Caramel Custard / Flan (Oven Method)

Flan, otherwise known as Caramel custard is a simple, quick and my favorite after dinner treat. An easy to make dessert which hardly takes much effort. Caramel custard is a super rich dessert with a layer of soft layer of caramel on top.

Ingredients:
 For Caramel:
1/4 cup Sugar
2-3 tbsp Water
For Custard:
2 cups Milk (warm)
4 tbsp Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla essence


Method:
Grease the small sized trays or ramekins with little vegetable oil and keep aside.
Mix the water and sugar together in a white color heavy small pan (white will make it easier for you to judge the color of caramalizing later) on low heat and apply cold water on the edges of pan to avoid the darker color around the edges of the pan. 

Keep a vigilant eye on the melted sugar, intially when the sugar starts melting it will leave dark amber color then come the foam part. Swirl the pan slowly to avoid any lumps. On seeing golden brown syrup, remove from heat as it will keep getting darker for another 2 minutes even after removing from heat. Quickly pour this caramel into ramekins or various sized pans and swirl it quickly to coat the bottom and sides of the pans. Keep aside.

Pre-heat Oven to 180 Degree C. In a mixing bowl beat eggs on low speed for a minute or until fluffy and then add sugar. Beat again after adding vanilla essence. Now pour the milk into egg mixture and beat well. Immediately pour custard through sieve into ramekins. Arrange them on a baking tray which is filled with water (1/2 inch atleast). Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Let it cool, when you are ready to serve, run a knife around the inside of the mold to loosen the flan. Place a small plate on top of the flan and invert to pop it out.

User Comment & Tips:

• Don't stir the sugar mixture much otherwise you will have hard time to wipe the hard crystalized sugar from the spoon ;-)
• Caramalizing sugar needs patience, so don't keep the sugar on high flame. 
• Running the egg mixture through the sieve will make sure that caramel custard is free of any clumpy  white part of egg and end result will be very smooth texture.