Dairy-free coconut flan

After last week's coconutty adventure I had a few opened cans of coconut milk and cream in the fridge that I just had to use (or lose). As I sifted in Google for coconut milk recipes I saw a recipe for flan. Being of a Latino heritage I know flan all too well. It's eggy, sugary, milky goodness. How can I possibly make it just a little more guiltless without losing out on the flavor and texture? 

I had a eureka moment and grabbed my leftover coconut and got to work.

For starters, I used a combination of the coconut cream and coconut milk instead of evaporated and condensed milks. Then, instead of white sugar I used a 50/50 combination of coconut sugar and raw honey for the sweet topping as well as the custard. Finally, instead of the 6-8 eggs a traditional flan recipe calls for I used only 4.

I'm rather pleased with the result. The texture is smooth and velvety. It lost nothing of the sweetness and flavor a traditional flan has. As a matter of fact, the honey gave it an extra sweet kick. I may just dial the honey back a tad when trying this recipe again.

Now in terms of the density of the custard, people have their preferences, I tend to like the thicker, almost cheesecake-like flans. Some like the delicate custard version. This recipe definitely gives us the delicate custard variety. 

My biggest advice though is to refrigerate the baked custard for at least 4 hours. This allows for the flan to set and the flavors to bloom. I was super greedy and tried to have a bite before actually putting it in the fridge and almost thought this was a baking fail. The custard was falling apart and it was incredibly sweet. How amazing an overnight chill in the fridge is!

And lastly, be sure to enjoy with a cup of strong coffee..

Ingredients:

1 can of coconut cream

3/4 can of coconut milk or

2 cups of coconut cream/milk mixture

1/3 cup of raw coconut

1 tsp of real vanilla

Zest of one lemon

1/2 cup honey (I'd do 1/4 cup next time)

1/2 cup coconut sugar

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

In a saucepan, heat the coconut milks with a 1/4 cup coconut sugar and about an 1/8 cup of honey (I originally used about a 1/4 cup, but I'd dial back on the sweetness). One the milks start bubbling, remove from heat and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the tsp. vanilla and zest.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then whisk into the coconut-sugar mixture.

Take half of the 1/3 cup of raw coconut and toast if desired. Combine with the raw coconut and whisk into the mixture.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Once baked, remove from oven and let cool. Once cooled, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.