My take at Pandan Flan

This weekend, I had to give in to my craving for something sweet, egg-y and creamy.  I thought of making some custard cake or tart, but suddenly thought of that really delicious Pandan Flan that I had at Crimson Resort in Mactan last month.

I like a good Leche Flan, but I try to avoid the ones that are too rich (unfortunately, most of them are). But when we were at Crimson, they had, among the many dessert varieties at their buffet, a leche flan with a twist.  It was Pandan flavored and it was sinfully good. It was creamy but light, melted in your mouth and had just the right amount of Pandan flavor in it--not too aromatic or overpowering.  I vowed to make my version of it.

Pandan Flan, along with other desserts from Crimson Resort in Mactan, Cebu.

So here's my take at Pandan Flan or Pandan-flavored Leche Flan.  It turned out really good, but next time I might make it a little lighter. This was so rich and creamy, I can even taste the calories in it.  I might make the caramel a little less sweet too.

Freshly baked. I was so happy to see these babies come out of the oven. They smelled so good!

But overall I was so happy with this. I'm already thinking about serving this for dessert the next time I have the neighbors over.

Finished product. Creamy, rich and delicious flan.

If you want to try it yourself, here's the recipe:

8 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
1 can evaporated milk (if you want the flan to be lighter, try to substitute this with whole milk or 2%)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup refined or light brown sugar
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the custard ingredients (eggs and milk) well in a glass bowl. Do not use an electric mixer. It will cause the mixture to bubble and will result in plenty of holes or craters in your flan. Just mix well with a whisk until smooth. Set aside.

Make the caramel. Mix the sugar and water and heat over medium-high while continuously stirring until it reaches caramel consistency (it should be light brown in color).  Place ramekins on a roasting pan. Divide the caramel among your ramekins, making sure the bottom is completely covered. Once the caramel hardens, pour the custard/flan mixture in each ramekin.

Pour boiling water in the roasting pan, about 1-inch deep.  Cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil and poke holes on it so steam can come out. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Chill your flan before serving. Run a knife through the sides of the ramekin and invert the flan into a plate to serve.  Top with fruit--raspberry or strawberry makes for a good garnish.  Enjoy!