My most memorable leche flan experience was at a fiesta. The custard was made with duck eggs and coconut milk, according to the father of my husband’s officemate. It was something I always dreamed of doing at home but the few times that we were able to buy fresh duck eggs, my coconut leche flan did not turn out too well. I probably wouldn’t have made the attempt again anytime soon had not Kai e-mailed me about Lasang Pinoy 24: Loco over coco. It was a pleasant coincidence too that just a week before the e-mail hit my inbox, I did make coconut custard based on a recipe from a Vietnamese cookbook.
My first attempt though was not very successful. The custard had far too many bubbles and I couldn’t really make out the flavor of the coconut cream. I tried again today, tweaking the recipe by using more coconut cream than cow’s milk and radically changing everything I ever knew about leche flan and cooking custards in a baine marie. The result was amazing.
Almost every recipe I have come across where the use of a baine marie was included always specified that hot (some say boiling) water should be poured into the pan. Not one ever mentioned that during baking, the water should not be allowed to reach boiling point. I had to learn the hard way. The water should be hot but not boiling.
Secondly, the inclusion of egg whites (don’t most leche flan recipes specify egg yolks only?) does not mean that the custard will not be smooth and creamy.
That said, let me go to the recipe for this wonderful dessert.
Ingredients :
2 whole eggs (chicken or duck)
3/4 c. of coconut cream (the first extraction or kakang gata)
1/4 c. of fresh milk (the ready-to-drink kind)
4 heaping tablespoonfuls of white sugar
a few drops of pandan essence
a few drops of lemon essence
a tiny pinch of salt
For the caramel glaze:
3 tbsps. of brown sugar
2 tbsps. of water
In the pan (mold or ramekin) in which you intend to cook the custard, place the brown sugar and water. Melt the sugar and water (on the stove top or in the oven) over medium-low heat, without stirring, until the sugar is melted. Stir to blend, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly.
In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar.
In a small saucepan, heat the coconut cream and milk without bringing to a boil. Pour about half a cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture and stir until blended. Pour in the rest of the cream mixture, pandan and lemon essences, and stir well. Pour the custard into the prepared pan. Use a fine strainer to get rid of large bubbles. Don’t worry if you still see tiny bubbles in the mixture. They will go away as the custard bakes.
Place the pan in a larger pan. Pour hot water into the larger pan until it reaches up to about half the height of the smaller pan. Place in a preheated 160oC oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Cool the custard — chill, if there is time. Run a knife around the custard to loosen it, place a plate upside down over the pan then invert.
Naku, maliit lang yan. Probably for 2 to 3. Double the ingredients for a bigger custard. :)
Hi Connie-
Do you have a recipe for baked salmon? Similar to what Contis serve. Thanks!
Hi Pink, I have a lot of baked salmon recipes. I don’t know what’s similar to what Conti’s serve. I only ate there once and wasn’t impressed with the food. Cakes are great though.
thanks ms connie for this recipe! it looks yummy and easy to make!
mukhang masarap and it looks easy to do! will try it this weekend. tamang tama, bday ko. ;)
Hi Connie,
Pwede rin bang i-steam ito?
Sam, yes, but over simmering, not boiling, water. :)
hi!
ms. coney read ko ung comment ni sam about steam kung pede pero dont get ur reply na over simmering not boiling?anu un?
I too have not had any success on making leche flan, and I tried the Mexican way (without Baine Marie), ok lumabas pero hindi ako satisfied. I will try to do it this time the way you have it posted. Thanks.
Difference in the temperature of the water, Alicia. Briskly boiling water will create bubbles in the custard.
Hi Connie,
You mentioned on this recipe pandan and lemon essence. Where should I put these essences? To the milk mixture or egg mixture? Should I put these two essences together in the mixture?
Thanks so much for your yummy recipes.
Hazel, sorry about that. Too excited to post. I edited the entry to specify where the pandan and lemon essences should go. :)
one question pala, what if i don’t have any of the essences? what can i use as substitutes? thanks!
Leah, actually, those are substitutes. The best way really is to use a pinch of lemon zest. For the pandan, you can add a leaf to the coconut cream and milk when you heat them together and leave it there for a few minutes to infuse.
I made this last Friday at medyo matagal ko siyang niluto kasi nung inangat ko siya after 25 minutes eh basa pa siya at ang texture di siya smooth katulad nung nasa picture. I was really disappointed with the appearance pero ang lasa masarap kahit medyo nagkulang sa essences. Buti na lang nag sample muna ako kasi anniv ng parents ko this coming Friday at isa ito sa iluluto ko. Can you help me with pointers kasi sobrang tagal ko talaga siyang niluto as in 45 minutes. Lahat ng lulutuin ko kasi kinuha ko dito sa site kasi nasubukan ko na rin ang ibang mga recipes dito at super yummy talaga.
Ms. Connie, natakam naman ako sa leche flan nyo! Ang sarap tingnan, malamang masarap talaga. Di pa ako nakatikim ng leche flan na ganito sa amin – kakaiba nga since we Bicolanos love to cook with coconut milk. Try ko nga rin gawin. Thanks for sharing the recipe. :)
This is my first time to encounter leche flan with gata – Pinoy na Pinoy, you’ve turned something European into something very Asian and definitely very ours. Will definitely make some soon, I can just imagine the taste. Yummmm. Healthier, too, I suppose!
Thanks for this inspired creation, and thanks for a great entry to LP!
i’ve tried doing leche flan before but couldn’t find the right measurement for the caramel glaze :) tried the one you posted and it’s perfect!!!
thanks so much for posting this recipe :D
Wow that seems like a great dessert to taste. Well our practicum group in DLSU is also making flavored leche flans. We chose to make flavored leche flans as our product because we believe this will capture the filipino’s taste… if you want more details you can go to our website located at :
http://www.munnyideas.com
leche flan is really delicious dessert. But i havnt tried yet using coconut milk I made leche flan many times but im using condensed and evaporated milk. I think I will try this recipe it sounds really traditional.
hi!
I just made this today. I followed the directions but for some reason it almost took an hour for the custard to harden. I did tried the 160 oven temperature but i just won’t turn firm. So, i adjusted it to a hotter temp till it reached 300 degrees and that’s the only time that it slowly hardened.
For the caramel glaze, i don’t know what i did wrong coz it just didn’t turn out to be like the one on the picture above. It turned out watery at the bottom..probably, that’s because of the fact that it’s been sitting inside the oven for a while before it finally cooked(hardened). i dunno..
Anyway, just like to thank Ms. Connie for all the wonderful recipes she had shared in this website.
They’re easy and fun! pinoy na pinoy!