Flan de Cafe "Coffee Flavored Flan"
Flan de Cafe is a nice variation on the traditional Spanish flan dessert. You see this sweet custard dessert often offered for lunch in many "menu of the day" restaurants. Making flan from scratch can be intimidating, but it really shouldn't be, it is actually fairly easy! If you are a custard lover, the effort is worth it as this famous Spanish dessert really delivers on the flavor. Even better, if you love coffee too, then flan de cafe will really get your taste buds excited! 
Serves: 4-5Preparation time: 20 minutes active time, 1 1/2 hours baking time INGREDIENTS 2 cups milk 3 eggs 1 egg yolk 3/4 cup sugar 3 TB strong coffee 2 ts coffee grounds **optional-use 2 TB of your favorite instant coffee flavor instead of the coffee above1 TB rum 1 ts vanilla extract DIRECTIONS We start by infusing the coffee flavor into the milk. Put the milk in a medium saucepan with the strong coffee, coffee grounds and rum. Slowly bring this to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool (this is important). You will need some custard cups suitable for the oven. You don't necessarily need flan cups, but you need something about 3" wide by about 2" tall. In a small non-stick skillet, spread out 1/4 cup of the sugar. We are going to create the caramel to go in the custard cup. Heat the sugar carefully and it will start to melt. Stir until you get a nice golden brown color. Pour about 1/2 TB into each cup and tilt the cup to spread the caramel to cover the bottom of each cup. You need to work fast as the caramel will harden quickly! Go ahead and preheat the oven to 300°F. Now in a small mixing bowl, combine the eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, and vanilla and beat until foamy. Pour in the milk (it has cooled, right?) through a strainer to remove the extra bits. Mix the milk and eggs well. Pour the mixture into each cup as near the top as you can. Place the cups (not touching each other) in a deep baking pan or dish. Pour boiling water into pan around the cups so that you have about an inch of water in the pan. This creates a water bath for the custard. Bake now for 1 1/2 hours. Check the custard with a thin knife in the center of one of the flans. Remove from the oven when done and remove the cups from the bath to cool. Can be served at room temperature or cooled. Remove from the cup by sliding a thin knife around the edge of the cup. Enjoy!  
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