After baking, the West Indian flan is divided into 3 layers: the desiccated coconut floats on the top, forming a sponge, a rich and creamy flan lies in the middle and a runny caramel sauce sits at the bottom of the dish.
Ingredients
For the Caramel
- 150 g caster sugar
- 50 + 25 ml water
For the Flan Filling
- 1 small can of condensed milk (400 g)
- 380 ml semi-skimmed or full fat milk
- 3 medium eggs, separated
- 100 g desiccated coconut
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
How to Make It
- Make a caramel (170°C), then, off the heat and very carefully, add 25 ml of water. This will help the caramel to melt during baking. Pour the caramelv evenly over the bottom of the baking dish and leave it to set.
- In a large bowl, mix the condensed milk with the egg yolks, then add the milk, desiccated coconut and dark rum.
- In a electric mixer on medium speed, whisk the egg whites to a peak. Incorporate a third of the egg whites with the flan filling, followed by the last two-thirds without overworking it, making a circular movement from the bottom upwards with the spatula in one hand, giving a quarter turn to the bowl with the other. Keep doing this until the mix is combined.
- Pour the flan filling in the dish, over the set caramel. Bake it in a bain-marie by placing the flan dish in the oven inside a larger high-sided tray filled with 3 cm of boiling water. Check after 45 minutes by gently shaking the flan dish. The flan is cooked when the coconut sponge on the top of the flan is set. Cool at room temperature.
