Flan / Crème renversée au Caramel ( Caramel Custard)

Anyone can be a father but MY papa is a wonderful person, someone so special to me, whom I admire, cherish and treasure so heartily!! Unlike my beloved J, he has not always been a great cook but he masters two dishes like a Chef, one is Paal Kova (Milk Peda) and the other one is this Flan/ Crème Caramel. He finds great pleasure in doing it for us, each time we fly back home and so, today, it?s my chance to show him how special he is to me and how much he?s loved and appreciated and that all my thoughts wander around him....



The above is what he did for us during our last vacation in India. He didn?t use any oven or pressure cooker to cook the cream; he does it in an ordinary vessel. See how gorgeously it came out!!



So, I?ve done my version of the Crème caramel / Flan to celebrate on this special day to wish him a very happy Birthday in my own manner and to remind him how fortunate I feel to love a papa like him! Enjoy your day Papa!!!



Ingredients:



750 ml whole milk

5 eggs

150g sugar

2 vanilla beans

For the caramel:

135g sugar

45g water



Method:

Split open the vanilla beans into half along it?s entire length and scrape the seeds with the tip of a knife and put them along with the pods in the milk and bring it slowly to boil.



Preheat the oven to 180°C.



Grease the pudding moulds or any other oven proof dish (the edges should be high) and keep it in the oven for few minutes.



In a big bowl, beat the eggs along with the sugar until the mixture becomes beige in colour.



Gently add the hot milk over the egg/sugar mixture little by little, while whisking vigorously and continuously.



Prepare the caramel by heating a pan with the sugar and the water. (we don?t need to stir the mixture). As soon as the caramel begins to turn to golden brown, pour it into the greased moulds so that the caramel coats the bottom of the mould well. (This part should be done very quickly or else the caramel tends to harden). Keep it aside.



Meanwhile, remove the vanilla pods and the foam using a slotted spoon. (I didn?t do it here) and pour the mixture into the ramekins.



Place the ramekins in a baking tray lined with a baking sheet and pour some hot water just till half way up to the ramekins and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted, comes out clean. Remove and let it cool down at room temperature. Cool in the refrigerator until serving.



Before serving, just insert a knife towards the walls of a ramekin and move around the ramekin to detach the pudding from the walls. Place the serving plate on it and turn back at once and tap slightly so that the cream detaches delicately by itself. Enjoy your crème caramel and Cheers!!!



Drinks suggestions: Champagne