Coffee Cardamom Flans With Orange Crème Fraîche Food

CARDAMOM-COFFEE FLAN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Cook milk, orange zest, cardamom, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. coffee in saucepan 5 to 7 min. or until sugar is dissolved, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Reserve for later use.
• Meanwhile, cook water, corn syrup and remaining sugar in separate saucepan on medium heat 15 to 20 min. or until mixture is a light amber color, gently swirling pan every few minutes. (Do not stir.) Turn off heat. Add remaining coffee; stir until dissolved. Pour into 9-inch round pan; swirl to evenly coat bottom of pan with sugar mixture. Cool slightly.
• Pour reserved milk mixture through fine-mesh strainer into blender or food processor container. Add cream cheese; blend until smooth. Add eggs; blend well. Carefully pour over syrup in pan.
• Place filled 9-inch pan in larger pan, then place on middle rack in oven. Add enough water to larger pan to come halfway up side of 9-inch pan.
• Bake 48 to 57 min. or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove flan from water bath; cool completely.
• Refrigerate flan 4 hours. When ready to serve, place flan pan in larger pan filled with hot tap water. Let stand 2 min. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen flan; unmold onto plate.

COFFEE CRèME CARAMEL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, stir together 1/4 cup sugar, pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon water. Cover and cook, without stirring, over medium heat until sugar has dissolved and mixture is bubbling, about 2 minutes. Remove lid; continue to cook, swirling occasionally, until amber, about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; carefully stir in coffee (mixture will bubble).
• When bubbling subsides, pour caramel into a 3-cup ceramic dish, or divide between two 4-inch ramekins. Tilt to completely coat bottom and halfway up sides. Let cool completely at room temperature, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Scrape vanilla seeds into a clean small saucepan; add vanilla pod, half and half, and 1/4 cup sugar. Heat over medium until bubbles form around edges; remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and yolk, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk into hot half-and-half mixture. Strain through a sieve.
• Pour into dish coated with caramel. Place in a roasting pan on center rack of oven; add boiling water to reach halfway up sides of custard dish. Bake until custard is set around edges and still slightly jiggly in center, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove dish from water bath and let cool completely, then refrigerate, uncovered, at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Run a thin, flexible knife around edge of crème caramel to release it. Place a serving plate on top, flip to unmold, and serve.

ORANGE-CARDAMOM FLAN

Steps:

• To make the custard, lightly crush the cardamom seeds in a mortar and pestle or seal them inside a sturdy plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk, crushed cardamom seeds, orange zest, and 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once warm, remove from the heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
• Set eight 4- to 6-ounce (125- to 180-ml) ramekins or custard cups in a roasting pan or deep baking dish.
• To make the caramel, spread the 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar in an even layer in a medium heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan. Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) water evenly over the sugar to dampen it, but don't stir. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then add the cream of tartar or lemon juice. Continue to cook without stirring, but swirl the pan if the sugar begins to brown unevenly. When the caramel turns dark amber in color and begins to foam a bit, remove from the heat and immediately add the remaining 1/4 cup (60 ml) water. The caramel will bubble up vigorously, then the bubbling will subside. Stir with a heatproof utensil until any hardened bits of caramel completely dissolve. Divide the hot caramel evenly among the 8 ramekins, then carefully swirl each ramekin so that the caramel coats the sides halfway up. Let cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
• To finish the custard, reheat the milk mixture until it's quite warm. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and egg yolks, then gradually whisk the warm milk into the eggs, whisking constantly as you pour to prevent the eggs from cooking (don't whisk too vigorously, which will create air bubbles). Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or pitcher.
• Divide the custard mixture evenly among the caramel-lined ramekins. Fill the roasting pan or baking dish with warm water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the perimeters of the custards are just set and the centers are still slightly jiggly, 25 to 35 minutes.
• Transfer the custards from the water bath to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
• To unmold, run a sharp knife around the inside of each ramekin to loosen the custard, invert a serving plate or bowl over the ramekin, and turn them over together. Shake a few times to release the custard, then lift off the ramekin. (If the custard is stubborn, using a finger, gently pull it away from the side of the ramekin and invert again; it should slide out easily.) Pour any caramel remaining in the ramekin over the flan.
• Serve the flans cold.
• The baked custards will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
• Surround the custards with poached dried fruit of your choosing. To make the poaching syrup: In a saucepan, heat 1 part honey or sugar to 4 parts water along with 1 cinnamon stick or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise. Once the syrup is warm, drop in pitted prunes; raisins; dried apricots, figs, cranberries, or cherries; or any combination of dried fruits. Simmer gently until the fruits are plump and soft.