Pumpkin Maple Flan. Photo by Liddie Martinez
By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
Española Valley
Flan was first introduced by the Romans who were first to domesticate the chicken specifically for their egg production. While the first custards prepared in ancient Rome were likely savory dishes paired with eel, it was the Spanish that thought to sweeten the custard and added the caramel so familiar to us now. Flan arrived in Northern New Mexico with the Spaniards, and we have been enjoying its sweet, creamy texture for centuries and while the United States took some time to discover our tasty treat, it is now a staple on the dessert cart in almost every birthday celebrating restaurant in America.
It’s festive presentation oozing with caramel is inviting and delicious. I like to experiment with flan flavors and developed the perfect fall flavor to make for those special family occasions. Sometimes it is nice to have something other than pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and Pumpkin Maple Flan is a perfect substitute. It is ideal to make and take with you when invited to a friend’s house and makes for an impressive dessert that won’t soon be forgotten. Remember to keep it refrigerated for at least two hours but overnight if you can. Take it out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (about 30-40 minutes). Run a knife around the edge and place your serving dish on top before you invert the flan. Serve with whipped cream if desired.
One bit of advice- don’t be afraid of baking with a water bath. The easiest way to achieve this is to put a kettle to boil when you begin; it will be boiling when you have finished mixing the custard. Also, use a hand mixer or blender as a short cut to combine the batter. Just put all the ingredients (minus the sugar) into the blender, cover and hit the puree button. It will be smooth in about a minute, and you can pour straight into your caramel prepared ramekins waiting in a deep casserole dish. Place the casserole dish in your oven and then pour your boiling water straight from the kettle. This will eliminate potential burns from walking with a casserole dish half full of boiling water.
One last thing – remember to secure your kitchen from wandering small children or pets – nothing is worse than a burn from hot caramel!
Caramel
1 cup sugar
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup water
Whipped Cream (optional garnish)
Preheat oven to 350°
In a heavy saucepan over medium high heat bring sugar, syrup to a boil then and water, bring to a boil and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes swirling pan rather than stirring. Watch closely – do not allow it to burn. Remove from heat. Swirl in salt and pour into casserole dish, ramakins or other oven safe pan swirling to coat dish including sides. Set aside.
Flan
5 large eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 can Sweet & Condensed milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
Put a kettle of water to boil on the stove.
Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Set cooking pan in a larger pan and gently pour over caramel trying not to disturb caramel layer. Place pan in the preheated oven gently pour the boiling water from the tea kettle into the roasting pan to create a water bath for the flan. Pour enough water to cover half the side of the casserole.
Bake for 55 minutes or until the center of flan is set but jiggles in the center.
Remove from water bath and cool completely on a rack.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is better.
Makes eight servings.
Editor’s note: Liddie Martinez is the author of the popular award winning Chile Line Cookbook: Historic Recipes of Northern New Mexico, which is available online at https://thechileline505.square.site/.
Video by Liddie Martinez
