How to make Caramel for Flan

Here is a little step by step of how to make the caramel for flan . The only intimidating part of making flan is to make the caramel sugar . If you get this done right , the custard shouldn’t be a problem . In the beginning i wasn’t too sure about making it either . It’s like making candy , you need a thermometer and stuff , but i don’t have any candy thermometer . Probably if you do have them on hand , that would make it a lot easier instead of guessing game .

There are 2 methods to make caramel sugar , either you do the wet method by adding few tablespoon in the sugar , or you can do the dry method . This pictures below are about the dry method , i didn’t add any drop of water . Make sure you have a heavy bottom small pot .

Put the sugar in a small / medium ( depending how much sugar you have , i used 2/3 cup and used a small pot ) , turn the heat to medium .

No matter what , do not stir this sugar with spoon , it will crystalize really quick and your sugar will be wasted .Be patient , and swirl the pot to make sure the sugar on the bottom doesn’t get burned . After few minutes , it will turn to be like this

Keep swirling the pot , to make sure all the sugar melt and start to caramelize , it will all be melted like this , you have to keep watching it and swirling very often

Next , your sugar will turn to this color , we’re almost there , keep swirling

Once it turns to dark amber , like this picture below , it’s time to shut off the heat and pour the caramel sugar into the ramekins

Pour them into the ramekins , if you do it right , your caramel will starts harden on the ramekins within seconds , like this

Place all the ramekins in the roasting pan , filled with hot ( not boiling ) water , half way up

These are the ingredients for the flan , mix them all together with a blender , or mixer , remove the foam from the custard mixture before pouring them into the prepared ramekins .

Bake at 325 F , for almost an hour . To make sure it’s done , try to check it with the tip of a knife , if it comes out clear then it’s done even if it’s still super jiggly .

Let sit in water bath for another 5-10 minutes , then remove the ramekins and chill it in fridge for at least 4 hours , overnight would be even better . And when you’re ready to serve it , let the ramekin sit in warm water for 2 minutes then loosen the edges with sharp knife and turn it upside down , don’t waste the caramel sauce , it’s the best part !