Salted Honey & Cardamom Flan With Vanilla Bean

By Eleanor Ozich
Viva
It's mandatory to serve this flan with extra caramel drizzled on top. Photo / Eleanor Ozich

Today's recipe marks six years of contributing weekly to Viva, and to celebrate, I've created a stunningly creamy variation of classic flan with a slightly modern twist. Lightly sweetened with honey, this velvety baked custard has the merest hint of cardamom and vanilla, however, only just enough to tickle your senses and ignite your taste buds.

It’s the kind of dessert that has you coming back to the fridge every hour or so to sneakily slice another sliver off, whilst hoping no one is watching.

SALTED HONEY & CARDAMOM FLAN WITH VANILLA BEAN RECIPE
Serves 8

Caramel
½ cup golden granulated sugar
¼ cup water

Custard flan
2 cups cream
1/3 cup runny honey
4 egg yolks
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.

2. In a heavy saucepan, warm sugar and water over medium heat until melted. Lower the heat, and cook, whilst shaking the pan every minute or so, until dark golden brown, about 10 minutes. Quickly but carefully, pour into an ungreased round baking dish, tilting to coat the bottom and sides entirely. Leave to set for a few minutes.

3. In a large bowl, gently whisk together the cream, honey, egg yolks, cardamom, vanilla and sea salt.

4. Pour the cream mixture into the round baking dish.

5. Take a large baking tray or dish that is large enough to fit your flan, and carefully place the round dish inside. Pop the kettle on, and then carefully pour boiling water into the large outer tray, until it almost comes up to the sides of the flan dish.

6. Put the tray into the oven and bake until the centre is just set, about 30-40 minutes.

7. Remove from the oven, and cool for an hour or so before placing in the fridge overnight.

8. To serve, gently run a knife around the edges and invert onto a large serving plate. Cut into wedges, and drizzle extra caramel sauce on top.

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