July 5, 2021

Bay Leaf Flan

Flavor, flavor, flavor….come on! What would great food be without flavor variations that entice your taste buds? I’m going to be honest and tell you, I am NOT a fan of flan. But, like all good Chefs, I’m going to try, try, and try again until I can find a happy place with a not-so-favorite-food. After many attempts with this custard, I found my happy place with flan.

Thinking outside the box, I used the savory bay leaf in my heated cream. Because the bay leaf is gentle and fragrant, I decided this was a good start. So, I continued the process and added other “non-traditional” ingredients. In the end, this dessert became drop-dead delicious. I can now say I enjoy flan!

This creamy custard is perfect as a sweet little bite. No big portions, just enough to savor and enjoy. Because of the non-traditional flavors of this dessert, you can serve this as a compliment to any lite brunch as a decadent finale. If you decide to host a dessert tasting party, this would be fun to “wow” your friends with your depth of fun flavors!

This recipe is easy to create YOUR variation of flan. Experiment and have fun! Right now, I will stay content in my happy flan place. Cheers!

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Bay Leaf Flan

ChefHotDish

A rich and creamy play on traditional flan! This contemporary custard is complimented by the deep amber sugar and fragrant bay leaves.

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Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

Saucepan
Roasting Pan
Cake Pan, 2-quart Baking Dish or 4 ounce Ramekins
Electric hand mixer

Ingredients

Caramel Topping

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water

Bay Leaf Custard Mixture

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp granulated sugar
4 each large eggs
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
12 oz heavy cream
6-7 each large bay leaves
1 1/4 tsp orange extract

Instructions

In a large saucepan, bring plenty of water to a boil. This water will be used as a water bath when baking the flan in the roasting pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Preparing the Caramel Topping

Have an ungreased 9 x 2 inch cake pan, 2-quart baking dish or ramekins set up in roasting pan.
In a medium saucepan whisk together caramel topping sugar and water. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil.
Once the mixture is boiling, stop stirring and let it cook until the color changes to an amber color. Remove from the heat.
Immediately pour caramelized sugar into the cooking vessel of your choice. Carefully tilt and swirl caramel to coat the entire bottom surface of your cooking vessel. Set aside in roasting pan.

For the Flan Custard Mixture

In a saucepan, add bay leaves and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer then turn off heat and set aside, allowing bay leaves to steep in heavy cream.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, blend together cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until smooth.
Mix in the eggs one by one, mixing until just combined after each egg addition. Gradually mix in the sweetened condensed milk, (remove bay leaves), bay leaf cream and orange extract.
Pour custard mixture over the set caramel layer in your cooking vessel. Set vessel/s in roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water to reach roughly halfway up the sides of your cooking vessel.
Bake until just set (the custard should have a little wiggle when you move it), about 45-50 minutes.
Gently remove custards from the water bath. Set on a cooling rack for roughly 1 hour. Transfer to a refrigerator to chill, minimum 4 hours to overnight.
Run a sharp knife around the flan next to the top edge of your cooking vessel to loosen the flan for plating. While holding your plate in place over the top of the flan, flip the flan upside down and allow the flan to loosen from the cooking vessel.
Once released, you should have a pool of caramel coating the top of the flan and onto your serving plate.
Keep refrigerated until ready to use.