*I gave this recipe a teeny facelift yesterday… same idea, but used all ramekins to simplify things and added a wee touch of nutmeg and orange zest. It’s here if you’d like to check it out.
Oh flan, how I love thee…
I’ve made flan a lot… when I was a kid, my dad would beg me to try to make him flan, starting when I was like 10 years old. Naturally, the first few were, ehhhh okay at best, but eventually I started learning what makes a good one and what doesn’t. It’s been a while since I’ve made one, and with November now here and Thanksgiving right around the corner, a sweet treat with pumpkin was calling!!
If you’ve never had flan, think caramely custard with creamy smooth deliciousness. What separates flan from other creamy creme brulee and custard type desserts is the caramel sauce… it’s soooo good. The flan is baked right in the sauce (upside down) and then is flipped over so the sauce drizzles all over the top of it and smothers it with amazingness.
This one is particularly special because it’s a pumpkin flan. And not just any old pumpkin flan, but a chiptole pumpkin flan. Huh, what??! Yep, chipotle. It’s my secret ingredient… shhhh, don’t tell 🙂 It’s not as crazy as you might think- it adds a subtle spice that’s not really that spicy or crazy at all, but rather adds a “hey what is that crazy deliciousness in there??!” kind of taste. Of course you must be gentle with your chiptole amounts, but it’s awesomely subtle with the amounts given below. I wouldn’t steer you wrong here 🙂
Made with pumpkin, the flan almost takes on a pumpkin pie kind of feel (both in texture and taste), except without a crust of course. It’s a perfect dessert for Thanksgiving or other holiday meal 🙂
Important FYI: flan is not quick- making it is quick, but it has to refrigerate for at least 6 hours or so, so plan ahead- I always make it the night before and then let it refrigerate over night. Then when I’m ready for a sweet treat the next day, it’s all ready to go!!
This is a flan mold- you certainly don’t need one- in fact, little ramekins or a pie pan will work perfectly, but if you happen to get your hands on one, they are built to make the process of flipping and getting flan out much easier. I made this recipe in little ramekins of different sizes and in a 9X9 flan mold to help guide you in either case… hope it helps!
Serves about 10-12, depending on portions and size of pans/ramekins
(I made one 9X9 round flan, which is smaller than your average
pie pan, and 4 small ramekin-sized flans)
pie pan, and 4 small ramekin-sized flans)
INGREDIENTS
1 can pumpkin (not spiced)
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground chili chipotle
1/4 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
for garnish, a sprinkle of cinnamon- optional
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Begin by making caramel sauce…
Making caramel sauce can be tough- it’s so easy to burn or to somehow mess up- trust me I have many times! So I’ve played around quite a bit to come up with a simple way that is hard to mess up.
Start by heating 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of water together over medium heat
You can use a brush or spoon to stir together at first (and brush sugar crystals away form sides), until blended and sugar is disintegrated, but as soon as it’s smooth, stop stirring and let it just sit
(I know, it’s soooo tempting to keep stirring, but don’t).
Keep over medium heat until it bubbles… then keep letting it be until it bubbles a little more, and then just keep letting it sit some more. Lots of sitting right?! It’s because fidgeting with it is what makes it go oh so wrong. Many recipes call for turning the heat up to high and then letting it boil away until browned- you can do this if you’ve had practice or feel confident with it, but I personally find that it’s way too easy to burn… too high of a chance I’ll end up with hardened caramel sauce. And hard sauce = a no bueno sauce. So instead, unless skilled in this area already, I recommend keeping it on medium, not stirring, until it’s lightly browned and bubbling- about 10-15 minutes.
Then when it’s done, immediately pour it into your ramekin/pan and
let it harden (no greasing or anything necessary)
Once your caramel sauce is in your pan, you can start making the actual flan!
Depending on how many pans you are filling, you may decide you want even more sauce- you can always make more and pour it in!
To make flan, pour pumpkin, evaporated milk, and sweetened
condensed milk in a blender along with seasonings and blend until smooth
(Don’t add eggs yet!)
Taste and adjust seasonings as wanted before adding eggs
Then add eggs and blend until smooth
Pour over caramel sauce in pan/ramekins
Set pans/ramekins in larger baking dishes- you need to bake them in a water bath,
so set them in something that has room for at least 1 inch of water
Fill with warm water up to about 1-2 inches, but not to the top
(you don’t want water to spill into the mix!)
Bake at 325 for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean
Let cool a wee and then transfer to a baking rack or cool surface to finish setting
Cover with wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours- over night is fine…
When you’re ready to dig in, just loosen edges with a knife or by shaking gently
Place a plate over the top and then flip over, so that the flan falls out onto plate
without a huge mess… the caramel sauce should come out with it.
Alternatively, if using ramekins, you can just spoon flan
right out of the dish, scooping sauce out from bottom… this option is not so pretty
if serving others, but just fine for a quick personal treat or to save dishes 🙂
If using a flan mold, flip it over using a plate also- the side/edges of the pan will come off separately, while the middle piece will stay on the flan for easy removal, like so…
For larger pies, a sprinkle of cinnamon adds a nice touch of color!
Drizzle caramel sauce over flan and dig in!
Hope you enjoy!!
