Mexican Made Easy: Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Flavor
Featured Recipe: Coconut FlanServes:8 to 10IngredientsNonstick cooking spray1 cup cajeta or caramel sauce, warm3 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk6 large eggs1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract½ teaspoon salt½ cup shredded sweetened coconut, toastedFlan (which, I have to confess, is Spanish, not Mexican) is surprisingly easy to make. The trick is to cook it in a water bath to ensure gentle heat surrounds the custard so it won’t break or curdle. There are various methods of infusing coconut flavor into a flan, but coconut milk is the easiest, giving you intense flavor and also a smooth texture. When I first made this recipe, I thought adding shredded coconut to custard would give even more flavor. It does, but it takes away from the velvety texture, so I opt to sprinkle some toasted coconut on the top instead.1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray and drizzle the cajeta into the pan, turning to coat the bottom and sides.2 Using an electric mixer, beat the condensed milk, coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the cajeta into the Bundt pan. Put the pan inside a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with warm water to come halfway up the sides of the Bundt pan. Cover the Bundt pan with foil.3 Bake until the center jiggles slightly when the pan is moved, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours or overnight.4 Turn the flan out onto a platter. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve.