Leche Flan
When two people are dating, there will come a point in the relationship when one is hit by the realization that liking is now loving. Actually, my realization came pretty fast. On our fourth date, while watching TV in his apartment, my then-boyfriend-now-husband states “I make the best Leche Flan”. Visions of me sitting comfortably on the sofa every night while he labors in the kitchen preparing our dinner came swirling in my head. I am marrying this man!
When I got home from work last night, I found my kitchen piled with shell eggs, lineras (aluminum pans) and milk cans. Amidst the mess was my husband busily straining the egg-milk mixture with a cheesecloth into the pans. “Party at so and so tomorrow. They asked me to make my leche flan.” I wanted to start my first post last night. But with him calling me every two seconds (ten years in the same house and he still doesn’t know where the tongs are) and with the clean-up he left behind, had to wait till today. So here I am, savoring the best leche flan ever, finally ready to write my very first post! Exciting! I actually took my own pictures of the flan but my daughter found this on flicker.com by “simply anne” and I thought it ties in perfectly with my blog!
Makes 6 Lineras
Ingredients
30 eggs (egg yolks only)
4 cans evaporated milk (14 oz)
3 cans condensed milk (12 oz)
Sugar
lineras
Cheesecloth
Aluminum foil
Procedure
Prepare caramel base by putting 1-2 tbsps sugar on each linera and running the pans on the stove, using tongs to move pans over very low heat. It will take just a couple of minutes to melt the sugar into a rich, brown liquid.
Separate yolks. Remove all white part of egg as possible whites will not be used in the recipe). Add in evaporated and condensed milk. Mix mixture with a spoon in one circular direction to avoid building of “foams” in the mixture.
Using a cheesecloth, strain the mixture into lineras until 3/4 full. Cover the lineras tightly with aluminum foil.
Arrange lineras in a deep aluminum pan (roasting or buffet trays will do nicely) filled with water halfway of the lineras. Add more water in the middle of the cooking time, if needed, to prevent burning of bottom. This cooking process or technique is called baine-maire.
Cook in oven at 375 F for around 30-40 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of custard. Toothpick should come out clean.
Cool in the refrigerator for a few hours to fully set.
TIPS:
1) I find cold eggs allow better separation of yolk from white. There is also a tool called “egg separator” that can be purchased for around $2 (Pardon my misplaced humor but this link is way funny for me to pass.). However, I find it faster to just transfer the egg from one hand to the other. Messier, but easier. Some recipes include the white part of the egg. You can if you want, but that creates a denser, tougher product. This recipe creates a very smooth, melts-in-your-mouth texture. You can use the leftover egg whites for your meringue recipes or for your morning omelets such as with zucchini and cheese.
2) Lineras are oblong-shaped aluminum pans that you can buy from any Filipino market. If you can’t find one, a regular muffin or cake pan will do.
3) Straining the egg mixture with a cheesecloth is an important step. This process removes the foams that may create bubbles when flan is cooked. Soft cotton cloth like that of a t-shirt will work just as well.
4) The amount of sugar you use for your caramel depends on how sweet you want your flan. Be careful not to rush the melting procedure by using high flames as this will burn the liquid resulting to a very bitter taste.
5) My husband experimented yesterday by adding fruit to the regular recipe. He just placed 2-3 tablespoons of canned fruit cocktail on the linera before pouring mixture. This is an excellent way to sneak in fruits into the kids’ diet.
12/31/2007 UPDATE: When I found out about the BEST of 2007 blog event today, I knew right away this is the recipe I am sending because of three reasons:
1) This leche flan recipe connects me to the time when my relationship with my husband was at its sweetest. It was when he wouldn’t be in front of the TV watching and I won’t be in front of the computer blogging!
2) This was my very first blog post! I didn’t even know how to upload pictures then!
3) It really is the best leche flan recipe! My friends who have eaten lineras upon lineras can testify to that.
Sweets and Treats in The CookMobile Archive:
Lychee-Buko Sorbet (Lychee and Young Coconut)
Caramelized Banana with Honey, Mascarpone and Mint
More Good Food!
Dear Lalaine,
this looks really good, but I’m a little confused by the number of eggs you have.. how big are exactly your lineras?
Thanks!
Marta
Hi Marta,
I know, 30 eggs…seems a lot but that’s why the flan is so rich!
Thanks also as I realized I should have specified 30 egg yolks…as the egg whites are not used in the recipe.
Size of lineras…hmm, I estimate them to be around 3 cups capacity.
Sorry about the not specifying eggs vs egg yolks!
this is by far the best leche flan I have ever tasted. Let’s just call it SMOOOOOTH leche flan….
hi, I just want to ask how to get the perfect sides of a flan. mine seems to have holes in it….
thanks…
I think the best way to avoid this is to not beat your mixture and just combine your ingredients in one circular motion. When you overbeat eggs, it whips up too much air and creates tunnels in baked goods. Another way is using a cheesecloth to strain the mixture. Hope this helps.
I haven’t made leche flan in years! Even if we have farm fresh eggs daily… I’ll try this proportion of ingredients as I think I have forgotten what my Nanay used to do. Or perhaps find a guy who can cook great leche flan too!
Hi Lalaine,
Thanks for this, wish me luck on my cooking, my family friend here in Singapore missed this delicacies from Pinas…I’m excited to cook for them this weekend
God Bless
Lucy Arnesto
HR Consultant
Hi Lucy!
Have fun with the recipe! Email me if you get “stranded” along the way…I’ll be glad to answer your questions.
Hi Gay,
Make sure leche flan is not all he knows how to cook. Tee-hee-hee.
your leche flan looks delicious!i will try it
Catherine,
Have fun!
Oh my, I haven’t seen an egg separator in my life. Seeing the picture cracked me out. That was so funny. My hubby likes leche flan. Thanks for the recipe
My mom does the steaming process. And brown sugar…
Will this work with your recipe? I don’t have oven…
Instead of cheesecloth, I will be using tea bags…
Hi Lalaine,
I found you’re site while googling for “tips for a very smooth leche flan”. The “melts-in-your-mouth” description caught my attention so I read through. I made it exactly as you’ve described (although I cut the serving size to just a pan – 5 egg yolks) and it turned out P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!! My husband, who’s not quite a fan of desserts, LOVED IT!
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for. I’ll be definitely keeping this one. =)
Thanks so much for sharing!
Theresa
Hi Theresa,
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe. This recipe indeed does not fail to please.
Hi, Lalaine!.. uhmm..
It just so happened that I got interested with making leche flan that I began searching for its recipe.. And I found yours.. You’re love story really is so sweet.. I wish my current relationship will also turn out most likely similar to yours.. sweet and never changing..
Anyhow, I hope I can do it right.. (the leche flan i mean)..=)
hi, lalaine! thank you so so much! the first time i made leche flan, i was really disappointed. it turned out to be the worst leche flan i saw and tasted. then i searched of “best leche flan recipe”, then this site came out on top of the list. i used your husband’s recipe, and WOW. it is the best! thank you thank you thank you!
)
Im making my friend 1! I hope he likes it! He told me last week that he loooves leche flan.=)
Hi
Sorry I don’t have an oven can I steam it? How long will I steam it? thanks
Sy, hope he likes it too. Enjoy!