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Tropical Flan Recipe Spanish
Flan originates from Spain and this delicious dessert is usually made in the oven. It is also great when you make it in a slow cooker though and the following recipe is very simple. This wonderful flan is great served alone or with some fruit-flavored ice cream or sorbet and whipped cream on the side. It is nice enough to serve at a dinner party, although you might want to dress it up a bit with whipped cream and fresh mint leaves if you are doing that. The coconut gives this dessert an exotic flavor and the other ingredients feature in the original flan recipes from Spain.
Flan is similar in texture to custard tart or quiche, although it does not have a shortcrust pastry shell. The filling is not usually custard-based in savory versions of this recipe. British savory flans are believed to have originated from sweet Spanish flans during the Middle Ages. Savory flan flavors include pumpkin, asparagus, and cheese. Sweet flan flavors include coffee, coconut, pineapple, almond, and chocolate. You can get imitation flan which is made with instant flan powder. This powder is not thickened with eggs but with agar-agar. The true version is known as milk cheese or milk flan in some South American countries. That means that the imitation version is known as "flan" which is strange but true.
This dessert is similar to crème brulee, although that dish has a hard caramel top which flan does not have. The word "flan" in British English usually refers to a fruit-topped custard tart (flan is known as crème caramel there) but in the United States, Spain and South America it means a custard dessert without a pastry shell. Flan used to be one of the most popular desserts in restaurants at the end of the last century. This is because it was a dessert that could be made in advance and stored until someone ordered it.
Spanish Coconut Flans
Ingredients -
½ cup fresh shredded coconut
12 oz evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 eggs
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
Preparation:
Grease the inside of the crockpot.
Beat the sugar and salt with the eggs in a bowl with a mixer set at high speed until the mixture is thick.
Add the flour and beat it until it is very smooth.
Beat in the vanilla extract, coconut, and evaporated milk.
Transfer the batter into the prepared crockpot.
Cover and cook for 3 ½ to 4 hours on low or until the coconut flan is set.
Serve it warm.
(Serves 6)
Photo Description:
Flan can be made in the crockpot very easily and you can cut it into wedges to serve. If you want individual ones, you can pour the mixture into lined ramekins and put those in the crockpot but that takes up a lot more space so you will need a big crockpot to get them all in. Coconut flan is a tropical-tasting treat and the whole family will love the grainy texture of this dessert and the exotic flair the addition of coconut gives to this classic Southern dish. If you have a crockpot it is well worth learning how to make the best sweet treat recipes in your slow cooker.
