Vanilla Tropical Fruit Flan with Tequila Caramel Sauce

Vanilla Tropical Fruit Flan with Tequila Caramel Sauce

Whether you’re celebrating Cinco de Mayo, or hosting dinner, this boozy tropical flan makes for a delightful finish to any meal. Its creamy, silky and smooth texture will give you and your guests a new appreciation for tequila. Enjoy the subtle flavors of agave, bright tropical fruit and sweet caramel in this custard dessert. If you’ve never made flan before, now is the time to try!

Ingredients

Coating Caramel

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice

Tropical Fruit Flan

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 7 fl. oz. sweetened condensed milk
  • 32 fl. oz. evaporated milk
  • 2 Nielsen-Massey Tahitian Vanilla Beans
    Buy Now, split and scraped. Reserve vanilla bean pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup mamey fruit puree
  • 1/2 cup mango puree

Caramel Sauce

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • Juice of a lemon
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup tequila
  • 1 vanilla bean pod
  • Chocolate curls, for garnish

 

Directions

For the coating caramel:

In a saucepan cook sugar and orange juice over medium heat, scraping down sides of pan with a rubber spatula to avoid crystallization, stirring occasionally to cook sugar evenly until it reaches a deep brown color. Pour caramel into the bottom of a flan mold, spread to cover the entire bottom of the mold. Set aside.

For the flan:

In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, evaporated milk, vanilla beans, one vanilla pod, and cinnamon. Bring to boil, lower the flame and let simmer for a few minutes to infuse the milk. In a metal bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, and sweetened condensed milk. Temper egg mixture with heavy cream mixture then combine the two mixtures together. In a food processor, blend coconut milk, mango and mamey fruit. Add fruit puree to egg mixture and whisk until well integrated. Pour custard into flan mold, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a Bain-Marie at 325 degrees F., until tops are giggly and set. Remove custard from hot water and cool. Refrigerate until cold. (Alternatively, place the flan pan in a baking dish and add hot water half way up the side of the flan pan. Bake the custard in a 325 degrees F. oven until set.)

For the caramel sauce:

In a saucepan, combine the lemon juice and sugar, add the scraped vanilla bean pod. Cook sugar over medium heat until it has a golden brown color. Turn off the heat and very slowly add the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Put the pan back on the fire at low heat and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add tequila and let sauce cook for an additional 5 minutes.

To serve:

Unmold flan. Run the tip of a knife around the edge of the flan. Invert onto a big round plate. Let caramel run out as much as possible. Place a slice of the flan on a serving plate, top it with tequila caramel sauce and sprinkle with chocolate curls.

Notes:

Contributed by Chef Oscar Ortega

Coating Caramel

  • 200 g sugar
  • 120 ml orange juice

Tropical Fruit Flan

  • 240 ml heavy cream
  • 210 ml sweetened condensed milk
  • 950 ml evaporated milk
  • 2 Nielsen-Massey Tahitian Vanilla Beans
    Buy Now, split and scraped. Reserve vanilla bean pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 120 ml coconut milk
  • 120 ml mamey fruit puree
  • 120 ml mango puree

Caramel Sauce

  • 200 g white sugar
  • Juice of a lemon
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 60 ml tequila
  • 1 vanilla bean pod
  • Chocolate curls, for garnish

Directions

For the coating caramel:

In a saucepan cook sugar and orange juice over medium heat, scraping down sides of pan with a rubber spatula to avoid crystallization, stirring occasionally to cook sugar evenly until it reaches a deep brown color. Pour caramel into the bottom of a flan mold, spread to cover the entire bottom of the mold. Set aside.

For the flan:

In a saucepan, combine heavy cream, evaporated milk, vanilla beans, one vanilla pod, and cinnamon. Bring to boil, lower the flame and let simmer for a few minutes to infuse the milk. In a metal bowl, whisk together eggs, yolks, and sweetened condensed milk. Temper egg mixture with heavy cream mixture then combine the two mixtures together. In a food processor, blend coconut milk, mango and mamey fruit. Add fruit puree to egg mixture and whisk until well integrated. Pour custard into flan mold, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a Bain-Marie at 160 degrees C., until tops are giggly and set. Remove custard from hot water and cool. Refrigerate until cold. (Alternatively, place the flan pan in a baking dish and add hot water half way up the side of the flan pan. Bake the custard in a 160 degrees C. oven until set.)

For the caramel sauce:

In a saucepan, combine the lemon juice and sugar, add the scraped vanilla bean pod. Cook sugar over medium heat until it has a golden brown color. Turn off the heat and very slowly add the heavy cream, whisking constantly. Put the pan back on the fire at low heat and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add tequila and let sauce cook for an additional 5 minutes.

To serve:

Unmold flan. Run the tip of a knife around the edge of the flan. Invert onto a big round plate. Let caramel run out as much as possible. Place a slice of the flan on a serving plate, top it with tequila caramel sauce and sprinkle with chocolate curls.

Notes:

Contributed by Chef Oscar Ortega

  • Nielsen-Massey time icon

    45 minprep

  • Nielsen-Massey time icon

    120 mincook

  • Nielsen-Massey yield icon

    8servings

This Recipe Uses

Tahitian Vanilla Bean

Tahitian Vanilla Beans