Preparing egg flan in the oven is not exactly a complicated task, since the appliance does most of the work. But it is a process that takes time, in addition to the fact that the bain-marie that it requires to be curdled but silky makes you lazy and afraid of burning yourself in equal parts (because you can burn yourself). The solution lies in another appliance that many people use basically to heat milk, although it has many other culinary possibilities: the microwave.
To make it creamy and silky, the only trick is not to go overboard with the cooking power: 500W will give us a good point, don't think about taking a shortcut because it will be more similar to a tortilla than a flan. It will also help to let it rest between cycles so that the residual heat does its work, and adjust the times with the oldest and most foolproof system: keep a close eye on it. If your eyes do not give you the necessary clues to know if you need to cook it more or not, stick a toothpick or wooden skewer into the area of discord. If it comes out with dough stuck together, it still needs a little time to set.
You can prepare it a day or two in advance - cover it with film or a silicone lid so that it does not dry out - and eat it alone or accompany it with a good whipped cream. I haven't tried it -yet-, but I have seen some recipes for cheese flan that, using the same cooking technique, replace the sugar with 200 grams of condensed milk and another 200 of spreadable cheese. For the version with dulce de leche, remove the sugar and add about 200 grams of this ingredient.
Time:
20 minutes
Difficulty:
A little more difficult than opening a purchased flan
Ingredients
For 4-6 people
for the caramel
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon of water
For the flan
500 ml of milk (fresh, if possible)
4 M eggs (of the best possible quality)
100 g of sugar (if you want sweeter, a little more)
Vanilla (a pinch of vanilla if it is paste or ground, half a pod or a teaspoon of essence)
Whipped cream to accompany (optional)
Instructions
1.
In a glass mold suitable for cooking in the oven and microwave, put the caramel ingredients, stir so that the sugar is wet and program 90 seconds at maximum power.
2.
Take it out with kitchen mitts to avoid burning yourself, check the color and cooking - it does not have to be very dark because it will continue to cook with the residual heat and could burn - and, if necessary, continue cooking for 15 seconds at a time until it takes light caramel color. Let it cool for a few minutes.
3.
If we use the vanilla pod, open it lengthwise, remove the seeds and put it - pod included - in the milk. Heat it for about 30-60 seconds until it is hot, but without boiling, and let it infuse in the milk for a few minutes before removing the pod. If not, mix the vanilla well.
4.
Beat the rest of the ingredients well except the milk until they are completely integrated.
5.
Add the milk and beat again until you get a fine mixture. Pour into the mold with the caramel; Through a fine sieve, if you like, to prevent lumps from sneaking through. Microwave at 500W for four minutes, let it rest for two and repeat the process two more times (three cooking and two resting times in total).
6.
Once the process is finished, leave it for two more minutes, remove the flan - also carefully so as not to burn it - and see if it is set in the center (the total time may depend on the size of the mold). If it is not, continue with cycles of one minute at 500W and two minutes of rest until it is cooked in the center.
7.
Let it cool for half an hour, put it in the refrigerator until it cools, unmold - passing a fingertip along the side or leaving the mold in hot water for a minute will help - and serve alone or with cream.