Vietnamese Coffee Flan
Bánh flan cà phêbahn flahn ka fey
A silky condensed milk custard under a layer of bitter caramel, turned out and served in a bowl with crushed ice and a pour of strong black coffee. The coffee is the Vietnamese touch, and it is what keeps something this sweet from being too much.
At a glance
- Condensed : fresh milk
- 1:1
- Active time
- 20 min
- Total time
- 290 min
- Makes
- 6 ramekins
- Serve
- Cold, with ice
- Kit
- Steamer + ramekins
Ingredients
Note: Steaming gives a smoother, bubble-free custard than baking. If you have no steamer, bake at 150°C in a water bath for 35 to 40 minutes.
Method
-
Make a dark caramel
Heat the sugar and 30 ml of water in a small pan without stirring, swirling now and then, until it turns deep amber. Pour a little into each ramekin at once and tilt to coat the base.
Take it dark. A pale caramel makes the flan cloying.
6 to 8 minutes -
Warm the milks
Warm the condensed milk and whole milk together until just warm to the touch, about 50°C, and stir in 30 ml of coffee if you want a coffee custard.
-
Combine gently, then strain
Stir the eggs and yolks together gently with a fork, without whisking in air. Pour in the warm milk slowly, stirring. Strain the mixture twice through a fine sieve, and skim off any foam.
Air and foam become holes in the custard.
-
Fill and cover
Pour the custard over the set caramel in the ramekins and cover each one with foil.
Foil stops condensation dripping onto the surface and pitting it.
-
Steam gently
Steam over barely simmering water for 25 to 30 minutes, with the lid slightly ajar, until the custard is set at the edges and just wobbles in the middle.
A hard boil makes it bubble and turn spongy.
Steam 25 to 30 minutes -
Chill
Cool, then chill for at least four hours. The caramel dissolves into a sauce as it sits.
Chill 4 hours -
Turn out and pour the coffee
Run a knife round each one and turn it out into a bowl. Heap crushed ice beside it and pour strong black phin coffee over the ice and the flan. Eat at once.
Why this works
A flan is a custard set by egg proteins, and its texture depends on how gently they set. Egg whites begin to set at around 62°C and yolks at around 70°C. Heated slowly and evenly, the proteins unfold and link into a fine, tender network that traps the milk and sugar. Heated too fast or too hot, they tighten, squeeze out liquid and leave the custard full of holes. Steaming over barely simmering water and covering with foil keeps the heat gentle and even, which is why bánh flan is so smooth.
Condensed milk is the Vietnamese base for the same reason it is in coffee: it keeps without refrigeration and it was what was available. It also changes the custard. Its concentrated sugar and milk solids make the flan denser and creamier than one made with fresh milk alone, and sugar raises the temperature at which the egg proteins set, which gives a wider window before they overcook.
The caramel is taken dark because the custard is very sweet. Deep amber caramel has developed bitter compounds that balance the sugar. Under the custard in the fridge it slowly dissolves into a thin sauce.
The coffee and ice turn a French dessert into a Vietnamese one. Bánh flan came with French colonial rule, from crème caramel. Pouring strong, bitter robusta over it with crushed ice is how Saigon street vendors serve it, and the coffee's bitterness against the sweet custard is the same balance as in cà phê sữa đá.
Variations
- Plain bánh flan: no coffee in the custard, only poured over.
- Coffee caramel: replace the 30 ml of caramel water with strong coffee.
- Coconut flan: replace the whole milk with coconut milk.
- Baked: in a water bath at 150°C for 35 to 40 minutes if you have no steamer.
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Questions
What is bánh flan?
Vietnamese crème caramel, made with condensed milk and usually steamed. It is often served with crushed ice and black coffee poured over.
Why does my flan have holes in it?
It was cooked too hot, or there was air in the mixture. Stir the eggs gently, strain twice, cover with foil and steam over barely simmering water.
Can I bake Vietnamese flan instead of steaming it?
Yes. Bake in a water bath at 150°C for 35 to 40 minutes, until it just wobbles in the centre.
How long does bánh flan keep?
Three to four days covered in the fridge, in the ramekins.