Chef John's Cheesecake Flan

A cheesecake-like custard bakes over a layer of caramel in my attempt at making flan that tastes like cheesecake. Much to my (pleasant) surprise, I ended up with a flan-flavored cheesecake instead, thanks to the power of caramelized sugar. Careful, that thin layer of caramel can be overpowering. Whether or not you make a successful graham cracker crust topping, I hope you give this gorgeous recipe a try soon.

• Preparation Time: 10 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 542 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted (Optional)
• ½ cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• ½ cup graham cracker crumbs (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Rub the insides of four 5 1/2-ounce ramekins with oil.

Step 2

Melt 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, without stirring, in a skillet over medium heat. Swirl the skillet occasionally until sugar caramelizes to an amber color. Quickly pour caramel into each ramekin to cover the bottoms. Place ramekins in a baking dish.

Step 3

Combine cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, vanilla extract, salt, and eggs in a bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Step 4

Heat 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk until almost simmering. Stir in sugar and pour into the cream cheese mixture.

Step 5

Ladle mixture into the ramekins. Fill the baking dish with enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until custard is just barely set, 45 to 60 minutes. When shaken, custard should jiggle as one mass. Remove ramekins from baking dish and let cool to room temperature.

Step 7

Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and spread some of the mixture over each flan. Refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 2 hours.

Step 8

Run a knife along the edge of each chilled flan and invert onto a plate. Drizzle any remaining caramel on top.