Flan de Coco
A baked coconut flan with a caramel top, made from condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and eggs, then chilled until set.
Photograph credit: Flan de Coco by juzsan · CC BY 2.0 · Flickr
Making Flan de Coco Ahead
Keeps in the fridge for 4 days.
Flan de Coco: The Method
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Heat the oven to 160°C / 320°F. Heat the sugar and water in a small pan without stirring until it turns a deep amber. Pour into a 23 cm round dish and tilt to coat the base.
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Blend the eggs, condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the desiccated coconut.
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Strain the mixture into the dish. Stand the dish in a roasting tin and pour in boiling water to come halfway up the sides.
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Bake for 60 minutes until set with a slight wobble. Cool, cover and chill for 4 hours. Run a knife round the edge and invert onto a plate.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Pan and tin size.
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Tips for Success
- Strain the custard for a smooth texture.
- Do not let the caramel go dark brown, or it will taste bitter.
- Check the flan at 50 minutes; it should wobble gently, not slosh.
Why the Method Is What It Is
Bake it slowly. That is most of the recipe, and the part people skip. A flan cooked in a hot oven sets too fast, curdles and fills with tiny holes, while one baked in a water bath at a moderate heat sets to a smooth, silky texture with a tremble in the middle.
The custard is made from condensed milk, evaporated milk, coconut milk and eggs, blended until smooth and strained to catch any threads of egg. Coconut gives it a gentle perfume, and desiccated coconut folded in adds a soft, chewy texture. The caramel goes in the bottom of the dish first.
Chill it for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before turning it out. The caramel melts into a sauce as it sits. Run a knife around the edge, place a plate on top and invert in one confident movement. The flan should slide out whole. Slice it cold and spoon the caramel from the dish over each portion, with some toasted coconut on top.
What to Put Next to It
Fresh mango · Toasted coconut · Black coffee · Whipped cream
Questions About Flan de Coco
How long does Flan de Coco take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking, plus 4 hours of Chilling, so allow 5 hours 20 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 8.
Flan de Coco Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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