Flan Recipe

Make caramel

Place 1 cup granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir just to combine, then stop stirring. Swirl the pan occasionally so the sugar cooks evenly. Watch carefully as the sugar melts and turns amber—this takes about 6–10 minutes.

When the caramel reaches a deep golden-amber color, immediately remove from heat and carefully pour or spoon the hot caramel into the bottoms of six 6-ounce ramekins (or one 8-inch round flan mold), tilting each ramekin to coat the bottom evenly. Work quickly because the caramel will harden. Set ramekins aside to cool while preparing custard.

Heat milk and cream

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Warm over medium heat just until tiny bubbles form at the edges and the sugar dissolves — do not boil. Remove from heat.

Beat eggs

In a heatproof bowl, whisk together 4 large eggs and 1 large egg yolk until combined. Whisk in 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and a pinch of fine sea salt.

Temper eggs: very slowly pour about 1/3 of the warm milk mixture into the eggs while whisking continuously to temper and prevent curdling. Then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking until smooth.

Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl to remove any foam or cooked egg bits. This ensures a silky flan.

Pour the strained custard evenly over the set caramel in the ramekins (or flan mold), filling almost to the top but leaving a little space for expansion.

Bake in a water bath (bain-marie)

Place filled ramekins in a deep roasting pan. Carefully pour hot (not boiling) water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the roasting pan loosely with foil and bake in the preheated 325°F (160°C) oven until custards are just set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 35–45 minutes for 6-ounce ramekins (50–60 minutes for an 8-inch mold).

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or an oven mitt, transfer the ramekins to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight to fully set and chill.

Prepare pecans and strawberries

If pecans are not toasted, toast 1 cup pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and slightly darker, 3–5 minutes. Cool and roughly chop. Hull and halve 1 cup fresh strawberries. If desired, toss strawberries with 1 teaspoon powdered sugar and let macerate 10–15 minutes to release juices.

Make quick Kahlúa sauce

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine 1 tablespoon Kahlúa and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Warm gently, whisking until combined and slightly thickened, about 1–2 minutes—do not boil. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Unmold flan: run a thin knife around the inside edge of each chilled ramekin to loosen. Invert a shallow serving plate over each ramekin, then quickly invert both together so the ramekin is on top. Gently tap or shake to release the flan. The caramel should flow over the custard as a sauce.

Plate and finish: spoon toasted chopped pecans around or over each flan, top with a few halved strawberries, and drizzle the warm Kahlúa cream sauce over the strawberries and plate. Any remaining caramel in ramekins can be spooned over as well.

Serve chilled or at cool room temperature. Leftovers keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.