Imperial Coconut Flan
Submitted by jennyscraft
Imperial coconut flan made from scratch with a whole fresh coconut, homemade condensed milk, and separated eggs baked in a caramel-lined mold. A traditional Mexican showpiece.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
130 minREADY
160 minThis is flan at its most ambitious. You crack open a whole fresh coconut, grate the meat, simmer it in its own water, and fold it into a homemade condensed milk custard with beaten egg whites for an impossibly light, two-layered dessert.
Making your own condensed milk by reducing sugar and milk for 30 minutes is old-school technique that rewards patience. The result tastes cleaner and less cloying than canned, with a subtle caramel note from the slow reduction.
The separated eggs are the key to the structure. Yolks beaten creamy go into the coconut mixture for richness, while stiffly whipped whites get folded in for lift. During baking in the water bath, the flan naturally separates into two layers: a dense coconut base and a lighter, spongy top. This is supposed to happen, so don’t panic when you see it.
The caramel from the mold gets absorbed into the coconut layer as it cools, giving the unmolded top a glistening, amber finish.
Kitchen Tips
- Heat the whole coconut in the oven for 8 minutes before cracking. The heat loosens the flesh from the shell, making it much easier to pry out.
- Peel the brown skin from the coconut flesh with a potato peeler. Leaving it on makes the flan gritty and discolored.
- Use a well-greased lid on the mold to prevent a skin from forming on top during the long bake.
- Test with a knife inserted deep into the center, but don’t pierce the bottom. A hole in the bottom ruins the smooth surface when you unmold.
Variations
- Substitute canned sweetened condensed milk thinned slightly with regular milk if you want to skip the reduction step.
- Use pre-grated unsweetened coconut if fresh isn’t available, but use whole milk instead of coconut water.
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the custard mixture for an extra layer of warmth.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450℉ (230℃).
Place the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan and melt the sugar over low heat, then raise the heat and boil the mixture briskly.
Take care that it does not boil over.
As soon as the mixture begins to thicken, stir it so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
After about 30 minutes it should be the consistency of thin condensed milk and has been reduced to 1 cup.
See Note.
Pierce holes through two of the “eyes” of the coconut and drain the water from it.
Set the water aside.
Put the whole coconut into the oven for about 8 minutes.
Crack it open; the flesh should come away quite easily from the shell.
Pare the brown skin from the coconut flesh with a potato peeler.
Grate the coconut finely.
You will need 2¼ cups, loosely packed, for the flan.
Add the grated coconut to the reserved coconut water and boil it for about 5 minutes, stirring it constantly.
Add the “condensed” milk and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
Set the mixture aside to cool.
Beat the egg yolks together until they are creamy and stir them well into the coconut mixture.
Beat the egg whites until they are frothy, add the salt and continue beating until they are stiff.
Fold them into the mixture.
Pour the mixture into the prepared mold.
Cover the mold with a well-greased lid and place into a water bath.
Cook the flan on the lowest shelf of the oven for about 1½ hours, then test to see if it is done.
When it is done, set it aside to cool.
Makes 6 servings.
NOTES: Of course, you can substitute1 cup of lightly thinned canned, sweetened condensed milk for the milk and sugar and substitute pre-grated but unsweetened coconut.
Use milk instead of coconut water; the flavor will just not be quite as good.
Do not think you have done something wrong when you see that the coconut and custard have separated.
That is how it is meant to be.
The caramel will nearly all have been absorbed by the spongy layer of coconut.
If you are using fresh coconut there will almost certainly be some left over.
It will keep perfectly well if frozen.
To test to see if the flan is cooked through, insert the blade of a knife or a skewer well into the flan.
The knife should come out clean.
Take care not to pierce the flan at the bottom or it will spoil the appearance of the top when it is unmolded.
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