In the Philippines, cooks add coconut milk to flan, for extra creaminess and richness (but no coconut flavor). Recipe below.
WE MADE FLAN THE OTHER NIGHT, and as Marion said, it’s one of the easiest things we’ve ever cooked, having only five ingredients and about the same number of simple steps. It is also serve-it-to-company delicious—a creamy, luscious, silky custard topped with caramel.
While flan is primarily thought of as a Spanish or Mexican dessert, we made a Filipino version, leche flan, which includes coconut milk. The coconut milk doesn’t impart a coconut flavor, but just ups the decadent creaminess. We based our recipe on one in I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook, a 2019 James Beard Awards Finalist cookbook by Miguel Trinidad and Nicole Ponseca. Expect to see more recipes from this excellent cookbook here; we’ve certainly found a number of things we want to try.
According to Food52, leche flan is traditionally steamed on the stovetop because ovens were uncommon in the Philippines for many years. Some recipes still call for steaming, but you can also use a water bath in the oven, which we did. Essentially, you put your pie plate or ramekins into a larger container—a roasting pan works well—and add boiling water to it about halfway up the sides of the cooking dishes, then place the whole thing in the oven. This method is used for making flan, crème brûlée and other custards, ensuring even, gentle heat as the food cooks and avoiding “scrambling” the eggs in it.
Regarding those ramekins, Filipino flans are traditionally baked in an oblong pan and sliced, or in individual molds, according to I Am a Filipino: And This Is How We Cook. But they say you can also use a round baking dish or pie pan. We used a deep 9-1/2-inch glass pie plate. More about that in the recipe.
Leche Flan
Equipment
- a deep 9-inch (or so) glass pie plate
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1-1/2 cups coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs, then gently stir in the condensed milk, coconut milk and vanilla, making sure they are thoroughly combined. Use a whisk or wooden spoon for this, not an electric mixer. Set aside.
- Put the sugar and a tablespoon of water into a medium saucepan. Melt the sugar over a medium flame, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or spatula until it melts. It will start to brown or caramelize as it melts, and that’s okay. When it is completely melted and dark golden brown, carefully pour it into the bottom of your pie plate (this stuff is really hot, so do be careful). Gently swirl it around in the pie plate to evenly coat the bottom and the sides. Let it cool a moment to harden slightly.
- Pour the egg/milk mixture into the pie plate. Preferably strain it through a sieve, in case there are bits of anything that didn’t totally incorporate into the mixture. Place the pie plate into a roasting pan or large baking dish. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan, avoiding splashing water into the flan dish, until it comes about halfway up the sides of the pie plate. If you don’t have enough boiling water, add hot tap water.
- Transfer the entire operation to the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes (topping up the water bath, if needed), until the center of the flan is set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the pie plate from the water bath and cool on a rack. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- To serve, run a sharp knife around the edge and gently invert it on a large rimmed serving plate; we placed our serving plate face down over the pie plate, then turned everything together. (see Kitchen Notes about our unwarranted worries doing this). Slice into wedges and serve.
I haven’t made flan in a long, long time. Interesting that traditionally it was made in a rectangular pan — I’ve sometimes made it in a pie plate, as you did, or much more frequently in large ramekins (6 ounces or so). Mainly because I didn’t want to cut it into servings. 🙂 Anyway, really nice recipe– thanks.
That is a lovely plate.
The flan looks SO good! I haven’t made it since my daughter was a teenager.
I’m thinking it will go well at the next family gathering. Thank you for another lovely recipe.