Burnt Coffee Flan | Pan's Labyrinth #FoodnFlix

This month, the Food 'n Flix club is creating recipes inspired by the 2006 dark fairy tale, Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. Set in post civil war Spain (5 years after its end), it's the story of Ofelia, a young girl who, along with her very pregnant mother, is preparing to move in with her new stepfather, the horrid Captain Vidal, at his military outpost.

Chocolate Flan with Frosted Grapes inspired by A Walk in the Clouds | #FoodnFlix

This month's Food 'n Flix pick is the 1995 drama A Walk in the Clouds starring Keanu Reeves and Aitana Sánchez-Gijón. Although this movie is over 20 years old, it was my first time watching it. Growing up in the time of Bill & Ted and Point Break, I can't help but be a Keanu fan. And the female lead is actually the stars of one of my favorite shows, Velvet (a Spanish show that I discovered on Netflix...I am very impatiently waiting for them to add season 3).

A Walk in the Clouds is set in 1945 at the end of World War II in California. Paul, a young soldier returns home from war eager to start a family with the wife that he barely knows. At her encouragement, he returns to his previous job selling chocolates, even though it isn't what he wants. On the train, he meets Victoria, a young woman heading home to face her family with the news that she is pregnant and the father has abandoned her.

Spiced Pumpkin Rum Flan #CaptainsTable

Do you have a go-to dessert for a specific holiday?  I tend to choose lemon bars and a fresh coconut tart for Easter.  For Christmas I lean towards cookies, candies, and gingerbread.  And Thanksgiving?  Well, Thanksgiving it's always pie.  It really never seemed like Thanksgiving if there wasn't pie for dessert.  Not that it was a rule or anything...technically.  But if it was a rule, I would have broken it this year.

Of course, this year seemed anything but traditional.  I usually spend a solid month planning and re-planning my menu.  I paste together bits and pieces to make what I think will make the perfect meal for the year.  I have a notebook.  It has headings.  If you were to glance at it, you'd see Turkey and Gravy, Stuffing (which I should technically call Dressing, because I never actually stuff it into the bird), Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries, Applesauce (the applesauce is always the same, but I still list the category and fill it in), Sides (because potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and applesauce are always there in some form or another...but the sides often change from year to year), Bread, Drinks, and Desserts.

Into that notebook also goes a shopping list, a prep schedule, and a cooking schedule.  It goes with me everywhere during the month of November, leading up to the big day.  You know, in case I have any things that need to be immediately added or changed.  Lest I forget those changes before I return home.  This was the first year that two or three pies were not listed under Desserts.  Some years, I just use Pies as the heading, as I know that's all that will be there, anyway.  But really, not a single pie.

ChocoFlan (Impossible Cake)

Today marks the end of a six month period of cooking with my (unwitting) mentor over at IHCC.  The man who has taught me so much for so many years.  He taught me the basics of Mexican cuisine: the beautiful differences of earthy, dried chiles...the subtleties of using native herbs and spices...vast uses for masa harina...and the importance of building flavor.  Time is your friend when you want a good, authentic Mexican dish.

He's been a source of inspiration and knowledge to me for so long now, so while I'll not be cooking with him in an "official" capacity any longer, there's no way I'll be saying Adios.  Nope.  Instead I will be saying Gracias, Rick.  Thank you for sharing your passion for Mexican cuisine and culture.  And I'll be seeing you soon.

An really, there's no better thank you gesture than something made from the heart.  Rick taught me to make ChocoFlan a long time ago and I've been making people happy with it ever since.  So this one's for you, Rick!

ChocoFlan (Impossible Cake)

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate cake Mexican

Ingredients (serves 12-16)

For the mold:

• a pat of softened butter
• all-purpose flour
• 1 c. cajeta (goats milk caramel), store-bought or homemade

For the cake:

• 5 oz. (10 Tbs.) butter, slightly softened
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs. espresso powder dissolved in 1½ Tbs. hot water (or 3 Tbs. espresso)
• ¾ c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. cake flour
• ¾ tsp. baking powder
• ¾ tsp.baking soda
• 1/3 c. + 1 Tbs. cocoa powder
• 9 floz. buttermilk

For the flan:

• 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Getting started:

Turn on the oven to 350° F. Position oven rack in middle of oven. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round cake pan (you need one that's 3 inches deep), sprinkle with flour, tip the pan, tapping on the side of the counter several times, to evenly distribute the flour over the bottom and sides, then shake out the excess.

