Flan—Easy and Delicious

It's better than cake or pie.

If you are allergic to gluten, this is a good alternative.

It's easy to make, yet the results are spectacular.

I'm always struck by how simple ingredients make such a spectacular dish.

It's creamy AND dense.

There's something magical about how hard, carmelized sugar turns into syrup!

The trick to the carmelized sugar is to get it cooked enough for a good flavor. Too light and it doesn't have enough, too dark and it tastes too burnt.

To make carmelized sugar use a cast iron pan over medium heat. (If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can use a regular one but don't heat it first.)

Heat the cast iron pan, then slowly add 1 cup of white sugar. Let the bottom layer of sugar melt without disturbing it. Mix the rest of the sugar into the melted portion until it is all dissolved. Continue to stir the sugar, slowly letting it darken.

Take it off right after it reaches a boil. Sugar will end up lighter than it appears in the pan. Immediately pour liquid sugar into a glass pie dish. Be careful, it is very hot and burns horribly! Quickly rotate the pie dish to distribute the sugar evenly on the bottom and the sides.

Pour in the custard mixture from the blender.

Place in a larger pan with hot water coming half way up the sides.

Cover with aluminum foil but do not seal the edges.

Cook at 350 degrees for an hour. To test for doneness, stick a butter knife in the center. If it comes out clean, it is done. If it is not done, continue cooking. It's hard to overcook Flan...it just gets more dense.

Note: Flan can be made in small custard cups, or other molds but the thickness will change the amount of cooking time.