Flan, also known as crème caramel and caramel custard, is a egg and milk-based dessert with a layer of caramelized sugar on top. What’s particularly notable about flan is its global reach. This dessert is embraced by the French, Spanish, Mexicans, Vietnamese, Filipinos, Japanese, Argentinians and Uruguayans, to name a few.
The dish has spread across Europe and the world. Both ‘crème caramel’ and ‘flan’ are French names, but have come to have different meanings in different regions. In Spanish-speaking countries and in North America, ‘flan’ refers to crème caramel; this was originally a Spanish usage, but the dish is now best-known in the United States in a Latin American context. Elsewhere, including in France, ‘flan’ usually means a custard tart, often with a fruit topping. In Europe and many Commonwealth countries, the dish is generally known as crème caramel.
In Saigon, banh kem flan are sold in sweet shops that usually also dish up che. The flan are made in small plastic containers and refrigerated until served. Once an order is placed, the flan are inverted onto a plate and topped with crushed ice or small ice cubes. A plate of two banh kem flan goes for 4,000 VND. Once, I ate a banh kem flan that was topped with a shot of espresso in addition to ice. It was too bitter for me, but I can definitely see the appeal for a coffee lover. Banh kem flan can also be purchased from road side vendors and consumed at home. Inverting is completely optional.
To make your own flan, check out Wandering Chopsticks’ Coconut Flan recipe that requires only three ingredients—sugar, eggs and milk.
This cobbler recipe was given to The Astronomer and me by the kind folks at Petals from the Past, a pick-it-yourself fruit farm near Birmingham, Alabama where these Muscadines were procured. For a truly southern cobbler, make sure to use thick slices of white bread.
Fruit picking tips
Ripe muscadines can be easily removed from their stems. The fruit is at its best when it is neither mushy nor hard, but rather feels elastic and springy when squeezed. The best way to assure a great batch is to taste, taste, taste as you pick!
For filling
- 4 to 5 cups of fruit
- 1/2 to 1 c. water
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
Separate the pulp from the hulls. Place pulp and any liquid from pulp in a pan. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water. Cook for 10-15 minutes until soft and seeds can be removed from the mixture. Cool and remove the seeds [this step is not as straightforward as it sounds---we never did manage to devise a perfect technique for seed removal]. Add hulls to the pulp and return to heat. Cook until hulls are tender. Combine 1 cup of sugar and 2 Tbsp. cornstarch and add to hull/pulp mixture. Continue to cook until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened. Place in a greased 9 x 14 inch dish.
For topping
- Loaf bread
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 egg
Remove crust from the bread and cover the fruit mixture. Combine 2/3 cup sugar, melted butter, beaten egg and vanilla. Pour over bread.
Bake at 325 until golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
The birthplace of pho has a lot more going for it culinarily speaking than just piping hot noodles. From sweet sticky rice topped with ice cream to crab meat-stuffed egg rolls, Hanoi’s dining scene is magically delicious. As a Hanoi tourist, I found the city’s food options to be less numerous than Saigon’s, but the concentrated geography of the Old Quarter makes it much easier to navigate and sample the capital’s greatest hits without missing a beat. The Hanoi Top 10 will live in the orange tab next to the Saigon Top 10 for easy access.
