Caramel Flan

I love experimenting with dessert at home. Much to the annoyance of my mom, I rarely make the same dessert twice because I'm always trying new things. This is usually how it goes: I make a recipe, my mom falls in love with it, I never make it again. Vindictive, right?

My defense is that there are just too many interesting desserts to try out there for me to make the same old recipes.

...so there.

This recipe for caramel flan is an exception to that rule and just so happens to be a favorite of my mom's (see, I'm not so horrible). I find myself coming back to it over and over again. It is ridiculously simple and I usually have all the ingredients laying around so I can whip it up at a moments notice.  The only drawback is having to waiting 3 long hours for the custard to cool to dig in.  

Caramel flan, a firm custard baked over a layer of caramelized sugar, is the Latin cousin of crème caramel. They're pretty much the same thing. The only difference I've noticed is that flan is thicker. Also, you can have different flavors of flan (pumpkin, chocolate, cinnamon, and so much more), whereas crème caramel doesn't vary.

There are two components to caramel flan: the caramel and the flan! Please, refrain from gasping in shock.To make the thin caramel sauce, first set up eight 4 oz ramekins in a hotel pan or cake pan.

Place half a cup of sugar in a small saucepan. Make sure it is not an aluminum saucepan. Aluminum reacts adversely with the sugar. Add a bit of water and mix. Here's the thing. I didn't include an exact amount of water to dissolve the sugar in because it really doesn't matter. No matter how much water you dissolve the sugar in, the sugar will caramelize. It's just a matter of how long it will take. The water needs to be cooked off for the sugar to start brown. So only add enough water to make it look like wet sand. Too much water and it'll take forever to caramelize.

Sugar dissolved in water. You'll notice it's a thick mixture resembling wet sand.

Cook the sugar over high heat. As soon as you put it on the heat, get a pastry brush and dip it in water. Brush the sides of the pan to dissolve any sugar crystals stuck there. Continue cooking until it comes up to a boil. At this point do not stir the mixture at all! This will cause it to crystallize, which is just a fancy term for becoming solid again. You don't want sugar lumps in your caramel.

Cook until it starts to brown. As soon as you see a slight color change, do not leave that caramel. Treat it like an overbearing mom would their child. Watch it carefully, almost distrustfully. It can go from perfectly browned to burnt in a matter of seconds. Gently swirl the pot to evenly distribute the browning. As soon as it turns a deep amber color take it off the stove.

This is the tricky part. Be very, very careful! If it has the chance, this stuff will burn your skin off. Carefully pour a thin layer of caramel into each individual ramekin, swirling the ramekins to cover the entire bottom. The caramel should harden almost instantly.

On to the custard! To make the flan mixture, whisk eggs, heavy cream, and sweetened condensed milk in a medium bowl. Dissolve cornstarch with a small amount of water in a separate bowl. If we were to add the cornstarch directly to the batter, it would clump.  Whisk the dissolved cornstarch into the flan batter. That's it. You're done. That easy!

Let's talk about eggs for a moment. Eggs are the reason you can unmold flan after it is baked. Whole eggs are used to provide both richness from the fat in the yolk and structure from the protein in the white. This is important in order for the flan to maintain its shape when unmolded.

The incredible, edible egg.

Fill each ramekin with flan batter almost to the rim. These custards are baked in a water bath to keep the eggs from curdling. Pop the pan in the oven, and then pour some hot water into a liquid measure cup, and then pour into the pan. Fill until the water comes half way up the sides of the ramekins. Be careful not to get water in the ramekins! Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the custards are mostly set but still giggle slightly in the center. Take out, let cool in the water bath. Once they are cool enough to handle take them out of the pan and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

To serve, simply slide a knife around the edges of the ramekin and invert on to a plate. A thin caramel sauce should fall beautifully down the edges. Hold on a second! How did that hard caramel become liquid? The secret lies with moisture. The sugar softens from moisture of the flan. Voila! A thin caramel sauce. 

This flan is thick, creamy, and sweet. Perfection. 

*If you're making the flan for a larger crowd, triple the recipe and bake in a 9x13 inch pan. Place the pan in a hotel pan to make a water bath. Bake for about an hour. After it is baked and cooled, invert onto a cutting board and cut into 1 inch squares.

I picked up this recipe while working at Lena, a Latin-fusion restaurant. We used to make and refrigerate large batches of the unbaked batter and bake the flan fresh each day. I scaled down the serving size for you.

Caramel Flan

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

9 oz heavy cream

3 large eggs

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place eight 4-ounce ramekins in a 9x13 inch cake pan. 
2. To make caramel, dissolve sugar with enough water to make it look like wet sand in a small saucepan. Place over high heat. Brush sides of pot with water to dissolve sugar granules. Cook until it is a deep amber color. Working quickly, but carefully, fill the bottom of each ramekin with caramel to make a thin lining. Set aside.
3. Whisk sweetened condensed milk,  heavy cream, and eggs in a medium bowl. Make a slurry with the cornstarch (meaning, add a little water to cornstarch in a small bowl to dissolve it.) Add slurry to mixture while whisking.
4. Pour batter in caramel lined ramekins.
5. Place the entire pan in the oven then create a water bath by filling the pan with water so it comes half way up the ramekins. Careful not to get water into the flan batter! 
6. Bake flan 25-30 minutes until set, but still jiggles slightly in the center. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. 
7. To serve, slide a knife around the edge of the ramekin and invert onto a plate. 
   
   - Rima

I Dream of Chocolate

Bonjour!

