#lecheflan

What do you do when you have a small container of leftover coconut milk? You consult the cookbooks! Thinking I’d find another recipe for a curry. I grabbed a vegetarian cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey, which I bought at a used bookstore a while ago, but have never actually used. Until this morning. I stopped looking at the curries and turned to the desserts and found Leche Flan, a recipe from the Philippines. I am such a huge fan of flan, but I’ve never made it. Or, maybe I tried it once a long time ago but it was a flop. 

The recipe I found has three ingredients: coconut milk, three eggs, and sugar. It called for one cup, but I couldn’t bring myself to using that much. That would have meant a fourth of a cup per person. I used 2/3 (still a lot) but any less, and it wouldn’t have been flan. I also did a quick internet search to compare Jaffrey’s recipe to others. Hers is so much simpler than what I saw online. Other recipes used sweetened, condensed milk, and many more eggs (10??).

I finished lots of emails and planning this morning then looked at the clock. I had 50 minutes which would give me exactly enough time to get four ramekins of flan in and out of the oven before my class began. I threw myself into my project, ignoring Billy as he made his lunch, and gave my full attention to the recipe. I was melting sugar and I didn’t want to mess this up. It could go wrong so quickly. I stirred and stirred until the sugar became a golden liquid, then I quickly divided it among four ramekins before it hardened. It hardens fast. I whisked the eggs and sugar, poured that through a sieve, then poured it over the golden sugar. It occurred to me as I was frantically racing against the clock that I may be the only teacher in Montgomery County trying to get flan in the oven, mid-day. But hey. That’s why I’m part-time. So I can own at least one half of my day. 

Unmolding the flan was a breeze. Still warm, a knife helps loosen the edges, then it’s inverted onto a plate. It slipped right out. It’s the water bath that melts the sugar again and forms a smooth custard. Basically, it’s steam that cooks it. 

How I loved every bite. Not one to make dessert for the family mid-week, or when there’s no company, this flan was kind of an unusual treat. Ah how I wish I could have shared this discovery with my mom. Her favorite dessert was creme brulee, and this is very similar. She would have swooned.   

Here are the ramekins, in an oblong glass dish, about to go in the oven, with boiling water poured around them: