Flan Antillaise

The silky Caribbean flan: colonial French custard perfumed with local vanilla, caramel-crowned, turned onto the plate in a pool of dark amber

Origin: Martinique & Guadeloupe, French Caribbean

From the journey of Vanilla.

The flan antillaise is the French crème caramel transformed by the Caribbean: coconut milk replaces some of the cream, local cane sugar (sucre de canne) makes the caramel, and, since Réunion's 1841 breakthrough finally reached the Caribbean colonies, real vanilla beans grown in Martinique's volcanic soil perfume the custard. The result is richer and more tropical than its French parent, less cloyingly sweet, with a coconut depth that grounds the vanilla's headiness. Every home cook in Martinique and Guadeloupe has a version: some use only coconut milk, some use a blend, some add a splash of rum or a scrape of lime zest. The constant is the vanilla, which on these islands is grown small-scale by farmers whose orchid vines climb living tree supports in the hills above Saint-Pierre and Capesterre. The flan is unmoulded at the table, the amber caramel flooding over the white custard in a performance that is the signature of French Caribbean hospitality.

Ingredients

caramel

200 g white caster sugar, for the caramel
3 tbsp water, for the caramel

custard

400 ml full-fat coconut milk
200 ml whole milk
200 ml double cream (heavy cream)
4 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
100 g caster sugar

vanilla

2 vanilla pods, split and scraped

flavour

1 tbsp dark rum (optional, traditional in the Antilles)

seasoning

1 pinch fine sea salt

Method

Make the caramel: combine sugar and water in a clean, dry heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring until the sugar dissolves, then continue until it turns a deep amber; about 185°C (365°F) on a sugar thermometer. Immediately pour into a 23cm (9-inch) round cake tin or individual ramekins, swirling to coat the base. Work quickly: the caramel sets fast.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F, fan 140°C). In a saucepan, combine the coconut milk, whole milk, and double cream with the vanilla pods and seeds. Heat until steaming. Remove from heat and infuse 15 minutes.
Whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, and salt together until smooth; not foamy. Add the rum if using.
Remove the vanilla pods from the warm cream. Pour the cream in a slow stream into the egg mixture while stirring gently. Strain through a fine sieve. Skim off any foam from the surface.
Pour the custard over the set caramel in the tin. Place the tin in a deep roasting dish. Pour boiling water around it to come halfway up the sides. Cover with foil.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until set with a slight wobble in the very centre. Remove from the water bath, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is ideal).
To unmould: run a thin knife around the edge. Place a serving plate larger than the tin on top, then in one confident motion, flip both together. Hold for a few seconds while the caramel runs down, then lift the tin straight up.

Notes

The flan keeps refrigerated in the tin for up to 3 days before unmoulding. For a more intensely coconut version, replace all the whole milk with an additional 200ml coconut milk. The rum is traditional in Martinique and adds depth; Marie-Galante rum, if you can find it, is the local choice.

The Gastrographer

Name: Flan Antillaise
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: French Caribbean
Ingredients: 200 g white caster sugar, for the caramel; 3 tbsp water, for the caramel; 400 ml full-fat coconut milk; 200 ml whole milk; 200 ml double cream (heavy cream); 4 whole eggs; 3 egg yolks; 100 g caster sugar; 2 vanilla pods, split and scraped; 1 tbsp dark rum (optional, traditional in the Antilles); 1 pinch fine sea salt

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control