Pistachio Flan and Self Reflections

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

Filed Under Desserts, Diary, Eggs, Nuts, Spanish 

Some people asked me about my training, I can’t really get into details because it was a work related event. It was a grueling four days of Experiential Learning. If you are not familiar with the concept, check it out here.

It is a very effective method for learning; even though things may not hit you then and there, eventually you will get some insights. I’ve been getting some epiphanies over the weekend when I reflect on the course, some of these are direct concepts that they wanted you to get out of the class, but many are indirect.

One of the shocking self discoveries is the fact that I don’t believe in second chances. If I think I’ve been wronged by someone, I cut that person completely out of my life! I can count a number of people I stopped talking to, after they said or did something that annoyed me completely at the time, but on hindsight looks so silly!

After much soul searching, I figured the reason behind this behavior. It is rather simple actually! I am the center of my universe. I don’t give much importance to other people’s feelings. If someone says or does something that hurts me, I never stop to think why they did or said that.

Most of the times, if you take your own feelings out of the equation, it normally has very little to do with you, the other person is after all the center of his/her universe too. If you just think about the reason for the action from their perspective, it will put things in a new light. They might just be expressing how they feel at that moment, mostly driven by factors in their own life. Hurting you is the least on their agenda!

So, I have decided to look at things from other’s perspective from now on, and give people a second chance to redeem themselves. Obviously if someone continues to hurt me, even if I can find an excuse for the behavior, I will decide to either confront them, or stay away from them, depending on how important they are to me. I am human, after all!

I can’t find a segue to get into the recipe from the topic above. I could connect it to second chances, since the first time I tasted a flan, I hated it. It was too eggy, and had a really bad smell, so I completely avoided it for a long time, before deciding to give it another chance. It is one of my favorite desserts now. The story has nothing to do with the life lesson though, because I was just unfortunate to taste a bad flan made by someone who had no idea what they were doing! If I did cut that person out of my life,  I could’ve spun the story around that!

May be I can tie the story to being unforgiving. I hated the way the flan looked in the picture, see the different deformations around the edges, so I had this in my pile of pics that would never get published. But I decided to let go of my perfectionism, and publish this recipe. Okay, that is a true story, but a lame way to connect the recipe with the post… Since there is no good way to do this, I am just going to jump into the recipe.  

This creamy dessert is known by different names across the world - Flan in Spain and Mexico, Creme Caramel in France and Caramel Custard in England, Leche Flan in Philippines, Banh Dua Ra Men (Coconut flan) in Vietnam. In its basic form, it is just a mixture of egg, milk and sugar. You can always add other ingredients like fruits, nuts, spices etc to add different flavors to the basic flan. Here is how I made my pistachio flan.

Ingredients (For 6)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

To make the caramel sauce, heat the sugar and water in a heavy bottom saucepan over medium high heat, and cook stirring until all the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring till the sugar caramelizes and turns into a caramel brown color.

Remove from the heat and immediately pour into six ramekins or a large baking dish. Tilt the dishes to coat the bottom and a little bit of the sides with the caramel sauce.

Note: The caramel sauce solidifies in a matter of seconds, so if it crystallizes as soon as you pour it into the ramekins before you get a chance to tilt and spread it along the bottom of the cups, keep the cup in the microwave for 15 seconds. The caramel will melt and you can tilt the cups to coat the bottom. Be very careful with the caramel sauce, it is extremely hot and can cause severe burns.

To make the flan, process the pistachios in a spice grinder or heavy duty food processor to form a coarse powder. Break the eggs into the jar and blend again till the eggs are foamy and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl.

In a saucepan, add the milk and sugar and cook on medium heat till the sugar is completely dissolved and the liquid is heated through, making sure not to boil the milk. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the hot milk into the egg-pistachio mixture, and then add the vanilla extract. Mix well to combine.

Place the prepared ramekins in a large roasting pan, and add hot water to fill the pan half way. Divide the custard mixture equally between the ramekins.

Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 45 minutes. Test by inserting a thin knife into the middle of the custard. If the knife comes out clean, the custard is set. If not bake for a few more minutes.

Remove the cups from the water and let those cool to room temperature. Cover the dishes and chill in the refrigerator for at least three hours or overnight.

