Two months of the year have passed already and our little B & B has been busy with back-to-back guests from all over the world. Since the year began we have hosted folk from all over the UK, Australia, Sweden, Bulgaria,the US, Canada, Hawaii, China, Germany and the Isle of Man, plus of course Kiwi visitors to Wellington. Wellington has put on some great events this summer, including the spectacular Edinburgh Tattoo held at the Westpac Stadium, the wine and food festival, Chinese New Year celebrations and various music events. There are currently two cruise ships in the harbour and we have put on a spectacular day for them to enjoy the city .Some of them may end up at the Bordeaux Bakery for lunch, which is where we intend to go with family. They have the most eye watering selection of pastries in their cabinets as well as great cafe type food. The chef is a boulanger from Bordeaux who opened his cafe 20 years ago. Their selection of artisan breads and cakes is food for the soul.
Last night we had family from Auckland staying and I decided it was time I pulled a superb dessert out of the hat. My collection of recipe books and foodie magazines grows by the day and there is nothing I like better than a sit down with a cup of tea and a food magazine to browse. The recipe I decided to try was from 'Dish' magazine,(Issue 61, August 2015) the picture looked divine and it measured up in every way to expectations. It is a caramel base with a simple custard filling. It sliced beautifully into portions and was simple and quick to make. It is definitely on my list of favourites to make often. Here is the recipe:
VANILLA FLAN:
Caramel: 2/3 cup caster sugar
1/3 cup water
Custard: 6 size 7 eggs
395ml sweetened condensed milk
375ml evaporated milk
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the caramel:
Put the sugar and water in a medium saucepan and heat slowly, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Brush any stray sugar crystals off the side of the saucepan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Bring to the boil and cook, without stirring , until a dark caramel colour, swirling the pan to colour evenly. Quickly pour it into the base of a 20cm cake tin with a fixed base. Place a wet kitchen cloth on the base of a roasting pan and put the cake tin on top. Set aside to harden and set.
For the caramel:
Spray or grease the sides of the cake tin to prevent the custard from sticking.
Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl then stir in all the remaining ingredients until well combined.
Strain the custard into the cake tin. Cover the tin tightly with foil and add hot tap water to the roasting dish until it comes half way up the side of the cake tin.
Bake for about an hour, topping up the water during cooking until just set but still with a slight wobble in the centre. It will continue to warm up as it cools.
Carefully remove the tin from the roasting dish and leave to cool. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight if possible.
To serve:
Loosen the sides of the custard by running a small palette knife around the edges. Place a serving dish over the top and turn upside down. Pour any caramel remaining in the tin over the top. Serve with softly whipped cream. Serves 8-10.
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