How to Make Leche Plan

Leche flan is a custard-like Filipino dessert made of eggs, milk, vanilla and caramel. Aside from the basic ingredients used for it, some leche flan variations feature toppings like coconut strings or macapuno. In the Philippines, this dessert is traditionally served at a number of occasions including weddings, birthdays, fiestas and Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup sugar
• Water
• 10 eggs
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 1 small can of evaporated milk
• 1 small can of condensed milk
• 3 llaneras
• Pan for making the caramel
• Steamer or oven
• Pan with water (used if baking)

Instructions

1. Make a caramel by mixing sugar and water into a pan and boiling it until the sugar is caramelized.

2. Pour the caramel into an oblong-shaped aluminum mold container, which is locally called a llanera. Let it spread to about 2 cm in height.

3. Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Only the egg yolks will be used for the leche flan.

4. Mix the evaporated milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Whisk continuously until the mixture is full and thick. You can either do this manually or use a blender for it.

5. Pour enough mixture into the the llanera until it is almost full. You may need at least three containers for the amount of mixture you have. This may vary depending on the size of your cans of evaporated and condensed milks and the number of egg yolks you use for the mixture.

6. Cover each container with aluminum foil, then place it on a steamer or a pan filled with about 1 inch of water.

7. Steam each llanera for about 20 minutes or until the top is light brown. You can actually steam it using an open cooking fire or stove top or bake it using a large baking pan that is half-filled with water. If baking, the oven should be preheated at 370 degrees and additional 20 to 25 minutes of baking time is typically required.

8. Allow the leche flan to cool, then refrigerate. Once ready for serving, turn the aluminum container upside down and place the leche flan on a dessert dish. This makes the caramel spread through the top of the leche flan. Some also prefer to serve it from its original container.

Tips & Warnings

• To avoid accidental burning, be extra careful when checking if the leche flan is already cooked, especially when opening its aluminum foil cover to see if the top is already light brown.

References

• Filipino Food Recipes: Filipino Leche Flan Recipe
• Calgary Filipino; Leche Flan Recipe -- How To Make Leche Flan; November 2008
• Panlasang Pinoy; Leche Flan; Vanjo Merano; July 2009
• Market Manila: Leche...Leche... (Flan)
• Pinoy Food Blog: Leche Flan Recipe