Triple Citrus Flan – a Low-Fat and Gluten-Free Dessert!

I’m getting more and more people asking me for gluten-free recipes.

After a friend asked for ideas for gluten-free desserts for his wife, I decided to share the recipe for the lovely low fat flan than I made for my recent Spanish cooking class.

The three different kinds of citrus (lemon, lime, and orange) make this a lot “zestier” than traditional flan.  I leave out the traditional caramel at the bottom, because I think that we could all use a little less sugar in our desserts.  I finish the flan off with fresh fruit (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and pomegranate seeds), so it is full of color as well as flavor.

Triple Citrus Flan – a Low-Fat and Gluten-Free Dessert!

 

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Author: Nancy Olah

Recipe type: Triple Citrus Flan

Cuisine: Dessert

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 orange, zested
• 1 lime, zested
• 1 lemon, zested
• 14-ounce can non-fat sweetened condensed milk
• 1½ cups low-fat milk
• 1 cup sliced or halved strawberries
• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ cup blackberries
• ¼ - ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions

1. Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Put a pot of water on to boil, or heat water in your electric kettle.
2. Whisk eggs and egg yolks in a medium bowl until well combined.
3. Zest your citrus and mince the zest with a sharp knife. I like to zest first and then mince the zest. If you prefer grated zest, or would like to leave your zest in tiny, skinny ribbons, that will work fine, too.
4. Whisk into the egg mixture the zest, non-fat sweetened condensed milk, and the low-fat milk.
5. Take a large roasting pan and put a kitchen towel at the bottom. This will serve as an anchor for your cake pan. Lightly grease a 9” cake pan with non-fat cooking spray. You can also use a 9” springform pan (like you would use for cheesecake). If you use a springform pan, thoroughly cover the bottom and sides of the pan with a double layer of aluminum foil to make sure that the hot water you’re about to add to your roasting pan can’t get in and ruin your flan. Although most springform pans claim that they are waterproof, I think that the latches loosen over time, so I always wrap mine in a double layer of aluminum foil if I’m using a water bath.
6. Put the cake pan on the dishtowel inside the roasting pan. Pour the flan mixture into your cake pan. Carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan so that the water reaches about halfway along the side of the cake pan. If you’ve used the aluminum foil to protect a springform pan, make sure your water level is well below the aluminum foil on the sides of the pan. Put the roasting pan in the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the custard is set.
7. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Put the cake pan on a wire rack and let it cool for about 2 hours. Cover the cake pan with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator to set and chill the custard for at least 2 hours. (However, you can also make the flan a night or two before your dinner party, and it will be fine for up to 24-48 hours in the fridge.)
8. I am not good at inverting my flan onto a gorgeous plate unless I’ve used a springform pan. Run a thin spatula around the side of the pan. If you have used a springform pan, place your springform pan on your lovely plate, carefully loosen the spring latch, and remove the wall of the pan. If you used a cake pan, put a plate on top of your cake pan, invert it, tap gently, and pray. (Confession time: if I haven’t used a springform pan, I usually forego the dramatic presentation and resign myself to cutting and plating individual servings from my cake pan.)
9. Combine the fruit in a bowl. Either top the entire flan with the fruit or top individual servings. It will look and taste wonderful either way!

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