easy recipe

Egg custard: the ingredients

Ingredients for 4 flans

• ½ liter of whole milk
• 1 vanilla pod
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 3 whole eggs
• 4 molds

for the candy

• 15 grams of water
• 50 g powdered sugar

How to make egg custard? the steps

prepare the caramel

1. Pour the powdered sugar and water into a saucepan and let your mixture heat up over low heat, without touching it! There is no need to stir the mixture with a spatula. Just watch your preparation so that the caramel does not burn. Bubbles will begin to form on the surface; this is a sign that your caramel is almost ready.
2. Decorate the bottom of your mold(s) with a small amount of caramel and let cool.

prepare the flan

1. On a cutting board, start by scraping out the vanilla bean and splitting it in half, lengthwise, with the tip of a paring knife;
2. It involves extracting the black vanilla seeds, in which all the vanilla flavors are concentrated;
3. In a saucepan pour the milk and add the vanilla seeds and pod;
4. Then, boil the milk and let the vanilla pod infuse;
5. In a bowl, place the eggs and powdered sugar. Mix well until the eggs turn white;
6. Remove the vanilla pod from the pan, but don’t throw it away. Save it, you can still use it!
7. Pour the hot milk over the eggs, stirring vigorously to make your flan mixture smooth. In culinary jargon, an appliance simply refers to a mixture of ingredients used to make a culinary preparation. Be careful, the milk should not be too hot;
8. Then pour your preparation into the molds up to the edge;
9. To obtain a soft texture, cook your flans in a bain-marie. To do this, take a baking dish, pour boiling water up to half of the bottom and place the molds in it. This way, your preparation does not risk burning or drying out. ;
10. In a preheated oven, bake your flans at 120 or 130 degrees for about 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the cooking and make sure the water doesn’t boil. To know if your flans are cooked, the trick is simple: check their consistency: they should be slightly wobbly in the center, the edges, however, should be firm. Their sides should also acquire a golden color. To be more sure, insert the tip of a knife into the flan; if it comes out clean, your dessert is ready.

Unmold

After cooking, refrigerate your flans for about 3 hours or even 24 hours and then remove them from the molds.

1. Run the blade of a knife around each mold to loosen the sides. As for the caramel, don’t worry, it melts a lot. When the sides were cooked, the caramel melted and remained liquid even after cooking;
2. Place a plate under your mold and another on top, then in one quick motion, flip the plates over to flip the mold;
3. Remove the top plate and carefully lift the mold in case the edges are still sticky. Once you have removed the sides, you can move on to tasting!

If you notice small holes on the edges when unmolding, it means that your flan has been cooked a few minutes longer.

What to serve with egg custard?

Egg custard is a dish that doesn’t necessarily have to be accompanied by anything else. It’s enough on its own. To make it more delicious, you can add more caramel to your custard.
You can also drink coffee or tea while enjoying your custard, if you wish, or even accompany it with speculoos to give it a crunchy touch that goes well with the fondant of this caramelized dessert.

What are some tips for making a perfect egg custard?

Preparing a homemade flan seems simple, but to achieve it it is important to take into account certain elements. To become a flan professional, there are certain tips that you should apply.

1. Avoid beating the mixture so that there are no air holes in the flan. Instead, stir gently until all the ingredients are well mixed.
2. Cooking is done in a bain-marie and in an uncovered oven.
3. Make sure that the water in the bain-marie does not overflow, so that it does not splash your moulds. To do this, you can place the eggshells, which you used in your recipe, on the surface of the water.
4. Simply cover the bottom of the mould with a thin layer of caramel, paying attention to the quantity used. To prevent the caramel from crystallising, add a few drops of lemon juice.
5. Once the flan is cooked, remove the mold from the bain-marie and place it in the refrigerator for a few hours or even 24 hours before eating it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my egg custard have grains?

If your flan is grainy and not smooth, there are several reasons for this:

cooking eggs

Baking determines the texture of your flan. If the oven temperature is too high, you risk getting a grainy side with a very pronounced eggy taste. It is recommended not to exceed 150°C. A baking time that is too long can also cause this problem.

If too high a temperature can cause the side to become grainy, too low a temperature may cause the side to not set. Also, this problem can occur if you use inadequate amounts of milk or eggs.

Milk

Another reason for the grainy texture of flan is the milk. This must be heated slowly and carefully so that it does not curdle, because if it does you will end up with a grainy flan!

Why is there water in my egg custard?

If your flan is filled with water, it is because of the cooking temperature. When the latter is too high, the water separates from the eggs.
Keep in mind that your flan may also release water. This is due to the type of milk you are using. Avoid skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and prefer whole milk for a firm and creamy flan.

Why is my egg custard not rising?

If your flan rises but ends up collapsing, put it in the oven at 150°C. This will prevent it from deforming. Your oven should not be too hot. If this is the case, your flan risks falling as quickly as it rose. Also, cooking the eggs is important. The whites should be cooked until firm and the yolks until they thicken.

Why put egg custard in the refrigerator?

Chilling the flan will firm it up and make it easier to unmold. Therefore, it needs at least 3 or 4 hours in the fridge to get a good firm consistency. On the other hand, you can take it out of the fridge for a few minutes to make it taste better.