To serve, run a thin knife along the edges of the cup to separate the custard. Cover the cup with the serving plate and invert the cup, and give it a nice tap on the back to get the custard out.

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Comments

46 Responses to “Pistachio Flan and Self Reflections”

  1. nimi on October 28th, 2007 4:17 pm

    Love ur website, Your restaurant reviews gives me a lot of vicarious pleasure!!
    I am going to give foie gras a try ,If we can have liver fry back home , it can’t be too different from that eh??

    Small correction..’segue’ though pronounced segway is spelled as above

    Nimi

    :) Thanks for the correction nimi, spelling is not one of my strong points, can’t live without a spellchecker, and in some cases, the spell checker is dumber than I am ;) . About foie gras vs liver fry, it really is sooo different, but i love both the same… You must try foie gras, I’m sure you will love it :)

  2. sandeepa on October 28th, 2007 4:23 pm

    A lesson well learned…the flan looks lovely…good that you gave it a second chance :grin:

    :) Thanks Sandeepa, I don’t know about the looks, but I am glad I gave it a second chance too…

  3. musy on October 28th, 2007 4:49 pm

    Very introspective post, dear! i agree, sometimes we do need to put ourselves into other people’s shoes to understand the whole situation!

    And am glad that you gave flan a second chance, the picture surely is thrilled about it, as is your audience :).

    Thanks musy, I am sure going to try hard to put myself in other’s shoes, will surely help me at work and in life too I hope :)

  4. Anh on October 28th, 2007 6:25 pm

    Sig, how true! We all need some patience in life when dealing with others…

    Fantastic dessert, too!

    Thanks Anh… and patience is the key :)

  5. bee on October 28th, 2007 6:53 pm

    sig, you are too hard on yourself. this is a lovely pic.

    Thanks bee, the pic I like, its the flan that I had a problem with :)

  6. shilpa on October 28th, 2007 7:21 pm

    Well..some of the things you have written here look so familiar to me :sad:

    Flan looks so good. I had tried making it once, I totally messed it up. May be it deserves a second chance :)

    I think we are quite similar Shilpa :) but you will change too, when you are older… i imagine you to be very young somehow ;)

  7. Srivalli on October 28th, 2007 10:01 pm

    well …we are get into moods to think deeper…what matters is how much we learn from them…you made a good choice….the dish looks good…

    Thanks Srivalli… i guess with age, we get wiser :)

  8. Raaga on October 29th, 2007 12:27 am

    I think we’re all a bit like that… my take… if I am not at the centre of my own universe… then likely I am not at the centre of anyone’s :-)

    I have only tried packet caramel custard… never tried with eggs and all :)

    Oh you are so right, this is the only universe we get to control :) … packet custard… hm… I wonder if they use eggs in that!

  9. Rachna on October 29th, 2007 12:30 am

    awww sig ….this is such a gorgeous picture… and i love the way you joined the recipe with what you had to say…it was so cute… :) i know i used to be like that…..cut ppl out if they did one bad thing…and now am changing too… it feels like ive forgiven them… and it feels so great to do that….

    :) thanks Rachna… you mean the way I attempted to join the recipe with the topic ;) . And yeah, forgiving people is a good feeling..

  10. Nirmala on October 29th, 2007 12:51 am

    Excellent. The pic looks great!

    Thanks Nirmala

  11. padmaja on October 29th, 2007 2:24 am

    Hey Sig!! True emotions n feelings. Gosh no one is perfect sig, people do things at that moment not even thinking about the consequences and how its gonna effect others.
    We learn all the time, take each phase as a new experience and move on.
    hey whats with an imperfect photo? as long it tastes divine, nothing matters!!
    your caramel custard is delicious.
    Even i am put off with this dish, when i made it many many months back, the egg smell was so overpowering so didn’t even attempt again!!

    yeah, I have realized that people don’t think about the effect of their actions on others, that is the reason I was completley unforgiving, but that is the exact same reason I decided to cut them a slack too, they weren’t really thinking, means they didn’t really mean to hurt me in the first place :)

    Abt flan, give it another try, you might be able to get it not too eggy on second try