Microwave the cajeta for 30 seconds to soften it, then pour over the bottom of the pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Bring a pot or kettle of water to a boil and hold at a simmer. Set out a deep pan that's larger than your cake pan (like a roasting pan) that can serve as a water bath during baking.

Dissolve your espresso powder in the water.

Make the cake layer:

Beat the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until light in color and texture. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the egg and espresso.

Sift together the all-purpose and cake flours, baking powder, baking soda, and cocoa powder. Beat in about half of the flour mixture, at medium-low speed, followed by half of the buttermilk. Repeat, scraping bowl as needed. Once everything is well combined, raise the speed to medium-high and beat for another minute or so.

Scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread level.

Make the flan layer:

In a blender, combine the two milks, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend until smooth.

Hold a large ladle a few inches above the pan with the cake batter in it. Slowly, pour the flan mixture into the ladle and let it fall gently over the edges of the ladle and onto the cake batter. Using the ladle keeps the batter from getting "dented".

Set the cake pan into the larger pan and then set on oven rack. Pour the simmering water into the larger pan, around the cake pan to a depth of at least 1-inch.

Close the oven door and bake for ~60 minutes, or until the surface of the cake is almost firm to the touch, except for the very center (which will seem wobbly) .

Remove from the water bath and cool to room temperature, ~1 hour. Slide into the refrigerator and allow to sit for at least 12 hours. This allows the two layers to meld together and not slide apart when unmolding.

When ready, carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan to free the edges. If the cake does not slide around freely when you turn the pan (like turning a steering wheel), fill the bottom of your sink with hot water and set the pan in for 30 seconds. It should now move freely.

Choose a serving platter that is large enough and has a rim (to stop the extra cajeta from flowing off the plate) and invert it over the top of your pan. Grasp the two tightly and in one quick motion, flip over so that the serving plate is on the bottom. Gently jiggle the pan back and forth several times to insure that the chocoflan has dropped, then lift the pan off. Scrape any remaining cajeta from the mold onto the cake.

Enjoy!

slightly adapted from Rick Bayless

Powered by Recipage

This was another recipe revisit ...see, the good ones really are worth coming back to.

Oh, and I wanted to tell you that if you do not have cake flour, you can make your own.  For every 1 cup of cake flour that you need, measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour and then remove 2 tablespoons of it and replace it with 2 tablespoons of corn starch.  Sift the whole lot 3 times and then it's ready to go - "homemade" cake flour!

p.s...in case you're wondering who our next featured chef at IHCC will be- it's Madhur Jaffrey.  So please join us as we switch gears from Mexico to India (and beyond) starting tomorrow (and continuing for the next six months).

I am sharing this post with:
IHCC theme: Adios y Gracias, Rick

The BEST Flan ever. Period.

This is officially my 1000th post.  Ho. Lee. Cow.  Looking back, it seems that these past 3 years and 7 or 8 months has just flown by.  Now, not every single post contained a recipe, but I think it's safe to say that at least 95% of them did.  And of those posts, not a single recipe was repeated.  Shite!

Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with repeating recipes...the good ones are worth repeating...it's just that there are SO many things out there that I want to make.  SO many.  TOO many.  And the list just keeps growing.  So that is what keeps me from repeating recipes.

Pumpkin Spice Flan-Cake

In my search to incorporate our family's mixed cultures and traditions this holiday season, I combined pumpkin and flan...inspired by my favorite Chocoflan.

The really cool thing about this cake is that the longer it sits in the fridge...the moister it becomes...I think it has to do with the moisture from the flan layer on top. The combination of the two layers tastes oddly like pumpkin pie...only more complex...so addictingly wonderful.

