Hola Hola!
I’m so excited to FINALLY share a recipe! I can’t believe it’s taken me four months into the new year to share something, pero bueno, we’re finally here. These past few weeks have been really crazy with everything that is going on around us right now, and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe. If you haven’t heard, my cookbook Chicano Eats: Recipes from my Mexican-American Kitchen is finally available for pre-order! If you’re interested, you can pre-order here.
I spent my 30th Birthday in quarantine last month and wanted something sweet for myself, so today we are going to be making the incredibly easy irish coffee flan I made to celebrate!
What is flan?
Flan is a custard dessert with a thin layer of a caramel sauce. The one we’re making today is extremely and it comes together in just a few quick steps. First we’ll be combining sugar with a few tablespoons of water and letting it simmer to make the caramel sauce for the flan. It’s really important to use a pan with a light colored inside so you can easily tell when the caramel reaches the desired color. After making the caramel, we’ll be infusing half and half with coffee and then finish making the rest of the flan in the blender.
Because the custard gets sealed in, the alcohol isn’t able to evaporate during the cooking process, so you can definitely taste the alcohol in the finished product! If you’d like to make a less boozy version, simply whisk together the half and half, the Bailey’s Irish cream, and smashed coffee beans in a small saucepan over low heat for 10-12 minutes, whisking occasionally then continue with the recipe as is.
If you have any time this weekend, I hope you get to try out this recipe! I can’t wait to start sharing more recipes more often again, and I hope you all have a great weekend!
Nos Vemos Pronto!
Irish Coffee Flan
Ingredients
For the Caramel
- 2/3 Cup Sugar
- 3 tablespoons Cold water
For the Flan
- ¼ Cup Medium Roast Whole Coffee Beans
- 1½ Cup Half and Half
- 4 Ounces Cream Cheese ,softened
- ½ Cup Bailey's Irish Cream
- 14 Ounce can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ¼ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 4 Eggs
Instructions
Make the Caramel
- Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and spray an 8-inch round cake pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the sugar and water using a rubber spatula. Increase the heat to medium and let this mixture cook for about 8-12 minutes until this mixture is amber in color, occasionally swirling the pan to distribute the caramel color. As soon as it reaches an amber color, pour your caramel into an 8-inch round cake pan. Swirl the mixture around to make sure the bottom is evenly coated. (Use a glove or kitchen towel to hold the cake pan, the caramel will make the pan very hot to the touch)
Make the Flan
- Start by placing the coffee beans in a small ziploc bag, then use a kitchen mallet to break them up into smaller pieces.
- In a small saucepan under low heat, combine the broken coffee beans and half and half. Let this mixture cook for 6 minutes, then remove from heat and let it steep for 15 minutes.
- Strain the coffee mixture into a blender, then add in the softened cream cheese, Baileys, condensed milk, vanilla extract and salt and blend for 20 seconds, until smooth. Add the eggs in, then blend for an additional 15-20 seconds to incorporate.
- Strain the custard mixture into your prepared cake pan then cover with a piece of foil sprayed with nonstick spray. Place your cake pan in a bigger shallow baking dish and fill the dish with water halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake for about an hour and ten minutes to an hour and twenty minutes, until the outer rim of your custard stays firm, but the center jiggles a little. Check for doneness at the hour mark.
- Remove the cake pan from the water bath and let cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Once you are ready to serve, run a thin knife along the edge of the flan, then invert onto the serving dish.
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