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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes

    Candy Cap Mushroom Flan (Creme Caramel)

    Published: Jan 18, 2021 Modified: Nov 1, 2024 Author: Alan Bergo

    Jump to Recipe

    Flan infused with candy cap mushrooms has been on my list to make for years now. I finally got to it, and, yes, it's a great candy cap recipe. 

    candy cap mushroom flan recipe

    Flan vs Creme Caramel 

    Real quick, for culinary nerds, flan and creme caramel are essentially the same thing (it was originally French) but the French wouldn't use sweetened condensed milk (widely used for many things, including milk jam/dulce de leche in South America) and they use less eggs for a softer set. 

    Mexican Vanilla
    Mexican vanilla is cheap, because it's made with coumarin, not vanilla, which makes it taste like sweet woodruff to me. It's still good to have around though.

    Sweetened condensed milk, and Mexican vanilla 

    Growing up with a mother who was a fluent Spanish teacher means that South American desserts like this (and sopapillas) are close to my heart, so, instead of totally re-working the classic dish, I just took a little liberty with my favorite recipe from Chef Rick Bayless's classic book on Mexican Cooking.

    In a nutshell, that means I make sure to use sweetened condensed milk, and I don't hold back on the eggs and yolks. I also add a tiny pinch of Mexican cinnamon, and I use Mexican vanilla extract (it tastes more of sweet woodruff that true vanilla, and that's ok here). Other than that, it's straight up flan. 

    candy cap mushroom flan recipe
    It's ok if your ramekins don't match. Mine never do.

    Baking flan in a cake pan 

    Variations abound, but to me, flan is different from other custards like panna cotta (technically egg-free) or pot du creme in a couple ways. First, flan is traditionally more dense, containing a lot more egg protein than pot du creme, which is light and smooth.

    steam pitcher or kettle
    A steam pitcher. You'll want something like this or just a pitcher with a spout for pouring the hot water in the bain marie/water bath.

    The dense texture translates to a very firm set, and that leads us to one of the fun variations you can do with this that you absolutely cannot do with panna cotta or pot du creme: baking it in a cake pan and turning it out to be cut in slices--a nice break if you don't have ramekins or if you want to present a large dessert on a platter, which can be fun.

    Flan baked in it's entirety is also more easy to portion to serve a larger amount of people if you want to stretch things, or if you have a large menu queued up. 

    Aside from that, this is just straight-up candy cap mushroom deliciousness, and it's a great one to try if you have some around. If you don't pick your own candy caps (I don't as I live in the Midwest) these will work just fine. 

    candy cap mushroom flan recipe
    candy cap mushroom flan recipe
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    4.50 from 2 votes

    Candy Cap Flan / Creme Caramel

    Traditional flan or creme caramel infused with dried candy cap mushrooms is a great take on the classic. Makes 7 ramekins
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Cook Time45 minutes mins
    Optional Infusing Time12 hours hrs
    Total Time13 hours hrs 15 minutes mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, French, Mexican
    Keyword: Candy Cap Mushrooms, Creme Caramel, Flan
    Servings: 7 Servings
    Calories: 358kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 7 Custard dishes
    • 1 8 inch saute pan for the caramel

    Ingredients

    Custard

    • 1.5 cups half and half
    • 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
    • 3 large eggs plus 4 yolks at room temperature
    • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon ground candy cap mushrooms
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1.5 teaspoons Mexican vanilla

    Caramel

    • ½ cup sugar
    • ½ tablespoon water

    Instructions

    Infusing the custard base

    • In a small sauce pan, mix the sweetened condensed milk with the half and half or milk, ground candy caps, salt, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon, heat until hot, but not boiling, whisking to disperse the ingredients. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool and infuse (ideally you’ll let it infuse overnight, but you don’t have to--30 minutes to an hour of infusing is ok in a pinch).
    • The next day heat the custard mixture back up gently (use a microwave, pan, or whatever) until warm, but not hot enough to cook the eggs, then puree in a blender with the eggs and yolks.

    Coat the molds with caramel

    • Preheat the oven to 325. Lay out your ramekins or molds you’ll bake the flans in. In a small sauce pan preferably stainless steel, heat the sugar and water on high, cooking until it melts and is a dark amber. I like to take my caramel pretty far, you may like it more blonde—your choice. There will be some smoke, which is normal, so turn on a fan or hood vent before you begin.
    • Carefully spoon or pour the molten hot caramel into the molds about 1 tablespoon each, swirling the mold to help the sugar syrup coat the bottom of the molds. Next, pour the flan mixture evenly into the molds. Line a deep baking dish with a towel, then put the flans on the towel in the dish, which will stop them from sliding around and spilling.

    Baking in the water bath

    • Meanwhile, heat a couple quarts of water in a steam kettle or a pot, then transfer the very hot water to a pitcher or similar container for easy pouring.
    • Put the baking dish with the candy cap flans into the preheated oven, then pour in the hot water until it comes half-way up the sides. Bake until just barely set, 35-45 min. The flans should jiggle like jello when the egg is set, and should not puff at all. Keep a close eye on them.

    Cooling and serving

    • When the flans are set, carefully remove the baking pan from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the flans and wrap individually in cling film and refrigerate, or serve at room temperature. The flans will keep refrigerated for 4 days.
    • To serve the flans, run a butter knife or small off-set spatula around the edge of each flan, and invert onto a dessert plate, drizzling the excess caramel over the top.

    Notes

    You can use different milks here and it can be really good. Goat milk is great, but other's like almond and coconut milk are fun too. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1custard | Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 219mg | Potassium: 320mg | Fiber: 0.02g | Sugar: 53g | Vitamin A: 448IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 0.5mg
    candy cap mushroom flan recipe
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. TC

      October 27, 2024 at 9:03 am

      4 stars
      The caramel is best if not browned too much-Mine hardened but did soften some when cooked. Would recommended slightly less time than 45 min. Overall, a solid dessert that my guests enjoyed. Our theme was ‘mushrooms’ and I was excited to try Candy Cap mushrooms for the first time!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 01, 2024 at 10:50 am

        Thanks TC.

        Reply
    2. Ilene Harris

      May 01, 2024 at 3:45 pm

      5 stars
      Going to make these for a party in two weeks!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 02, 2024 at 8:50 am

        I'm here if you have any questions.

        Reply
        • Sepi

          October 30, 2024 at 10:53 am

          If baking in a larger pan vs ramekins, does it change the cook temp/time?

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            October 30, 2024 at 10:53 am

            Yes it’ll take a little longer, just keep and eye on them.

            Reply
    4.50 from 2 votes

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