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| Oh man….was this amazing! |
Dinner club dinners, Easter, birthdays, a wedding, a first communion, grandchildren visiting and visiting grandchildren...all seem to add up to a terribly busy April! Even though I decided to skip last fridays pick (Sardine Rillettes) for French Friday; it really had more to do with the crazy month I was having and not my aversion to sardines(yuck).
So I’m looking forward to May. Things should be a bit quieter and I might actually have some time to get my garden started. First though, I will be heading south this week for my grandson’s first communion!
Last week my dinner club got together for our monthly, or almost monthly dinner. Our hosts this month chose a Caribbean theme. Their son just got married to a lovely girl from Trinidad and she had given them a Caribbean cookbook. They made a fantastic traditional “pelau" for our main course along with a pork dish. One of the other couples contributed a delicious creamy corn chowder soup and the appetizers. My assignment was a dessert to compliment our dinner. Something tropical. Something that had Caribbean written all over it! Ahh what to make? I found some really delicious looking recipes; however, I happen to love flan! So, when I came across a recipe for Coconut Flan I had to make it! The recipe was from Goya and not labor intensive. That alone was a good reason to give it a try.
Melting the sugar for the bottoms of the ramekins was the most time consuming, but it still only took about 10 minuets. I swirled it continuously so that it would not burn. As it turned golden I removed it from the heat and poured it into the ramekins. I then beat the eggs with the rest of the ingredients and poured it over the sugar. I put them in a large pan and poured enough hot water into the pan so that it came halfway up the sides of the ramekins. The water bath is very important to a flan. It defuses the heat of the oven to gently cook the custard. This is what gives the custard its smooth texture.
Oh, and something else! I decided to toast some coconut so that I could sprinkle it over the top of the flans when I served them. I learned a few things that I never knew…first coconut burns very fast….very, very fast...watch it carefully! Secondly, I found out my oven (which I have had for at least 8 years) has a built in fire alarm….who knew?
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| Continue to shake pan until it turns a golden color |
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| Sugar browned just right! |
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| Put ramekins into pan with hot water and bake |
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| Coconut toasted just right |
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| This is what you don’t want to do!! |
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| Smooth, creamy and so delicious! |
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| If you are a lover of flan…this one is for you! |
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| Delicious Pelau |
Coconut Flan From Goya Foods
serves 8
Prep time: 15 min.
Total time: 1 hr. 30min., plus cooling time
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 cup cream of coconut
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
¼ tsp. Vanilla Extract
Directions
1. Heat oven to 325°F. In a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, bring sugar and ½ cup water to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Using a wet pastry brush, wipe off any sugar that sticks to the sides of the pan. Cook, without stirring, swirling the pan, until the syrup turns golden brown, about 10 minutes. Carefully pour the hot caramel into eight 4 oz. ramekins; set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, using a whisk, beat the eggs until completely combined. Whisk in the cream of coconut, condensed milk, coconut milk and vanilla until smooth. Divide the egg mixture evenly among ramekins.
3. Place ramekins in a shallow baking dish and place in the middle rack of the oven. Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins; cover with aluminum foil. Bake until the Flan is set but still wiggly in the center, 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. Using tongs, carefully remove the ramekins from the water. Transfer to refrigerator to cool completely.
4. When ready to serve, gently run butter knife around edges and invert onto serving plates. Garnish with raspberries and mint leaves, if desired.
