French flan is often made with a simple crust:

• 1 cup Flour
• 3 oz Melted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• A pinch of salt

Flan filling:

• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 2 cups of Milk
• Vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Put the thin crust in a pan and add the filling. Bake for 45 minutes at 380 degrees and serve when cool. The main difference between this flan and others is the addition of flour to the recipe. Making flans is great fun because there are so many ways to vary the results without changing the basic recipe.

We have found at least six different recipes for Spanish flan. Here is what they all have in common:

• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 can of evaporated milk (12 oz.)
• 1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Note that Spanish flan uses one more egg than Mexican flan, which makes the flan more "eggy" tasting. Also note that the flan is baked in an oven, not cooked on a stovetop. Put an inch of water into a large pan, place the molds within the pan and and set it on an oven rack. Set the oven to 350 degrees F. No need to preheat. Bake for one hour. Make the usual test for doneness by inserting a knife. If it comes out clean, then the flan has fully cooked.

We have found so many recipes for "Cuban" flan that we've lost count. But here's what they seem to have in common:

• 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• 2 Cups of milk
• 3 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup water

In Cuba, there are two ways of cooking it: 1) Over the stove top at low to medium flame untill a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry. 2) In a preheated at 350 degree oven for about an hour in the middle rack until a knife or toothpick comes out dry. Most Cubans prefer to leave it in the refrigerator for two days.

So far we have found nine different recipes for Mexican flan. Here is the one thing they all have in common:

• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup milk
• 3 large eggs with yolks
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
Melt the sugar in a small saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until sugar is a dark, caramel-colored liquid. Remove it from the heat and pour into a 4-cup metal ring mold or 8 individual molds. Turn mold over and over to coat the bottom and sides with the caramel. Let it cool so caramel hardens. Mix condensed milk, milk, eggs, egg yolks and flavorings with a whip. Pourthis mixture into the mold or molds. Note that most Mexicans make their flan on a stove top, not in an oven. We think this is because many people simply don't own an oven. Put mold in a larger pan filled with water to a depth of 1/2 inch. Cook on the stove top for 1-2 hours, until it is the right consistency. Refrigerate for 6 hours to 2 days. The longer it is refrigerated the denser it becomes. Serve in the usual way.

Using less milk and more sweetened condensed milk makes the flan more dense, sweeter, and less creamery.

There are several flan recipes from Puerto Rico. They seem to use more eggs than other recipes.
Here is a typical Puerto Rican flan recipe:

For the flan:

• 6 large eggs
• 2--12oz cans of Evaporated Skim Milk
• 1 1/2 cups of Sugar
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

• 2 cups of Sugar
• 1/4 cup of water (some cooks don't use water, they just melt the sugar)

Coming Soon!