By Chef Yadira

In honor of Easter and Eggs, I thought I would share one of my Flan recipes. Flan is a traditional egg-based dessert from Latin America & the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup + 1-1/2 cups passion fruit juice concentrate
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cans sweetened condensed milk 14oz
• 1 can coconut milk 14oz
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• pinch fine salt
• passion fruit pulp/coconut flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

For caramel

1. Add half cup of the passion fruit juice to a small pan and reduce the juice by half over medium-low heat until it thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Add sugar to the reduced juice and stir. Allow the sugar to melt into the juice
2. Continue to heat while stirring until it has a syrupy consistency and is a deep orange color (think apricot jam). You don’t want it to get too dark; otherwise, it will have a bitter taste
3. Quickly pour the caramel into your baking pan. Swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides. Work fast because it will harden quickly
4. When the passion fruit caramel is rock hard in the pan, place it into a larger pan with high sides for your ‘Bain Marie’ (or water bath), and set aside

For custard

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place the 1-1/2 cups of passion fruit juice and place in a small pan, bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to medium-low heat until it reduces to at least half the volume; thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Set aside
3. Add your eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk gently. Add your milks, salt, and reduced passion fruit juice. If many bubbles developed while stirring, let it sit a few minutes until they dissipate
4. Pour custard mixture through a sieve into the baking pan over the hardened caramel. The sieve will catch any chunks and burst any bubbles in the mixture, ensuring a smooth flan
5. Place the flan that is in the larger water vessel on the middle rack of your oven and carefully pour your hottest tap water into the larger pan to surround your flan. This will ensure that the custard cooks gently and will not curdle or get rubbery. Do NOT skip this step!
6. Bake for approximately 60-75 minutes. Begin checking for doneness with a toothpick at around 55 minutes. It should be cooked enough when the toothpick comes out (almost totally) clean, but it should still have a little wiggle
7. Place on a rack and let cool for about 1 hour to room temperature. The place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight
8. When ready to serve, remove flan from fridge and let sit for about 15 minutes, then run a sharp knife along the edges to loosen flan and turn out onto a plate with enough of a rim to hold the caramel sauce that will pour out. Top with fresh passion fruit pulp and coconut flakes (if you have it) and enjoy!