Recipe: Coconut Flan (using unsweetened coconut milk)

COCONUT FLAN

1 3/4 cup sugar, divided use
3/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

TO MAKE THE SUGAR SYRUP:
In a heavy saucepan, melt 1 cup sugar over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until it is amber and smooth liquid. Regulate heat so sugar doesn't burn. Immediately remove from heat and pour into the bottom of a heated 9-inch glass pie plate, a 2-quart casserole or a heavy cake mold. (To heat the pie plate, pour hot water into it and let stand a minute or two, then drain and dry completely before adding the sugar syrup.) Tilt the dish to cover the bottom of the pan completely with the sugar syrup. Be very careful as the sugar is super hot and if it hits your skin, will cling and burn you badly.

Sprinkle coconut evenly over the sugar syrup. Set aside.

TO PREPARE THE FLAN:
In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk, coconut milk and salt to a boil over medium heat, stirring, and remove from heat immediately.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, egg yolks, remaining sugar and vanilla until pale yellow but not foamy. With mixer on medium speed, slowly add 1/2 cup hot milk mixture and beat until eggs are slightly heated from the liquid. Slowly add the remaining hot milk and continue beating 30 seconds.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and place the dish in a shallow roasting pan big enough to hold it. Fill the roasting pan 3/4 full with warm water (halfway up the flan dish).

Place in oven and bake 1 hour. Remove from oven and carefully remove flan dish from hot water. While the flan is still warm, run a knife around the edge to loosen it from the sides of the dish.

TO REMOVE THE FLAN:
Place plate on top of the dish and invert onto the plate. Make sure the plate is large enough to hold the flan and has enough of a well to hold the syrup.

Flan can be served warm or chilled. It can be prepared 2 days in advance, covered and refrigerated.

Makes 12 servings
Adapted from source: Our Latin Table by Fernando Saralegui