I love the cold, smooth, creaminess of flan. I love the bitter caramel in contrast to the sweet custard. I love that it’s one of easiest desserts to make–ever.
My one issue with flan made outside of my kitchen (or my mother’s) is that it’s often cloyingly sweet. If the sugar isn’t caramelized enough and it remains a lite amber color then it totally defeats the point. And if it’s over cooked, forget it. You might as well throw it against a wall and see if it sticks.
THIS pomegranate citrus flan however, is an absolute stunner. It’s got the bitter caramel notes and the tartness from the orange and pomegranate. It’s thin, light and refreshing (imagine that).
And if I approach flan like I do ice cream, I have faith that I can continue to play around with an unlimited amount of flavor combinations (matcha? pistachio? black sesame?). So don’t be intimidated, just do it. You won’t be disappointed.
Pomegranate Citrus Flan
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 16oz can evaporated milk
4 eggs
1 tsp
zest from one organic orange
2 oranges, segmented
For Caramel
1 cup of white sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
Beat eggs with whisk, add both milks. Continue whisking until well blended, add vanilla and orange zest.
Peel oranges, and cut into segments. Reserve half for top of flan.
Brown sugar in a saucepan until medium/dark golden brown color. Do not stir the sugar with a spoon, just let it do its thing until it starts to melt (you may have to move the pan a little). Once it’s that perfect golden brown color, immediately pour into the bottom of a pie dish. It will harden almost immediately so rotate the dish to get an even coat of caramel. Add orange segments into a spiral pattern on top of caramel.
Pour milk mixture into pie dish (the orange segments will float, that’s ok) and set the pie plate in the middle of a baking sheet. Place in the oven and pour water into the baking sheet to create a water bath.
Bake 55 minutes to one hour. If it jiggles a little in the middle, that’s ok. It will firm up as it cools. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, loosen the edges with a butter knife and invert on a plate.
Garnish with orange segments, orange zest and pomegranate seeds.
