Search

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Asian In America

Asian cooking, culture and stories of recipes

  • Home
  • About this Asian in America
    • Meet Betty Ann
    • Press & Awards
  • Books
  • Writings
  • Recipe Index
  • Buy My Art
  • Shop Amazon
  • Contact

October 6, 2011

CARAMEL LECHE FLAN with MACAPUNO CREAM TOPPING: The Perfect Flan

0 shares
Jump to Recipe

 

“THIS is the PERFECT Leche Flan! There are NO bubbles!” gasped my aunts who  all closely inspected the custard dessert I made. This verdict was followed by “ooohs” and “aaahs” of approval.  No, this was not a scene from an Iron Chef episode. This was  a slice of life from our family reunions when my dessert was scrutinized by the better cooks en mi familia…my aunts and Mom.

When I was growing up, and learning how to make Leche Flan, my Mom and  aunts taught  me the flan’s texture must be smooth, firm, with minimal or no bubbles at all. The bubbles made the custard look like a block of Swiss cheese. It was not acceptable. To bring an ugly Leche Flan to a family party was the worst thing . Never mind that it tasted awesome. It had to look perfect….a light brown caramel crowning a smooth textured custard.

 

 

The Leche Flan(meaning Milk Custard) is one of the most  iconic Filipino desserts. It is a rich, creamy custard, with an even richer, sweet caramel syrup on top. Its origins can be traced to the strong Spanish influence in Philippine culture.  There are myths about its origin. Stories were passed around for generations.  When the Spanish colonizers were building churches in the Philippines in the 1500s, eggwhites were used to cement stones together for the buildings. So it was said, the surplus of eggyolks brought about many desserts, one of them the LECHE FLAN.

 

 

Long ago, Leche Flan in the Philippines, was cooked in a manner different from how I bake it today. Generations ago, the old fashioned way was to steam the Leche Flan with the heat from charcoal on top of the flan, and heat from underneath a clay mold.

And traditionally, the caramel and custard were contained in a “llanera”, an oval-shaped mold made of aluminum. This could only be made and bought in the Philippines. I brought my own “Llaneras” in my suitcase when we moved to America years ago. I still have them and use them often, especially for parties.

Back in the Philippines, the real special flan was made from the best ingredients: fresh carabao milk AND flavored with the zest of fresh “dayap”, a local lime. I can still picture the old mason jars filled with fresh carabao milk delivered to our home, and with this was the promise of the best Leche Flan ever. I grew up with cows grazing our yard, and not too far from where I lived, roamed carabaos (water buffalos), too. So it was not hard to find the freshest milk for the best Leche Flan.

 

 

The other day, I thought of  these memories when I made Leche Flan in my own kitchen. While I did not have cows or carabaos grazing in my suburban backyard here in America, I tried to make the Leche Flan as special as could be. I substituted the milk ingredients with a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk and a 14 oz. can of condensed milk.  And to make it  heavenly, I added a Macapuno topping.  Macapuno are sweet slivers of coconut cooked in syrup. The Macapuno topping had heavy cream, coconut cream and caramel syrup, and poured  on top of the leche flan. It was  fabulous ! And it would have passed the “family inspection” …. flawless, NO bubbles!

For the easy Leche Flan recipe , head on to A Culinary Journey, where I was honored to be invited by the amazing Chef Dennis to guest post.  Chef Dennis, is the Chef and Culinary Instructor at Mount Sinai Saint Joseph Academy in Flourtown, PA. His career in food service has spanned 35 years from White Table Cloth restaurants to Executive Dining. I was drawn to his food blog because of the many recipes, helpful instructions and valuable food information he generously gives his readers. Chef Dennis has been an inspiration, a strong supporter of my blogs, and one of the kindest blogger friends. I marvelled at  what he said in his blog  https://www.askchefdennis.com/ ” When you do something well and truly enjoy it, you know where you belong. ”  Go along and join Chef Dennis on A  Culinary Journey!