C. H. O. C. O. F. L. A. N. ...it speaks for itself...

...but I like to chime in, too! Are you ever torn between rich, fudgey chocolate cake and smooth, creamy flan? Now, I'm talkin' about the kind of chocolate cake that is not only rich...but moist and dark and sinful. And then there's flan...with its luscious texture that just melts when it hits your tongue...melted caramel topping it all off. Well, I'm here to tell you that you must choose no more! You can just have both! ChocoFlan will wow! you and satisfy both of your cravings. It is often called an "impossible cake" because of the way the layers switch places in the oven...but trust me, it's not impossible. Well, impossibly delicious, perhaps. ChocoFlan
(aka Flan Imposible, Pastel Imposible, Impossible Cake)
Serves 12 generously
Recipe from Season 6 of Mexico--One Plate at a Time 


 For the mold:
A little softened butter and some flour
1 cup store-bought or homemade cajeta (goat milk caramel)


For the cake:
5 oz. (10 Tbs.) butter, slightly softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
2 Tbs. espresso powder dissolved in 1 1/2 Tbs. hot water (or 3 Tbs. espresso)
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
 1 c. cake flour
 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp.baking soda
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. cocoa powder
9 oz. buttermilk


For the flan: 
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican Vanilla

 Prepare the mold: Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and position the rack in the middle. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch round cake pan (you need one that's 3 inches deep), sprinkle with flour, tip the pan, tapping on the side of the counter several times, to evenly distribute the flour over the bottom and sides, then shake out the excess (if you don't have a 3" cake pan...invest in one...so worth it! I ordered mine from my local pastry shop). Microwave the cajeta (Cajeta is a goat's milk caramel...the flavor is amazing!! Use it if you can find it for sure!) for 30 seconds to soften it, then pour over the bottom of the pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Set a kettle of water over medium-low heat. Set out a deep pan that's larger than your cake pan (a roasting pan works well) that can serve as a water bath during baking. Dissolve your espresso powder in the water Make the cake: With an electric mixer (use the flat beater, if yours has a choice), beat the butter and sugar at medium-high speed until light in color and texture. Scrape the bowl. Beat in the egg and espresso. Sift together the all-purpose and cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa. Beat in about 1/2 of the flour mixture, at medium-low speed, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat. Scrape the bowl, then raise the speed to medium-high and beat for 1 minute.Layer and bake: Scrape the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and spread level.  Make the flan: In a blender, combine the two milks, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend until smooth.Who else loves the bonus sweetened condensed milk crystals/candies that stick to the bottom of the can sometimes? BONUS!! I just eat 'em out with a spoon. Slowly, pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. (I find it easiest to pour the mixture into a small ladle, letting it run over onto the batter.) Pull out the oven rack, set the cake into the large pan, then set both pans on the rack. Pour hot water around the cake to a depth of 1 inch. Carefully slide the pans into the oven, and bake about 45 to 50 minutes, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, except for the very center . Remove from the water bath and cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Carefully run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the cake/flan to free the edges. Invert a rimmed serving platter over the cake pan, grasp the two tightly together, then flip the two over. Gently jiggle the pan back and forth several times to insure that the cake/flan has dropped, then remove the pan. Scrape any remaining cajeta from the mold onto the cake.Remove a slice and prepare to say Wow!! ...and in unrelated fun....look at my new tattoo!!! I took the pictures myself, so you can't see if fully...but once it's completely healed I'll show it off some more :) It's tree...which to me represents life in all of it's glorious (and inglorious) stages. Its roots form a peace sign (which I just realized you can't really see in these pics). Rooted in the ground and reaching for the sky. Changing of the seasons represent ever changing life. The winds of change blowing in the background can be unexpected and stir things up...but I must stay grounded. And be at peace with myself (while keeping my arms outstretched towards a higher power). Basically. It's done around 2 tattoos that were already there...incorporating my past into my present...I could go on... 

The best flan (that isn't an old family recipe).

