Coconut Flan-Pudim de coco

Coconut Flan-Pudim de Coco

Makes 1 9x5” loaf pan, or a savarin mold or 8-6oz Ramekins

Coconut flan or Pudim de Coco as it’s called in Brazil is without a doubt one of my favorite desserts. Every time I make it here at home I feel like I’m back in Bahia with friends enjoying the warm weather and camaraderie of my adopted homeland. Since travel to Brazil is off the boards for the foreseeable future I’ll just have to make do with my memories and a spoonful of this delicious dessert. In Brazil, freshly grated coconut would be used but it’s a bit hard to find here so I use unsweetened finely grated coconut and like to let it soak in the milk for a little while to rehydrate. If you overcook or bake this at too high a temperature you will get little bubbles or “furinhos” so keep an eye on your baking time. 

Caramel:

1 cup/ 200g granulated sugar

3T water

Flan:
1 14oz/396g can of sweetened condensed milk
8oz/ 227g whole milk
10 oz/ 283g of coconut milk (not cream of coconut) well stirred 
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise
6 large whole eggs
1-1/2C grated unsweetened coconut- fresh preferably or packaged if not

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

To make the caramel, heat together in a heavy stainless steel sauce pan the water and sugar over med. flame swirling the pan gently to stir. Do not use a spoon! Cook until it is med. golden brown, about 10 min. Remove the caramel before it is the exact color you want as it will continue to darken in the pan.  Be very careful not to leave it for even a second as it can go from golden to burnt very quickly. The caramel will be extremely hot, so be very careful. CAREFULLY pour it into a loaf pan,  round mold or individual ramekins and coat the sides up a ½ inch or so by swirling the pan using heat proof gloves. Set aside to cool. 

To make the pudim, pour the condensed milk and reg. milk into a sauce pan over med. heat, add the coconut milk and split vanilla bean to the pan and stir to combine. Simmer slowly over low flame to extract the flavor of the vanilla bean. Set aside and let cool slightly, remove vanilla bean and scrape the inside of the bean back into the pan.   In a bowl, crack the eggs and beat together just to mix and not to incorporate air into the mixture. Slowly add the warm milk mixture to the eggs to temper them, stirring constantly. Once about half of the warm milk is added you can pour in the rest and grated coconut and stir well to combine. Pour into the prepared mold and place in a larger baking pan. Pour hot water into the baking pan to come halfway up the sides of the mold and place in the oven. Bake for 45-1hr for a loaf pan or large round mold and about 30-40 minutes for 6 oz. ramekins or until a knife stuck about 1”from the edge of the pan comes out clean.Let cool and then refrigerate overnight. 

To unmold, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and tap it gently to loosen. Place a plate on top and invert the mold onto the plate. Let sit for a few minutes so the caramel will run down the sides of the custard.