Coconut Flan with Apricots and Beaumes de Venise

Name: Coconut Flan with Apricots and Beaumes de Venise
Yield: makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup granulated sugar; One 14-ounce can condensed milk; One 12-ounce can evaporated milk; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 4 extra-large eggs; 1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut; Apricots and Beaumes de Venise (recipe follows); 1 vanilla bean; 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice; 1/2 cup Beaumes de Venise or other sweet white wine, such as Sauternes; 2 tablespoons granulated sugar; 2 tablespoons orange-blossom honey; 1/2 cinnamon stick; 5 whole cloves; 9 apricots, pits removed, halved

January 24, 2012

Call me boring, but I prefer my sweets on the simpler side, and I drive my pastry chefs crazy with my penchant for, well, plain vanilla. When it comes to custards, I’m a particularly staunch traditionalist. So, when pastry chef Roxana Jullapat told me about her coconut flan, I was skeptical. But its elegant and classic presentation charmed me instantly—a snow white cylindrical custard oozing with golden caramel syrup and surrounded by Elgin Marble apricots simmered in Beaumes de Venise, orange juice, and spices. Roxana’s coconut flan convinced me that there’s life beyond a vanilla pot de crème (which is also delicious! See page 235).

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