  12. Nags on October 29th, 2007 2:27 am

    reminds me so much of the caramel pudding my mom used to make when i was a kid :)

    Your mom used to make this? lucky you :)

  13. Happy Cook on October 29th, 2007 2:54 am

    Sig Good to hear that u’ve decided to give ppl second chances.
    The flan looks delicious. So creamy and soft

    Thanks happy cook :)

  14. sra on October 29th, 2007 2:56 am

    Custard! :drool:
    About second chances - I’m always trying to do that now as I get older, so much so that sometimes I can’t take a stand on a subject. :???: But somehow I tend to be more generous with outsiders rather than my own family, where I seem to be a little more unforgiving. :sad: Is it because I expect more/higher standards from them and don’t expect much of others? I suppose so.
    And I am v much the centre of my own universe - it just depends on the importance you give a particular issue, when to put yourself first. If you don’t protect your own interests, who will?

    You know, I am actually opposite… with people I love, I am way tooo forgiving… esp with Siv, I’ve given him so many chances :) … And you are soo right, we have to protect our own interests, I am just losening my rules a bit, not changing completely :)

  15. Cinnamon on October 29th, 2007 3:51 am

    Lovely Dessert and equally lovely pic :)

    Thanks Cinnamon!

  16. indosungod on October 29th, 2007 4:15 am

    Too early in the morning and I am typing all wrong, should read :

    Sig, I hear you, sometimes second chances shows us what we might have missed :)

    And for the flan, I only noticed the kinks on the edges after reading through the post, looks lovely.

    :) I shouldn’t have mentioned the kinks then, I am too hard on myself sometimes ;)

  17. Rajitha on October 29th, 2007 4:57 am

    :)… i think sometimes you have to allow urself to be angry or cut somebody off for a while so that you can get a grip on ur feelings…then when you look back some seem unnecessary and some you think you have taken the right stand..and then u do the logical thing..make amends or continue to be indifferent. I think at the end of the day..you should be comfortable with ur decision…

    coming to the flan..i honestly did not see the flaw till u pointed it out…

    hey..does it mean..i can be mean…and u will still be cool :mrgreen:

    that is a good attitude, some poeple have to be cut off… and sure… be mean, I can take ya! :D

  18. Asha on October 29th, 2007 6:32 am

    I don’t think you are self centered at all. I cut off people too, not at the first bad incidence but after 2 or 3!
    It’s better to cut off peeps who are toxic to your mental, physical health and relationships!! People who I have cut off had plenty of chances to correct but chose not to!
    Flan, I love. Eggy smell always puts me off too! Looks great! :(Flower):

    Yeah, two or three is good Asha, I had no tolerance towards such people… but I think everyone deserves a second chance… ,don’t know about a fourth chance :)

  19. Mocha on October 29th, 2007 6:38 am

    Good things in life are often sweet. Your willingness to change is as sweet asthe flan. Believe you will find life much sweeter if u look at why others behave the way they are.

    I sure hope so Mocha… :) I hope others adjust their behavior too… that will make my life a little easier :)

  20. bindiya on October 29th, 2007 6:42 am

    That was such a lovely write-up, and the flan seems delicious!

    Thanks bindiya :)

  21. lakshmi on October 29th, 2007 6:48 am

    its called egg pudding in townish restaurants in India :)

    :) egg pudding, that is a new name for me… that’s much less appetizing than caramel custard or creme caramel, don’t you think? :)

  22. Bharathy on October 29th, 2007 6:52 am

    I had been drooling over those perfect caramel custard ramekins of our dear mallugirl’s..now one more to add!! :drool:

    I know, her pics were totally droolworthy :)

  23. Padma on October 29th, 2007 7:43 am

    Sig, it helps if we sometimes confront with “The Self” that takes us totally to a new horizon with lot more clarity. I am glad u did it by giving a second chance.

