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Creme Caramel




Crème caramel or '''flan''' is a kind of rich Custard Dessert with a layer of soft Caramel on top. Both names are of French origin. The dish has spread across Europe and the world, and is known as 'flan' in Spanish-speaking countries. In the United States , the dish is now best-known in a Latin American context, so is called flan; in Europe , it is generally known as crème caramel. Food historian Alan Davidson remarks:

:In the latter part of the 20th century crème caramel occupied an excessively large amount of territory in European restaurant dessert menus. This was probably due to the convenience, for restauranteurs, of being able to prepare a lot in advance and keep them until needed.Davidson, ''s.v.'' crème caramel

Crème caramel is a variant of plain custard (crème) where some caramel syrup is poured into the mold before adding the custard base. After the custard has set, it is turned out, leaving a caramel sauce on top.

Under the name flan, the dessert is very popular in Spain and in former Spanish colonies in Latin America and the Philippines .

Like all custards, flan is made with whole eggs, milk or cream, and sugar. The typical flavoring is simply Vanilla , however, there are numerous variations, including Almond , Pistachio , Lemon , and many types Fruit .

In Argentina , and in some neighbouring countries, flan is usually eaten with Dulce De Leche .

An imitation of flan may be prepared from instant flan powder, which is thickened with Agar rather than eggs; "Royal" is a popular brand. In some Latin America countries, the true custard version is known as "milk flan" (leche flan) or even "milk cheese", and the substitute version is known as just "flan".

Flan is ubiquitous in Japan ese convenience stores under the name "custard pudding". It is not uncommon to find an entire shelf in a Lawson or 7-Eleven dedicated to over a dozen brands and varieties of flan.


TRIVIA


Flan is repeatedly mentioned in the film Envy (2004) . At the end of the movie, Ben Stiller's character comes up with the idea for "Pocket Flan."

An episode of the cartoon Courage The Cowardly Dog titled "King of Flan" made use of the dessert. The townspeople, as well as Eustace and Muriel, are hypnotized by "The Flan King" to do nothing but buy and eat his brand of Flan. The main draw of the episode was the antagonist's repetition of the hypnotic phrase "Buy Flantasy Flan. Buy Flantasy Flan..."


BIBLIOGRAPHY


  • Alan Davidson , ''The Oxford Companion to Food'', 1999. ISBN 0192115790.



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