Pumpkin Flan With Caramel and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

I made this as one of our Christmas desserts. The family really liked this, rating it either a 4 or a 5. Those that rated it a 4 stated they prefer a denser, firmer flan. This flan was very light and smooth. I actually preferred it this way. If I was to go on taste alone I would have went 5, but I did have some problems with the directions. The first problem was creating the caramel sugar. I took much care to follow the directions carefully. The end result was a huge crystallized mass which never browned. I have made flan in the past so I went to method I was familiar with, which is melting the sugar with just a small amount of water (about a tsp)over a medium high heat stirring constantly so the sugar does not burn. It will quickly melt to a caramel liquid and added this to the loaf pan. The second problem was that it took 2 hours to bake. I had set the pan with hot water in the oven and preheated for over 30 min. Maybe I should have started with boiling water? I also tested the temperature of my oven and it is running correct. I think next time I will make this in 9x9" or 2 qt casserole, as it did come out almost 3" tall and this may have been one reason it took so long. Although i did have these problems I was able to overcome them and would definitely make this again.

1 person found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This recipe was originally published in Gourmet Magazine back in the 80's and I've been making it for friends and family for many years.

For anyone having trouble with the caramelized sugar, eliminate the water, it's not necessary. Put 2/3 cup of sugar directly into a small, non-stick skillet and heat SLOWLY, stirring constantly. It's important to go slowly as the sugar will burn quickly if overheated, then you'll have to start over.

For anyone concerned about the fat calories, a 14 oz can of evaporated milk can be used in place of the 16 oz of heavy cream. The results are still creamy and delicious.

I use 1 tsp of cinnamon -- I like a heavier cinnamon flavor.

If you want a little Southwestern tough to this, add 1 tsp Ancho chili powder to this recipe, gives it a little spicy kick.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Thank goodness I decided to make a double batch of this, because my family really, really wanted to eat some of this right out of the oven. It was WONDERFUL! A great change to regular pumkin pie.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I made this as a apecial treat for my mom and it was wonderful! Almost burned the sugar by walking away so do pay close attention to it. A rich, warm flavored, comforting dessert that would be very nice for the holidays too. I did let this chill overnight in the refrigerator and topped with Redi Whip dusted with cinnamon before serving. Made and reviewed for ZWT 4.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

good. i found the texture a little fluffy/grainy instead of smooth but i think this is just how pumpkin makes things (i've made pumpkin creme brulee and it was the same texture). everyone liked the flavor.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This is soooo good! It was actually beyond good. I made it in the loaf pan and cooked it just a little longer because it wasn't ready at the specified time, I assume because my oven is different. Very creamy, rich and delicious. I'll make this again for sure. Made for ZWT 2007.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I made this one about a month ago, but I never got around to reviewing it -- Wow, this was good!! I love pumpkin stuff anyhow, but this was so smooth and creamy! We have quite a few flan-lovers in the house, so this went pretty quick once it was unmolded. In fact, it didn't last long enough for me to make the cinnamon whipped cream, so we all had naked pumpkin flan. I can only imagine how over-the-top it would be with the whipped cream, since it was so good as-is! Thanks for posting, especially since it had caught my eye in Gourmet, but I had forgotten about it until I saw it posted on Zaar! The things I would miss out on if it wasn't for Zaar!! lol

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I must confess this one wasn't exactly made according to the recipe. I only had 5 eggs and about 1 3/4 cups cream in the house, but I wanted to make this anyway. It came out beautifully, and there was plenty of batter for the 6 ramekins that I used. This was really tasty, and I will most certainly make it again; hopefully with the correct amounts of egg and cream this time. :)

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Wow- This is delicious! Very Very easy to make. Your directions are right on and easy to follow. I had no trouble at all when un-molding. We really enjoyed this. Thank You so much for posting, Nick's Mom

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account