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Pumpkin flan

Based on Cocina Marie’s “Mexican Flan Step-by-Step” recipe and All Recipes’ “Baked Flan #44,497” recipe.

The ingredients are similar to pumpkin pie, but this is more decadent. Note that compared with my other flan recipe, the egg whites are not necessary to hold the flan together because the pumpkin itself adds strength.

Making the caramel sauce

Equipment required

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add sugar to flanera. Make sure dry chunks are broken up. Heat over high-medium heat until the sugar starts to melt, then turn the heat down as the sugar melts more and more. Swirl the pan and stir with small silicone spatula as needed to melt the sugar. The sugar will clump as it melts, try to get the clumps to melt. It is okay to leave a few small lumps. When sugar is fully (or mostly) melted, turn off the heat. The red liquid will harden into red sugar.

Can wash: ⅔ cup measuring cup

Making the pumpkin flan

Equipment required

Instructions

Boil water in saucepan.

Add to medium size bowl. Mix thoroughly with stick blender. Pour liquid into flanera, which will be perfectly filled.

Can wash: stick blender, 1 tsp measuring spoon, ¾ cup measuring cup, small bowl (if used for separating eggs), medium bowl, small silicone spatula

Fasten flanera lid, place into baking pan and pour boiling water around the flanera. This ensures the red sugar will not burn from the oven’s heat. Bake for 75 minutes. Remove from oven and chill. There are a few options for chilling, from just putting it in the fridge and letting it chill overnight, to accelerating the cooling by propping up the flanera on (e.g.) chopsticks in the baking pan and running cool water over it for at least 20 minutes. Regardless, the flanera needs to chill for the custard to set.

Once chilled the sauce needs to be heated to come loose from the pan. Boil water in saucepan. Prop up the flanera on chopsticks in the baking pan and pour half a liter of boiling water into the baking pan. Wait a few minutes until the water is cool, then remove the flanera from the baking pan.

Can wash: baking pan, chopsticks, saucepan

Remove the lid of the flanera, run a knife along the edge of the flanera and invert the plate (or pie pan) over the flanera. Turn them over together, then slowly lift up the flanera. The flan will slide out.

Can wash: knife, flanera

Alternative way of making the caramel sauce

This method avoids the risk of burning the sugar by adding water and then boiling it off, but runs the risk of a caramel sauce that is too light.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add sugar to flanera. Add enough water to make it slushy, no need to completely dissolve. Heat over high heat until it boils, then reduce to moderate boil while stirring with small silicone spatula. The sugar will dissolve and the water will become clear. Eventually the water will almost completely boil away and the liquid will start to turn brown. Keep stirring because there will be hotspots in the pan. When the bubbles all turn brown, turn off the heat and continue to stir until the liquid stops changing color. The result should be a red liquid, which will harden into red sugar.

Can wash: ⅔ cup measuring cup, small silicone spatula