Orange custard caramel

SERVES 4–6

“In Spanish, flan refers to the French crème caramel,” says Warren. Both countries compete for the origin of this dish; however, the French tend to make individual portions, while the Spanish go large! This flan has a hint of almond extract, which pairs really well with the orange.” Start this recipe a day ahead to set the flan.

Finely grated zest from 4 oranges and juice of ½ orange

220 gm (1 cup) caster sugar 500 ml (2 cups) milk 1 cinnamon quill, broken in half

3 large eggs

3 egg yolks

¼ tsp almond extract Pedro Ximénez, to serve

1 Preheat oven to 160°C (fan-forced). Place a 23cmoval baking dish in a large deep roasting tin. Combine zest and juice in a small bowl and set aside (5-10 minutes).

2 Heat half the sugar and 60ml of water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and gently swirl pan until sugar turns a golden caramel colour (3-4 minutes). Pour caramel into the base of the baking dish.

3 Gently warm milk, cinnamon and orange zest and juice in a saucepan over low-medium heat until just starting to simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

4 Whisk eggs, egg yolks and almond extract in a mixer, then add remaining caster sugar and whisk until creamy and pale. Strain orange milk into egg mixture, whisking to combine.

5 Pour custard into baking dish in a roasting pan, then pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish. Bake until the egg is just set and still a little wobbly in the centre (40-50 minutes; gently shake the tin and if the flan is firm around the edge but still has a slight wobble in the middle, it’s ready. It will continue to cook as it cools). 6 Remove tin from the oven and carefully transfer the baking dish to a wire rack to cool (30-40 minutes). Refrigerate overnight to chill and allow the egg to completely set and mellow in flavour.

7 To unmould, run a sharp knife around the edge of the caramel, place a lipped serving plate on top and quickly invert. (The trick is to expose the caramel to air. Once this happens, it will slide out quickly so be ready to catch it on the plate.)

8 Take 1 of the zested oranges and slice off the top and bottom. Place the orange flat on a chopping board and, using a sharp knife, slice off the peel and white pith. Slice into the orange either side of each segment and gently pull the segments to release them.

9 Scatter orange segments over the caramel and serve with Pedro Ximénez on the side.