Flan is one of the most popular and delicious desserts in the Caribbean.
It’s origin dates back centuries, to the days of the Romans. It became popular in the VII century when it began leading the menus of renowned French cuisine.
But the best part of this dessert is its easy preparation, with common ingredients: eggs, milk and sugar.
Flan is very versatile as it allows one to explore and surprise with more than one combination of ingredients. Several countries have their signature ingredient that gives flan its personalized stamp making it a completely different recipe. Whether you like it with fruits, coconut, caramel, cream cheese or chocolate; flan will always bring happiness to the table.
Although all variations of flan are delicious, Anaisa Lopez, recipe developer for KitchenAid, shares one of her favorite. Artisanal coffee, handmade and full of flavor, is the mouthwatering “secret” to making the perfect flan.
To Anaisa, a good flan is cooked in a bain marie or a double boiler for an hour and a half. You can also cook it directly over fire which is the traditional preparation technique as used by our grandmothers.
Anaisa tried the coffee flan, “It’s an enjoyable alternative. The way the flavors complement coffee flan is deliciously magical. I made my coffee strong in my KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer and the flan’s taste was exactly what I wanted. I served it this weekend for my family and everyone loved it. It’s also delicious with coffee in the afternoon or as the final touch to a special dinner.”
Coffee Flan
Recipe courtesy of KitchenAid’s line of artisanal coffee products
Ingredients:
· 5 eggs
· 1 can of condensed milk
· 395 milliliters of whole milk (can be substituted by skim milk)
· 1 cup of strong black coffee (the stronger the coffee, the more you’ll taste it in the flan)
· 2 teaspoons of gold rum
· 1 teaspoon of cocoa
· 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
· 3 teaspoons of water
· ¼ cup of sugar
Preparation:
Boil a large pot of water over medium-high heat while the mixture is prepared. This pot is where the flan’s mold will be placed, which should be prepared in a double boiler.
Mix the eggs, condensed milk, milk, coffee (prepared in KitchenAid’s Pour Over Coffee Brewer where a flavorful artisan coffee is obtained), rum, cocoa and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend at high-speed for approximately 2-3 minutes, until its consistent.
Add water and sugar on the flan mold. Place the mold directly over the burner over medium heat and let the sugar melt and caramelize (without removing). Be careful with letting the caramel get too dark as it can easily burn.
When you the caramel reaches an amber tone, take the mold (with a towel or glove as it will be hot) and move it to the sides until the caramel covers the walls and the base. Then pour the milk and egg mixture over the caramel and cover.
Place the mold in the large pot which has been heating up the water for the double boiler. Cook for 1 hour – 1 hour and 25 minutes, depending on the burner’s power. In any case, insert a knife in the center of the flan, if it comes out a little damp but clean then its cooked. You should watch the water’s level in the pot as the heat evaporates the water and more should be slowly added.
Cool in the pan (at room temperature) for at least one hour. Run a knife around the edge of the flan within the mold to prevent sticking. Unmold and cool for 6 hours or overnight. Serve.
Must be kept cold.
Tips:
· You can use the same can where the condensed milk was to measure the amount of complete liquid milk, as it’s the same
· To prepare the double boiler, heat a little bit of water in a pot or pan which is where the cooking mold is placed, making sure the water is always up to half of the mold’s height. More water should be added as it evaporates and be careful not to put too much water or let water enter the flan.
· The mold must be metal and with a lid, there’s different shapes and sizes in pastry stores (for this recipe, a round aluminum was used with 18 centimeters in diameter).