Lavender Crème Caramel (Flan)
This recipe is one of the easiest recipes for homemade crème caramel (flan). It might look hard to prepare but it actually is very simple and you will make it over and over again. You need to be a little patient and let the flan cool in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or ideally overnight to have the best result. The flan is silky and smooth with the perfect level of sweetness and a special aroma of lavender.Bon Appetit!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 1/3 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp dried lavender (use the specified kind for cooking)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- boiling water for baking in the crème caramel pan in the oven (water bath)
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tbsp water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a 9"x5" loaf pan and a large baking tray to hold the loaf pan.
Caramel
- In a small pan over low-medium heat, add the sugar and water. When the sugar starts to melt around the edges swirl the pan around gently and let the sugar boil. Keep watching until the color reaches a deep golden color.
- Remove from the heat and swirl the pot around to get an even color throughout the caramel. Immediately pour the caramel into your loaf pan and quickly swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides and set aside.
Custard
- In a medium bowl, add the can of sweetened condensed milk (If you are using the same can to measure out the milk as I did, DO NOT throw the can away, make sure to keep it).
- Fill the empty can with whole milk twice ( Or use 2 1/3 cups ) and add to a small pot. (You should have 2 can-fulls of whole milk in the pot.) Add the dried lavender to the milk and simmer on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to stir the milk so it does not stick to the bottom of the pot. Then remove from heat and allow to cool.
- While the milk is cooling, prepare the custard by adding the eggs and vanilla to a medium bowl and using a hand mixer (or a blender), whisk until well combined. Add the sweetened condensed milk, dash of salt and the cooled milk and combine well.
- Using a fine strainer, slowly pour the custard mixture over the caramel in the loaf pan to remove the lavender and discard whatever is left in the strainer.
- Place the crème caramel pan in the middle of a large baking dish. Carefully add boiling water to the baking dish to cover the sides of the pan halfway.
- Bake for 45 minutes by placing the pan in the middle rack of the oven, You can tell when it is ready when the sides are lightly golden in color and by touching the center with your finger, it should be dry to the touch with a jiggly consistency.
- Carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, then remove the crème caramel pan from the water bath, and cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight.
- At the time of serving, carefully run a thin sharp knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the serving plate on top of the pan and flip it over the plate. Serve cold.