Kabocha Flan

For those who have not had Kabocha before, it has the flavor of acorns. It takes quite well to honey. I think this recipe is a nice change from a regular flan. You will enjoy the nice hints of acorn and Frangelico.






To prepare this recipe you will need to bake the squash cut up into slices in a 350 degree oven for an hour. Do not peel the squash until it has been baked. As it will be easy to peel when done.Then place the peeled cooked Kabocha into a food processor and blend until smooth. Next you will need to make the caramel. Place two cups of sugar into a sauce pan with one cup of water. Add half of a split vanilla bean to the pan.Turn the heat up and cook until deep amber. Then place the caramel into ramekins or a flan pan. Remove the vanilla bean. Set aside to cool.    

2 1/4 cups of milk
1/4 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of honey
1/2 of a vanilla bean

3/4 teaspoon of salt

5 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon of grated fresh nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon of cinnamom
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 tablespoon of Frangelico

Preheat  your oven to 325 degrees and place a kettle on for the boil.Then place the milk into a sauce pan and bring just to a boil. Set the pan aside. In a mixer place the eggs and all the other ingredients into the mixing bowl. Turn the mixer on and add the milk in a stream. You will then pour the mixer through a fine sieve. This will remove any cooked egg or spices that did not get mixed well. Once the mixture has been forced through the sieve, pour the flan into your ramekins or flan pan. Place the flans into a roasting pan and pour the boiling hot water around the ramekins. Cover the flan loosely with foil. Bake for one hour or so. Remove the plan from the water bath and cool for a bit. Then you will refrigerate overnight. To unmold the flan dip bottom of pan into hot water for a minute, then run your knife around the edge of the pan. Invert pan onto serving plate.