When I first started blogging, I armed myself with a notebook to write down my ideas and plans. I am no good without a list of some sort (all the women in the family blame it on genes). I mean, I'll even put something I did for the day on my list, just so I can cross it out. Well, one of the first things on my "to blog about" list was flan. My hubby loves flan and for many years asked me to make it for him (especially around birthdays). It was something I hadn't made previous to meeting him, although I'd eaten it...and loved it. All of the recipes I'd found were so involved and you had to take the time to make a custard. You had to make caramel and coat individual ramekins. You had to put them in a roasting pan and set them into a water bath. Well, back then I didn't have any ramekins. I didn't have a roasting pan. I didn't have the tools!!! I did eventually get my ramekins...and my roasting pan. What this really meant is that I now had NO excuse NOT to make flan.

 I looked to my favorite Mexican cooking guru (everyone together now...the genius...Mr. Rick Bayless). He had a few different methods, ending in different results and I kept thinking I just don't know. I procrastinated a bit longer. I procrastinated right up until the day I bought a newly released cookbook called Nigella Express, by the lovely Nigella Lawson. What, you say? Nigella is British!! What does she know about making flan? She knows she's a Brit, she acknowledges that her recipe is a simplified one...but she also says that a Mexican camera assistant she once worked with said that her flan was as good as his mother's (!).

And yes, it was the opposite of intimidating. The recipe is almost too simple. So, I made her version (no ramekins required); just a pie plate and my antsy roasting pan (use me, use me). Mission: accomplished. This was the best flan I'd ever tasted. It was smooth, creamy and perfect. I have made it countless times since. It's one of the things I send along for workplace potlucks (people actually request it) and various celebrations. Nobody is the wiser that it isn't made from a recipe passed down through the generations (on hubby's side).

 I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can FINALLY cross flan off that list started some 3 months ago. It was actually Spryte who gave me the motivation...she made a flan last week...and I knew it was time for me to share this ridiculously simple recipe. Just don't tell any of hubby's friends my secret...hey, I enjoy being praised.
Flan 
recipe slightly adapted from Nigella Express 

3/4 c. sugar
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put on a kettle or pot of water to boil.

  Put the sugar into a 9" pie plate (**metal), and place over low heat until the sugar begins to turn into a liquid syrup. Swirl the sugar every now and then as it melts. The sugar will begin to caramelize-just before the sugar reaches the color of maple syrup, take the pan off the heat and place it on a cool surface.

  I use a regular spoon to stir it around because the pan gets so hot after a bit. It helps to press down the sugar chunks towards the end of the caramelizing process. Yes, it will be covered in caramel when done...just run it under the hottest tap water until it melts off. Also, note the dark ring formed around the middle of my pie pan, this WILL happen to you, too...it's from the gas flame. It doesn't affect the pans performance, but if you want yours to stay pretty for pies & what-not, set aside a separate one just for making flan- you will definitely want to make it again. While the pan is cooling down a little, swirl the caramelized sugar a little up the sides of the dish before it sets. Empty the evaporated and condensed milks into a bowl and whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Yup, it's just that easy. Pour this mixture over the syrup-lined pan. Set your pie plate into the roasting pan first; it makes it much easier. Put it into a roasting pan, Fill the pan with boiling water, about 1" full. I try to set the roasting pan on the oven rack before I do this. But, inevitably, while pushing the rack back into the oven, I slosh some of the flan mixture into the water. EVERY TIME! It has become kind of a ritual. I think of it as part of the process. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm and set. Even though you may be tempted to leave it in longer than 50 minutes...DON'T!!!! It should look a little wobbly. Honest. 


Lift the dish carefully out of its water bath and set aside to cool. I just let it sit on the counter until cool. Then wrap it well with plastic film. 


Leave the flan in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours. When ready to serve, turn the flan out onto a dish with a enough of a lip to stop the syrup running off. If the flan is going to travel, I leave it wrapped, in the pie plate, and send along a plate to turn it out onto. It's much easier to turn it out at your destination point. After setting a slice on the plate, use a spoon to get some extra caramel sauce to drizzle over the top. Be prepared for requests to make this again. The nice thing about this flan, other than it has worked perfectly every time, is that you can change it up a bit if you like. I have subbed almond extract for the vanilla. I have added expresso powder to the evaporated milk (stir & dissolve) before adding it...and Spryte, I bet you could even stir in some lemon zest and it would be awesome. I think I'm going to sprinkle in some cinnamon and mexican chocolate for fun next time!