Chocolate Espresso Crème Caramel (Flan)

I don't do desserts usually, but actually bought this on the beach in Huatulco from a vendor.  I asked what it was and her only English was "flan".  My friend and I thought it was great.  I recently saw this on food t.v. and thought I'd give it a go...  I bought espresso powder online a while ago as I could never find it when I used to shop everywhere pre-pandemic days, so thought this would be a time to use it.

• 4 eggs
• 12-ounce can evaporated milk 
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 cup whole milk 
• 1 tablespoon chocolate espresso powder
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup organic sugar & 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice for caramel 

In a blender, combine the 4 eggs, evaporated, whole and condensed milks, vanilla and espresso powder. Blend until smooth, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Use boiling water in roasting pan to put in one inch of the way full.  Dissolve the sugar and lemon juice in the water and simmer over med-high heat until you reach a deep caramel.  I used my most expensive stainless steel sauce pan.  This is the hardest part of the recipe because the key is not to let the sugar burn or get too dark. Swirl the sugar around the pan.  Remove from heat as soon as the sugar starts to turns a light brown caramel color.  (I may have taken it off a tad early but I was scared to burn it as well.  This was my first time making caramel).  

It’s important to coat the whole pan with it. Tilt the pan and try your best to coat all of the pan’s sides.  (I was too chicken so only went half way up as the sugar is bubbling molten lava hot!!).  Set aside to let the sugar harden.  Now it’s ready for the flan mixture.

Pour the flan mixture into the sugar coated flan mold. Place it in the water in the water-filled roasting pan.  My water was boiling and the pie pan was full - I ended up spilling a bit over the sides as I inserted in.  Check the water level in the base every 15 minutes or so to make sure it is always about an inch full. The flan is cooked through when the top pulls from the sides of the pan a bit, about 45 minutes, but keep checking.

Set aside to cool from water bath, about 2 hours then use a knife to slide around the edges of the dish, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  I didn't love the espresso look at all, especially that it floated to the top while baking for some reason.

When I bought the powder, it said it was for baking, but I've never used it before so hoped it would be okay.  In hindsight, I shouldn't have used it for my first time making this as I had no experience with it.

To serve take a large dessert platter (I used a large dinner plate) and place on top of the flan mold as if it were a lid. Do this over the sink to ensure no spillage. Quickly flip the pan onto the platter. The flan should come out of the mold perfectly with a beautiful caramel glaze. Enjoy!

I was not sure how this turned out, but son raved about it.  He loved the espresso flavor and said it balanced the sweetness of the caramel.  I did taste it after his review and agreed with him.  Custard was delicious too.  Whew...it all worked out in the end.

The sugar in the pot cleaned out easily after a soak with dish soap.  I didn't even have to scrub it which was nice.  It had a tri-ply bottom to it too.  Like I said, I used my most expensive tried and true pan for the sugar.  I've had the set for 25+ years and they still look almost brand new.  The 8 piece set cost about $300 back then which was a lot!  I'd be scared to see what happens to a cheap pan.