I've been friends with the beautiful Samar since freshman year of high school (has it really been 7 years??). I remember sometimes waking up early before school just to bake cookies. I haven't really stopped baking since. I went to college on the premise of getting a bachelor's in biology and then going on to medical school. Halfway through I was lured over to enchantments of the kitchen again: the sound of whipping meringues, the smell of baking cake, the feel of kneading dough. I did end up getting my biology degree, but snagged a culinary degree to go along with it. After graduating, I worked in a few restaurants and learned a ton about pastry. 

Everyone seems to be intimidated by the thought of making desserts worthy of a fine dining restaurant. I'm here to tell you there is nothing to be afraid of! With the right tools and information any baker, casual or avid, can make show-stopping, delicious desserts. A little indulgence never hurt anyone. So why don't you come over to the dark side? We have cookies. 

The first dessert we'll tackle is the infamous chocolate soufflé! Notorious for being difficult and fussy, the soufflé has developed a rather undeserved reputation. The ingredients and techniques are actually very simple. It is composed of whipped egg whites folded into a base or puree that is then baked.

If you handle your ingredients with care, your results will be magnificent.There's nothing quite like watching a soufflé rise in the oven to a terrifying, teetering height. That moment you break open the top of your fresh soufflé allowing the steam to billow out is equally wonderful. And that texture! It is like eating a cloud. A delicious warm cloud of goodness.

The key to a succesful soufflé, as I've mentioned, is treating your ingredients with care. You must first mis en place all of the ingredients and tools. Mis en place is french for "set in place".  Have all ingredients measured out, all equipment ready to go, and your oven set. Once you start actually making the soufflé, there's no going back! 

I like to preheat my oven 40 minutes before I'm going to use it.  This is because ovens fluctuate in temperature the first 40 minutes they are on. Separate your eggs when they are cold, then let them sit out for a couple of hours to reach room temperature. Room temperature egg whites whip up much better than cold ones. It is very important not to get any yolks into the whites when separating them! This will prevent them from whipping up properly. 

When measuring out dry ingredients into volume cups, you must always stir them first! There's a huge difference in the amount of flour in a cup of densely packed flour than an airy cup. Stir your flour, then measure it.  

Butter and sugar your ramekins. Greasing the ramekin and coating it in sugar helps a soufflé rise evenly and gives it a golden edge.

Sift the flour, a portion of the sugar, and cocoa together on to a parchment paper. This makes clean up easier. 

Make the chocolate base. Start by bringing your milk and butter just to a boil. Then whisk in the sifted dry ingredients off the heat. Return to the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it reaches a pudding like consistency. This only takes a few minutes. Whip in the egg yolks off the heat with a hand mixer. 

Chocolate base before egg yolks are beaten in. Note the pudding-like consistency. 

While the base is cooling slightly, start whipping the egg whites using a hand mixer or or in a stand mixer. Make sure everything that comes in contact with the whites is spotless and free of any fat! When the whites are foamy, add the cream of tartar and 1 tbsp of sugar. When they develop soft peaks (peaks that are just starting to form, but melt back into themselves after a bit) begin adding the rest of the sugar gradually. Keep whipping until the meringue (whipped egg white and sugar mixture) holds medium peaks. The peak will stand straight up at first, then flop over slightly. The purpose of adding the sugar gradually vs. all at once is to keep the egg whites from deflating. Do not over whip the egg whites or they won't fold into the base correctly.

Meringue with medium peaks. 

Working fast, but carefully whisk in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate base. This lightens the base enough to be able to fold in the remaining whites without deflating them. 

Fold in the remaining egg whites with a spatula. My method for folding: cut through middle with the spatula, sweep under the batter and then fold over. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. 

Do not over fold! Mix just until incorporated. A few streaks are fine.

Fill the ramekins with batter, then run a knife along the upper edge of the ramekins. This helps them rise straight.

Bake until puffed and golden.  As soon as they come out of the oven you only have a few minutes to get them plated and served before they collapse. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and serve by themselves or with ice cream or Crème anglaise.

It's like a pillow of dreams. That you can eat. 

Chocolate Soufflés

Adapted from Desserts by the Yard

2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp melted, for ramekins

2/3 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp for dusting ramekins

1/4 cup all-purpose flour.

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup milk

3 large eggs, separated, plus 4 large egg whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Confectioner's sugar for dusting (optional)

1. Place a rack in the lowest position of the oven and preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Brush ten 4-ounce ramekins with the 1 tablespoon melted butter, using upward strokes for the sides. Dust with the 2 tablespoons sugar, turning the ramekins and tapping out any excess sugar that doesn't stick. Place on a baking sheet, and store them in the fridge. 
2. Make the soufflé base. Place a piece of parchment paper on your work surface. Sift together the flour, 1/4 cup of the sugar, and the cocoa powder onto the parchment. 
3. In a wide heavy saucepan, combine the milk and the 2 tablespoons of butter and bring just to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the sifted dry ingredients. Place back on the heat and cook, whisking, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan and has a pudding-like consistency. Remove from the heat.
4. Beat the egg yolks lightly in a small bowl to break them up. Beat into the cocoa mixture with a hand mixer. Set aside to cool slightly. 
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a clean hand mixer, beat the egg whites on low speed until they are foamy. Add the cream of tartar and 1 tablespoon of the sugar. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat until soft peaks form. Slowly stream in the remaining sugar, a tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until the egg whites reach the medium-peak stage (the peaks will stand up, then flop over).
6. Using a whisk, fold in one third of the egg whites into the soufflé base. Fold in the rest of the whites with a rubber spatula, being careful not to over fold.
7. Take ramekins out of refrigerator. Fill to just below the rim and slide a knife around the inside perimeter of the ramekins. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the souffles are puffed. Do not open the oven doors before this. The center should remain pudding-like. Dust with confectioners sugar, if using, and serve immediately. 

Bon appétit!
-Rima