Spanish Flan

The national dessert of Spain is flan, known in other Western European countries as caramel custard. There are several variations, but the most common is this simple one.

Recipe

15 tablespoons sugar.

2 teaspoons water.

2 cups milk.

4 large eggs.

Half a teaspoon of orange or vanilla extract.

Preparation

Put 12 teaspoons of the sugar in a heavy skillet. Add the water and heat over a medium flame. When the sugar begins to melt, stir it and shake the pan a little. Leave over the heat until the mixture becomes a deep golden syrup. Pour at once into 6 custard cups or baking dish. Scald the milk. Mix together in a bowl the eggs, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, and the extract. Pour over the caramelized mixture. Place the dishes in a pan of hot water and bake in a preheated moderately hot oven for about 1 hour, until a knife inserted into it comes out clean. Remove from the oven; remove from the hot water; cool. Invert and serve.