Print Recipe

0 shares

Filed Under: Cooking, Family, Reviews

Recent

  • Sikreto ni Maria Dessert
  • Kinamatisang Baka – Beef with Tomatoes
  • Glass Noodle Salad with Crabmeat

Never miss a recipe!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chef Dennis says

    October 6, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    What a delicious guest post! thank you so much for all your hard work on this wonderful post!
    Cheers
    Dennis

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 6, 2011 at 8:49 PM

      Thanks so much, Chef Dennis! I appreciate your kind comments, support and encouragement. It was an honor to guest post on your blog and share a favorite family recipe!

      Reply
  2. foodwandeings says

    October 6, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    Elizabeth, I got to tell you. Flan is one of my favorite childhood desserts. You outdid yourself here it looks absolutely stunning!!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 6, 2011 at 9:40 PM

      Thanks, Shulie! I share the #flanlove ! So kind of you to stop by!

      Reply
  3. Nelly Rodriguez says

    October 6, 2011 at 9:54 PM

    Headed there right now to copy this recipe and make it soon!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 6, 2011 at 11:57 PM

      Thanks,Nelly ! Enjoy !

      Reply
  4. Elin says

    October 6, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    You have a beautiful blog and I love this sweet mouthwatering dessert. Have bookmarked this and thank you for a great post at Chef Dennis.

    Have a nice day,
    Elin

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 6, 2011 at 11:58 PM

      Thanks, Elin! So kind of you. Great to meet you and hope you come back soon.

      Reply
  5. Mary says

    October 6, 2011 at 10:49 PM

    This looks so delicious! I’ve pinned the recipe now. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 6, 2011 at 11:58 PM

      Thanks, Mary ! Glad you stopped by.

      Reply
  6. Yuri - Chef Pandita says

    October 7, 2011 at 1:32 PM

    When I was a kid I used to help my mom make flan de leche. She made it in the pressure cooker to shorten cooking time… Flan is very popular here, can’t wait to try your recipe 🙂 heading over to Chef Dennis’ blog to check out your guest post. Xoxo

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 7, 2011 at 9:04 PM

      Thanks, Yuri! Glad you share the FlanLove, as well ! Enjoy the hop to Chef Dennis’ blog!

      Reply
  7. Liren says

    October 7, 2011 at 1:58 PM

    Looks amazing, Betty Ann. Heading to Chef Dennis’ right now!

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 7, 2011 at 9:05 PM

      Thanks, Liren! So nice of you to stop by. Enjoy Chef Dennis’ blog…it’s amazing!

      Reply
  8. Karriann Graf says

    October 11, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    I sure wish I was your neighbor! Might you deliver to Key West? Pretty Please 😉

    “Spice it Up”

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 11, 2011 at 9:46 PM

      Thanks, Karriann! Yes, if we were neighbors, I’d bake you one right now! Nice of you to stopy by.

      Reply
  9. wok with ray says

    October 11, 2011 at 10:16 PM

    This is absolutely decadent dessert! It looks sinfully and heavenly delicious, Elizabeth! It’s making my mouth watery, my goodness!!!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 11, 2011 at 10:23 PM

      Thanks, Kuya Ray! I know how heavenly this is…we all ate it! Nice of you to stop by! Salamat po, for all the support!

      Reply
  10. Karriann Graf says

    October 12, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    Wow! this food is really attractive!

    Must try this one.. 🙂

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      October 12, 2011 at 6:00 PM

      Oh yes, we really love this flan! Nice of you to stop by. Check out Chef Dennis’ blog, too!

      Reply
  11. love2type says

    November 9, 2011 at 1:44 AM

    just made a leche flan too. topping sweet leche flan with something sweet doesn’t go well with the family however. but then again, i haven’t tried macapuno yet..

    Reply
    • Elizabeth Q says

      November 9, 2011 at 12:52 PM

      Both the regular flan and the flan with macapuno topping are fabulous!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Betty Ann Quintiro, Asian American Recipe Developer, Cookbook Author, Artist

I am Betty Ann Besa-Quirino, author, journalist, food writer, artist. I transform traditional Filipino food and Asian cuisine to everyday dishes in my American kitchen. Read More

Never Miss a Recipe

Sign up to get new recipes via email.

Latest Tweets

Tweets by @BettyAnnQuirino
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: Invalid Feed ID.

Footer

Let’s Connect!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2022· AsianInAmericaMag.com · Design by Triple Latte Design · Privacy Policy