Perla’s Leche Flan (Instant Pot)
So this is my mother’s famous Leche Flan recipe. The story goes that when she was a young girl growing up in the Philippines, she was in Home Economics class (all-girls-Catholic school) and a nun was teaching the girls how to make Leche Flan. During the course of the class, the girls were learning the technique and recipe and the teacher said, “OK, there is a secret to making the texture so firm and smooth. Who can tell me what it is?” My mother raised her hand and went up and whispered her answer to the nun. “That’s right!” she said. I don’t know if this story is true or not AND I don’t know if they shared the secret with the class, but my mother told my sister and I and forbid us both from telling anyone the secret to anyone unless they were blood family. It’s been more than 25 years since my mother passed away. And in those years, I found out she did share her recipe with close friends (or at least one). But she did not share the ‘secret,’ but she shared her technique and that actually gets people pretty close. Here is her recipe:
I did adjust it for the Instant Pot, as the IP didn’t exist when my mother was alive. The recipe (ingredients) is essentially the same, but I experimented with the recipe for using a smaller baking pan that fits in the IP. But the flan, which still turned out well, didn’t have the same sweetness, so I switched back to using the original recipe, but just tweaked the technique for the IP.
Ingredients:
- 10-12 egg yolks (I use jumbo eggs)
- 3/4-1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
- 1 (4 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk (chocolate can be used for a variation)
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of water
In a small tin or aluminum round baking pan, prepare the ‘caramel.’ Pour the sugar directly into the pan and then add the water. Turn the pan as you ‘moisten’ the sugar and spread it all around the bottom and sides of the pan. (This takes a while. If the sugar doesn’t move, keep adding a little water by teaspoon until it coats the pan all over. Put the pan directly on the stove burner and turn the heat to low/medium. Watch the pan to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn (This can happen quickly) Eventually, the sugar will start to turn brown. When it does, hold the pan with potholders and turn the pan over the burner. You want to coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the brown sugar, but try not to burn the sugar. When the bottom and sides are covered. Take the pan off the heat and set aside to cool.
Note: A word about the pan. Don’t use a non-stick pan. You want the sugar to stick to the pan, so a non-stick pan isn’t conducive for this. Also, in the Philippines, they use what’s called a llanera, a thin tin or aluminum baking pan. I think because it’s thin and conducts heat well. Sometimes, you can find old Wilton baking pans in thrift stores. I was lucky and found a small round one that fits in my Instant Pot. You want to make sure there is no lip or patterns on the pan because you’re going to invert the flan in the end, so you will want a smooth top on your flan.
In a separate bowl, you want to start to separate the yolks from the egg whites. (So you’ll want two bowls) Over one bowl, crack the eggs and drop the whites into the first bowl and when you’ve separated the yolks well, drop them into a different bowl. Once you have 12 separated yolks, gently break the yolks. Open the can of sweetened condensed milk and empty it into the bowl, using a scraper to get all the sweet milk out. Add the extract, depending on which one you choose. (I prefer the vanilla) Then add the 1 cup of water. Gently mix the contents in the bowl. When you make your flan, you don’t want bubbles in the texture, so try not to add bubbles by mixing vigorously. Mix gently.
Important: You’re going to strain the mixture before adding it to the baking pan. I actually use a fine strainer right over the pan, but some people use cheesecloth. This can get messy, but it helps if you have someone hold the strainer or you can have someone steady the cheesecloth over a bowl and slowly pour. Then after everything passes through the cloth, squeeze the cloth to get as much of the mixture out as possible. You want to keep all the egg impurities out of the flan. This also completely mixes the contents together. Note: Sometimes, you will hear the caramel crack when you pour the mixture in.
The pan I happened to find was tall for a small pan, so you want the final flan to be tall, that’s why you need 10-12 yolks. If you don’t have enough liquid, the flan will be too shallow.
You’re going to cook the flan by steaming it, but you could do this in the oven, using a water bath or bain-marie. You want to fill the Instant Pot with some hot water, making sure the water goes up to 1/2 the side of the outside of the baking pan. I used 2.5 cups of hot water around the baking pan. I covered my baking pan tightly with aluminum foil, so water doesn’t accidentally get in. Then using the Pressure Cook or Manual button on the Instant Pot, you want to set it to Low Pressure, so it’s a low, steady cooking. On my pot, I had to hit the Pressure Level button to set it to Low Pressure. Set it for 30 minutes. Once it’s done, let Natural Release for 10 minutes.
Tip: Because the Instant Pot is narrow and difficult to get the pan out of it, I recommend you use a sling to lower the pan and take it out of the Pot.
Gently take the foil off to make sure no water drops onto the top of the flan. You want to insert a toothpick to make sure nothing comes out and to check the doneness and texture. I left my pan in the pot for a bit because it’s hard to get the hot pan out of the pot. So let it cool. Then lift the pot out carefully to make sure no water gets in.
Let the flan cool on the counter for a bit. Then using a sharp knife, carefully cut around the side of the flan to separate it from the pan. You should see the sugar rise around the sides. Let it continue to cool. Eventually, you will want to invert it onto a plate. I usually put the plate on top and then invert. You want to make sure the plate has high sides so the sugar doesn’t spill. (a lip, if possible)
You will want to chill it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. Once it cools, slice and serve. Bon Appetit, as my mother would say, mimicking Julia Child. (her favorite) The flan consistency should be like butter. Smooth and creamy!
Note: If you make this in the oven in a bain-marie, temperature should be 350 degrees for 45 mins.