No More Bubbles! A Chef’s Guide to the Creamiest, Most Velvety Authentic French Flan

The French cuisine has always been a charm for those trying all kinds of recipes in their kitchen, though some exquisite meals have long seemed too complicated to be prepared perfectly at home.

The famous French flan might be one of those, yet it can still turn out perfectly fine if you get the technique right. All you need for the authentic French dessert is the simplest ingredients that may already be stored on your kitchen shelves.

Here’s what you need: 600 ml of milk, 5 eggs, 80 g of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar, 0.5 teaspoon of salt.

For the caramel: 120 g of sugar, 40 ml of water.

Combine the sugar (120 g) and water (40 ml) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, wait until all the sugar has melted. Don't stir! Once the sugar has melted, you can turn up the heat slightly. Don't stir here either. As soon as the caramel turns amber, remove the saucepan from the heat.

Immediately pour the hot caramel into the baking tins. The bottom of the tin should be completely covered with caramel.

Pour the milk into the same saucepan (no need to wash the saucepan; the caramel leftovers will give the milk a caramel flavor). Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla sugar. Place over medium heat and warm the milk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not bring the milk to a boil to avoid unnecessary bubbles. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat.

In a bowl, mix the eggs with a whisk (no need to beat them). Add the milk to the eggs, stirring constantly so the eggs don’t curdle. Strain the milk-egg mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.

Line a baking sheet (or a larger pan) with a paper towel and place the forms on top. Pour the cream into the forms.

Pour water into the baking sheet (the water level should reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins). Place in a preheated oven and bake the crème caramel at 160°C for about 30–45 minutes, depending on the size of the forms and the functions of your oven (on average for 45 minutes).

Remove the flan from the water and let it cool to room temperature. Then place it in the fridge for 3-4 hours so the dessert can develop its final texture and flavor. To remove the crème caramel from the pan, run a thin knife along the sides of the pan. Cover the pan with a plate and flip it over.

If you wish, garnish the flan with berries and fresh mint.