I feel like throwing recipes out into the void of the internet is a bit strange right now, it feels at once both redundant and hopeful. Baking is my job, and that includes this site, so to stop working risks my livelihood and my future. Having already lost a significant portion of work I feel like I have to keep pushing, even if it feels a bit weird right now. Does that make sense? I’ve also tried to have a dialogue with you guys over on instagram to see what you’re thinking and what you need right now. Overwhelmingly you told me that you’re baking through your stress and that watching my regular stories on baking is a nice little escape, so I am going to continue posting new recipes and try and make this a happy place for you to come and lose yourself for a little bit. I will also try and develop recipes that are easy, use minimal ingredients and can be made without issue right now. One of the main things you wanted was a sourdough bake-a-long so thats going to start on Saturday morning. If you want to get prepared you can of course read the guides I already have on here, come Saturday the only thing you will need is a jar with a lid and a bag of bread flour. So come join me every morning on instagram for a little social baking.

Todays recipe was obviously developed before this virus became as big of a deal as it now is so if you cant get all of the ingredients right now maybe bookmark it and come back for something else another time.

Comfort is a word I throw around a lot. Baking seems to have comfort inherently built in for me, for you too I’d wager. It’s a treat, a thing for special occasions or even that thing we do to boost our spirits. Some recipes do seem to have an abundance of comfort and flan, creme caramel, purin or whatever you want to call this style of set custard seems to be at the height of comfort. I can’t quite place my finger on why though, maybe it’s because it’s familiar and something from childhood, maybe its because its custard and custard is just a mainstay of comforting desserts, maybe it’s the soft wobbly texture, who knows. Whatever the reason, it’s a dish that can warm the soul and right now that’s all that matters to me.

For my version I wanted to add a coffee element so there is one additional step compared to the classic recipe, the dairy is first steeped with freshly ground coffee. If you prefer to keep the custards more classic feel free to skip this step but I love the extra flavour it adds.

Coffee Caramel Flan
Makes 6

Caramel
150g caster sugar
25ml water 

Coffee Custard
550ml whole milk
175ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
30g freshly ground coffee
125g caster sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 tsp salt

For this recipe I used 6 round moulds, which are sold as small pie tins. It makes wide flat custards that are about 4 inches wide. You can also make these in classic dariole moulds or ramekins. If making them in dariole moulds (small pudding basins) you may get 1 or 2 extra flans. Spray each mould with a little spray oil or lightly grease with a little softened butter.

Place the sugar and water for the caramel into a small saucepan and place over medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally but definitely not stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, the mixture is bubbling and eventually turns to a rich golden brown. For this style of custard I like to take the custard to a pretty dark colour so it has that identifiable edge to it I expect from flan. Once at the desired colour add an extra tablespoon of hot water to thin the caramel a little (be careful, the water will make the caramel bubble violently). Divide the caramel evenly between the prepared moulds and set aside for the moment.

To make the flan we need to first infuse the coffee flavour into the dairy. Add the milk, cream, vanilla and half of the sugar into a medium sized saucepan and add the coffee. Place the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside for about 30 minutes to allow to infuse. 

Note: for the coffee you can use any form of real coffee, whether you grind it fresh or whether you have ready ground in your pantry. Ideally you want the coffee medium ground so it can be strained out but even if you use coffee finely ground for espresso (like I did with the version in the pictures) it’ll taste delicious you may just have a few smaller grains in the end product, which I actually don’t mind. If you only have instant you will be able to use it but it wont need infusing, just bring the dairy to a simmer and mix in coffee a lit bit at a time, adding enough until it tastes as  strong as you prefer.

Preheat the oven to 150ºC.

Bring the coffee mixture back to a simmer. Once at temperature pour the dairy through a fine mesh sieve to remove as much of the ground coffee as poissible. Place the eggs, salt and remaining sugar into a large bowl and whisk together just to combine. Your aim here is to combine everything without adding any air, bubbles are the enemy of a silky smooth custard. Pour the infused dairy into the eggs, as you stir constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. 

Divide the custard evenly between the moulds. If there are bubbles on the surface of the custard you can help them disappear by lightly waving a kitchen blowtorch over the surface and you’ll see any visible bubbles pop. 

Cover each mould with a small piece of foil and place the custards into a large roasting tray (I use a 9x13 brownie tin) with a kitchen towel lining the base of the tin. Place the tin into the oven and carefully pour boiling water into the tin, adding enough to go about 1/2 way up the sides of the moulds. Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the custards are set around the outside with just a little wobble in the middle. Remove the tin from the oven and allow the custards to cool in the water for 30 minutes before removing and allowing to cool to room temperature. Once room temperature place the custards in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

To serve, dip each mould in hot water for 5-10 seconds to loosen. Use a very thin knife to loosen the sides of the custard from the moulds and then invert onto a plate to serve. 

Once made they can be kept in the fridge for a couple days before turning out of the moulds to serve.