A velvety smooth flan with a sweet and creamy custard centre and luscious caramel topping. Topped with port-poached sweet cherries, this is an irresistible dessert!
Ingredients:
Marinated Cherries
- 2 cups (480ml) port
- Peel of 1 lemon
4 cloves - 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 30 large cherries, pitted
- 1 cup (240ml) maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp (.75ml) salt
Flan de Yema:
- 2 ¼ cups (530ml) sugar, divided
- 2 whole eggs, beaten
- 4 egg yolks, beaten
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) milk
- 1 cup (240ml) crème fraîche
- 1/8 tsp (.75ml) salt
Method:
Marinated Cherries
- In a medium saucepan, combine port, lemon peel, cloves, cinnamon, star anise, cherries, and salt.
- Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, until cherries have blistered and released their juices then add maple syrup.
- Remove cherries from heat and refrigerate to cool completely.
Flan de Yema:
- In a small saucepan, combine two cups (470ml) of the sugar and the maple syrup.
- Heat over medium-high heat for 8-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves completely and liquid thickens to a light brown caramel.
- Remove from heat.
- Pour caramel into six ramekins and refrigerate until caramel is hard.
- Preheat oven to 320 F (160 C).
- To make the flan, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, vanilla, remaining sugar, and salt.
- In a small saucepan, heat milk and crème fraiche over medium heat until hot.
- Pour milk mixture slowly into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from cooking.
- Once milk mixture is incorporated, pour mixture into the ramekins over the hardened caramel.
- Transfer ramekins to a deep baking dish and add water to the baking dish until it reaches halfway up the ramekins.
- Place dish into the oven and bake for forty to forty-five minutes.
- Allow ramekins to cool to room temperature before transferring them to the refrigerator to set.
- To remove the flan from the ramekins, slide a sharp knife around the sides of the cooled flan.
- Flip the ramekins onto a serving dish and gently remove the ramekins.
- Serve flan cold, garnished with four or five of the Marinated Cherries.