Equipment
Ingredients
Caramel
- 200 g white sugar
- 60 ml water
Ginger Custard Base
- 400 ml whole milk
- 40 g fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
- 397 g sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 1 g salt
Garnish
- 250 g ripe papaya, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 2 g lime zest
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 356 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbohydrates
- 59 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 57 g
- Sodium
- 111 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 145 mg
- Potassium
- 339 mg
- Calcium
- 213 mg
- Iron
- 0.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 17 mg
- Phosphorus
- 113 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 94 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 19 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.24 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 33 mcg
- Water
- 105 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C (320°F). Arrange your cake pan or ramekins inside a large roasting pan. Have boiling water ready for the water bath.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and water for the caramel. Cook without stirring (swirling the pan occasionally) until the syrup turns a deep amber color.
Immediately pour the hot caramel into the mold(s), tilting carefully to coat the bottom evenly. Set aside to harden.
In a clean saucepan, combine whole milk and sliced ginger. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from heat. Cover and let steep for 15 minutes to infuse the ginger flavor.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, condensed milk, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Do not whisk too vigorously to avoid creating air bubbles.
Remove ginger slices from the milk. Slowly stream the warm milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into the caramel-lined mold.
Pour boiling water into the roasting pan (water bath) until it reaches halfway up the sides of the flan mold. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly like gelatin.
Remove from the water bath and let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Then, refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) to fully set.
To serve, run a thin knife around the edge. Place a serving plate over the mold and invert quickly. Top with fresh diced papaya and optional lime zest.
Chef's Notes
- Tempering the eggs (adding warm milk slowly) is crucial to prevent them from scrambling.
- The water bath (bain-marie) insulates the custard, ensuring even, gentle cooking for a silky texture.
- For the cleanest slices, dip your knife in hot water and wipe it dry between cuts.
- The ginger enzyme (zingibain) is denatured by the heat of the infusion step, preventing it from curdling the milk proteins.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Keep covered to prevent absorbing fridge odors. Texture is best within 48 hours.
Troubleshooting
Texture is rubbery or has many small holes
Cause: Oven temperature was too high or mixture was over-whisked
Fix: Cannot be fixed strictly, but is still safe to eat; serve with extra fruit to mask texture
Prevention: Bake gently in a water bath and avoid incorporating air when mixing ingredients
Cultural Context
Flan is a quintessential dessert across Latin America, introduced by the Spanish but evolved into countless regional variations. This version incorporates tropical papaya and ginger, bridging traditional leche flan richness with the bright, spicy notes often found in Caribbean cuisines.
