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This bánh flan or Vietnamese crème caramel is similar in texture to an Italian panna cotta, though crème caramel is made without gelatin or starches, as the eggs thicken the mixture themselves giving you a perfect velvety texture, that's smooth and compact.
Ingredients:
600ml milk
200g sugar - 100g for caramel, 100g for custard
6 eggs – 3 whole eggs, 3 yolks
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp rum
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat oven to 170c. You will need an 8” round baking tray 2” deep and also a larger baking tray to place this one in for cooking.
For the caramel:
In a non-stick saucepan, heat 100g of sugar on a medium heat until it has turned a golden-brown colour, be careful not to burn it. Add 2 tbsp of water to thin out the caramel. Pour this into the round baking tray, moving it around so it covers the whole base. Leave to one side.
For the custard:
In a large bowl crack the 3 whole eggs, add the 3 yolks, vanilla, 100g sugar, rum and then beat until all combined.
In a saucepan gently heat the milk (don’t let it boil), and then slowly add this to the egg mixture beating as its being added. Strain the mixture and then pour over the caramel.
Place the large baking tray in the oven and then place the flan tray into this. Pour water into the outer large tray, then lightly cover the flan with silver foil.
Bake for appx 50-60 mins. a skewer inserted will come out clean when the flan is ready, although it will still be a little wobbly in the middle. Take out the oven and place on a wire tray to cool, then place in the fridge for about 6 hours.
Enjoy.
Gaby Van Clarke
None of us know what’s going to take us out. Life’s full of surprises. But we do know that the body starts to degenerate from about age 30 (more cells destroyed than created, barring excess weight gain) and also, crucially, that we can affect the speed of that ageing process.
Introduced by Portuguese merchants in the 16th century, and adapted over time to suit Japanese tastes, this light bouncy sponge is considered a traditional Japanese speciality. More delicate and airy than a regular sponge cake, castella ( カステラ, kasutera) is famous for a fine and moist crumb.
