The food sector has evolved to offer a wide variety of dishes, be it starters, main courses and even desserts. Among the most popular delicacies in the world include flan and crème caramel. These two are mainly served as desserts. Although not many people would be able to differentiate the two, they have major differences especially in regard to the ingredients and preparation methods.
What is Flan?
This is a dish with an open sponge base or rimmed pastry that has a savory or sweet filling. It originated from Roman cuisine, with the main ingredients being custard, vegetables and pastry, and is served cold. It may be served as a main course or dessert.
What is Cream Caramel?
With an origin from France, Cream caramel is a custard dessert topped with a layer of clear caramel sauce. It is prepared by adding sugar syrup which has been cooked to caramel stage to the mold. The custard base is then added. In most places, it is cooked I the oven in a water bath or in a bain-marie on a stove top. It is then served with caramel sauce, as a dessert, and can be served when cold or warm, depending on a person’s preference.
Similarities between Flan and Creme Caramel
- Both can be served as desserts
Differences between Flan and Creme Caramel
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Definition of flan vs. creme caramel
Flan is a dish with an open sponge base or rimmed pastry that has a savory or sweet filling. On the other hand, Cream caramel is a custard dessert topped with a layer of clear caramel sauce.
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Origin
Flan originated from the Roman cuisine. On the other hand, cream caramel originated from France.
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Ingredients
While the ingredients are typically similar, the main ingredients in flan are custard, vegetables and pastry. On the other hand, the main ingredient in cream caramel is eggs.
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Served when cold/warm
While flan is served cold, cream caramel may be served cold or warm, depending on a person’s preference.
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Serving
Flan may be served as a main course or dessert. On the other hand, cream caramel is served as dessert.
Flan vs. Creme Caramel: Comparison Table
Summary of Flan vs. Cream Caramel
While flan is a dish with an open sponge base or rimmed pastry that has a savory or sweet filling, cream caramel is a custard dessert topped with a layer of clear caramel sauce.
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Nothing you’ve said about flan is accurate.
There is no pastry and no filling- you can see that much in the picture you used, even if you’ve never tried it or seen it in real life.
Flan is a custard that has four ingredients: milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
Flan is not savory.
Flan is always a dessert, never an entree.
Flan is served warm (usually when fresh) or cold, and has a thin layer of caramel sauce on top that is from when it’s flipped out of the baking dish.
As a Latina who loves flan, this post vexes me on both a personal and cultural level.
Also, I now can’t trust your claim of creme caramel originating in France, because if it’s anything like real flan they may well be descended from the same dish (remember, Rome ruled over what is now France for 500 years.)
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Please note that the terminology used in this article is that as used in the UK. In the Americas, flan is synonymous with creme caramel. And the savoury custards called ‘flan’ in the UK are ‘quiche’ here and are never sweet.
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Stick to your Finance especiality and leave cooking and recipes alone. Even your research is faulty
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