I love a good Spanish flan. Apart from a yummy rice pudding, my father's irresistible flan de caramelo was the only thing he would cook with regularity (in the kitchen he could not compete with my mother). He had a very sweet tooth and he was partial to flan de naranja. Sometimes he added a little milk, but if the orange juice was particularly delicious he would omit it. When in season, blood oranges are utterly delicious, although a good orange flan can be made with any fresh orange juice that has a touch of acidity.MAKES SIX
- 600ml freshly squeezed blood orange juice
- 200g caster sugar
- Grated zest of half an orange
- 8 large egg yolks
- 2 medium eggs
- 150g caster sugar
You will also need six crème caramel moulds, or other suitably sized ramekins, and an ovenproof baking dish large enough to hold the six moulds
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/350F/gas 4.
2. First make the caramel. Place the sugar and 150ml water in a saucepan. Start heating over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar completely. Increase the heat and bring to the boil without stirring. Cook rapidly until the syrup has taken on a brick colour. Remove from the heat and pour carefully over the bottom and the sides of each mould. Place the moulds in the baking dish and set aside.
3. Place the orange juice, sugar and orange zest in another saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar in the water. Slowly bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer. Cook for a few minutes more, then remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Use a metal whisk to blend the egg yolks and whole eggs in a large bowl. Sieve the sugary orange juice then add to the eggs. Stir and sieve into a jug and pour into each mould. Pour boiling water into the baking dish so it comes halfway up the sides of each mould. Cover the dish with aluminium foil and cook in the preheated oven for about an hour, until the flans are set.
5. Remove the moulds from the water, leave to cool down, then place in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.
Cocina de Andalucía: Spanish Recipes from a Thousand Landscapes, by María José Sevilla, is published by Ryland Peters & Small, price £22. Photographs by Nassima Rothacker
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