As a general rule, custard refers to a dessert made by combining eggs, milk or cream, and sugar, which are then cooked to create a thickened, smooth, and creamy consistency. The eggs in custard help bind the ingredients together and give it a silky, gelatinous texture.
The use of eggs, while essential, also makes the custard (or flan) making process quite delicate because the high heat can cause the eggs to harden or scramble when they should be silky. MasterClass suggests making it “in a double boiler over gentle heat or in the oven using a water bath.” The culinary term for a water bath is bain-marie, which means filling a baking pan with hot water and using that indirect heat to cook the custard dish in ramekins.
On the other hand, pudding generally refers to a dessert thickened with starch, such as cornstarch or flour, rather than eggs. This starchy thickening agent gives pudding a slightly different texture compared to custard. While custard holds its shape, pudding is less malleable. Since flan does not contain flour, we can safely say it falls in the custard category.
