PALEO FLAN

Flan is a fun word to say. Flan flan flan. OK enough of that....
Growing up in San Diego, I ate flan on a pretty regular basis. Flan is a Mexican dessert that is traditionally made with evaporated and/or condensed milk. This version uses coconut milk instead to make it paleo-friendly. It has a creamy custard bottom and a smooth caramel topping. You can add orange zest, almond extract or other flavorings to mix it up a bit. Flan is a great dessert to serve with empanadas or tamales. Hint hint.
The best way to make flan is to give it a water bath. A water bath simply means you submerge the bottom of the ramekins (small water or glass bowls) in water, which adds moisture to the oven while your flan cooks. Without a water bath most custards and cheesecakes will crack or become rubbery. Don't bother with the bubbles or rubber ducky for this bath, you just need a baking dish with sides about 2 inches high.
Growing up in San Diego, I ate flan on a pretty regular basis. Flan is a Mexican dessert that is traditionally made with evaporated and/or condensed milk. This version uses coconut milk instead to make it paleo-friendly. It has a creamy custard bottom and a smooth caramel topping. You can add orange zest, almond extract or other flavorings to mix it up a bit. Flan is a great dessert to serve with empanadas or tamales. Hint hint.
The best way to make flan is to give it a water bath. A water bath simply means you submerge the bottom of the ramekins (small water or glass bowls) in water, which adds moisture to the oven while your flan cooks. Without a water bath most custards and cheesecakes will crack or become rubbery. Don't bother with the bubbles or rubber ducky for this bath, you just need a baking dish with sides about 2 inches high.
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Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup + another 1/4 cup cup raw honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (14 oz.)
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash cinnamon
Equipment:
- Medium saucepan
- 4 ramekins
- Measuring spoons
- Glass baking dish
- Oven Mitt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt 1/2 cup raw honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat until light brown (you want it to start to caramelize but not burn) and pour evenly into each of the ramekins. The caramelized honey will start to harden.
3. Whisk the eggs and set aside.
4. Return the medium sized saucepan to the stove over medium heat, add the coconut milk, remaining 1/4 cup raw honey, sea salt, vanilla and dash of cinnamon. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Take the pan off the heat and turn off your stove.
5. Very very slowly whisk the egg mixture into the coconut mixture, pouring just a little bit of the egg mixture in at a time. If you pour too fast you will get a coconut scrambled egg mess. And nobody wants to eat that.
6. Once fully combined, and the honey has hardened in the ramekins, pour the mixture into the ramekins. Fill a glass baking dish about halfway full with water and place the ramekins in the glass dish.
7. Bake for 40 minutes. The top of the flan should be a light brown.
8. Remove the ramekins from the glass baking dish and allow to return to room temperature. Place in the fridge for 2-4 hours. You can even leave them in there overnight if you can resist the temptation. Best of luck with that.
9. Get a spoon, tip the flan upside down onto a plate and enjoy!
Note: You may need to set the ramekins in a tray of warm water for a few minutes in order to get the flan to slip out of the ramekins. You can eat it right out of the bowl too, just make sure to get your spoon all the way to the bottom so you get some of the yummy sweetness mixed with your custard.
- 1/2 cup + another 1/4 cup cup raw honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1 can full fat coconut milk (14 oz.)
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- Dash cinnamon
Equipment:
- Medium saucepan
- 4 ramekins
- Measuring spoons
- Glass baking dish
- Oven Mitt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Melt 1/2 cup raw honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat until light brown (you want it to start to caramelize but not burn) and pour evenly into each of the ramekins. The caramelized honey will start to harden.
3. Whisk the eggs and set aside.
4. Return the medium sized saucepan to the stove over medium heat, add the coconut milk, remaining 1/4 cup raw honey, sea salt, vanilla and dash of cinnamon. Bring just to a boil, stirring constantly. Take the pan off the heat and turn off your stove.
5. Very very slowly whisk the egg mixture into the coconut mixture, pouring just a little bit of the egg mixture in at a time. If you pour too fast you will get a coconut scrambled egg mess. And nobody wants to eat that.
6. Once fully combined, and the honey has hardened in the ramekins, pour the mixture into the ramekins. Fill a glass baking dish about halfway full with water and place the ramekins in the glass dish.
7. Bake for 40 minutes. The top of the flan should be a light brown.
8. Remove the ramekins from the glass baking dish and allow to return to room temperature. Place in the fridge for 2-4 hours. You can even leave them in there overnight if you can resist the temptation. Best of luck with that.
9. Get a spoon, tip the flan upside down onto a plate and enjoy!
Note: You may need to set the ramekins in a tray of warm water for a few minutes in order to get the flan to slip out of the ramekins. You can eat it right out of the bowl too, just make sure to get your spoon all the way to the bottom so you get some of the yummy sweetness mixed with your custard.