    Loved the flan’s texture and color but cant stand the eggy smell :neutral:

    You know Padma, if it is done right, it doesn’t have the eggy smell… try it at a nice restaurant, and you will be surprized… I am so glad I didn’t give up on Flan after the first bad experience

  24. Rina on October 29th, 2007 7:53 am

    This gives a twist to my basic egg flan, with the powdered pistas and the caramel topping. Wow,that looks so gorgeous, Sig. :razz:

    the pista really added something extra, the small pista pieces floated up, and formed a very nutty layer which was extremely delicious, you must try this variation Rina.. :)

  25. Manisha on October 29th, 2007 8:04 am

    Deep breathing and drinking a glass of water before taking any action also helps! It also improves your skin! Seriously! Love yourself and cut other people some slack instead of cutting them off. No one is perfect. The way I see it is that if I let someone affect me that much, they have more control over me and my feelings than I do. Which I dislike even more!

    So breathe deeply and let your skin glow!

    I used to wonder what this flan was till I had it and realized it was our caramel custard. I love it but just haven’t made it in years. I had a pressure cooker recipe I need to dig out. There’s something wrong with your picture? Could have fooled me!

    You are sooo right Manisha, I hate it when I let others affect me so much, but sometimes I can’t help it… But if it is going to help my skin, well of course :D …
    Pressure cooker recipe, that sounds interesting… hey, nothing wrong with the pic as such, but the flan is not as perfect as I would’ve liked it to be :(

  26. TBC on October 29th, 2007 8:16 am

    Glad you decided to give flan and people a second chance. :(Yes):
    I would not even have noticed the “imperfections” had you not pointed them out yourself! And remember this -imperfections lend character :smile:

    :) Thanks TBC… I like that, it is a flan with character, much better ;)

  27. Mishmash! on October 29th, 2007 8:37 am

    hmm….no comments on the life lessons as I am still trying to handle such issues in life :) the look of the caramel custard aka flan doesnt matter much to me as long as it tastes good :)

    Shn

    :) You are still too young Shn, when you reach my age you will get wiser ;)

  28. richa on October 29th, 2007 9:05 am

    very introspective!! u r so right about it, it is never about the incident, it is always about what is happening in the other person’s life at that instant :neutral:
    flan looks amazing, can just feel the smooth yummy texture :grin:

    That’s what I figured Richa, I think that is true in 90% of cases, there are still those 10% who are out there to get you :)

  29. Anita on October 29th, 2007 10:13 am

    Looking at it from my perspective…it still looks delicious!

    Thanks Anita! :) I kind of destroyed it while taking it out of the ramekins, so I was hoping to make it again and take another pic

  30. sharmi on October 29th, 2007 10:36 am

    :drool: sounds so simple to make and looks perfect for a desert. will bookmark this. can I reduce the amount of caramel for reducing sweetness. 1 cup sugar all together is quite sweet for me:)

    You can reduce the sweet down a bit Sharmi, from the caramel sauce, you may not use the whole sauce anyway, since a lot of it gets stuck to the pan, at least for me it did… You could make the sauce and just use as much as you need… the dessert was not too sweet :)

  31. Laavanya on October 29th, 2007 10:43 am

    Don’t you worry about this pistachio flan not looking prefect… am sure it tasted pretty darn good! That’s what matters most :grin:

    :) Yep, it tasted great… :)

  32. Manasi on October 29th, 2007 11:15 am

    For a moment there I thought ‘that’s me’!!!
    Awesome post. U rock babe!

    Loved the flan! i want to try it… but never had the nerve, time i did!!

    :) I am glad I’m not the only one… Forgive and forget is good for the soul, you should try it too ;)

  33. Roops on October 29th, 2007 2:36 pm

    First time to your blog – wind dragged me here from some other place.
    Second chances? Well I don’t sometime even give first ones – and Flan sadly is one such recipe. :???:
    I have always held back from eating it or cooking it – like you said, I had smelled a bad one , didn’t even eat it. :???:
    However your recipe does inspire me to give it a try.
    Foie gras eating Indian gal – you sure are my kind and enforce my decision to try flan :(Yes):

    Oh you must give it another chance…order it in a Mexican restaurant, you will get the best ones, no smell… Welcome to my blog Roops :)

  34. Siri on October 29th, 2007 2:54 pm

    Dear Sig, Lovely dessert I must say .. its my first time here.. surely not the last time.. :wink: :smile:

    Welcome to my blog Siri… You have a lovely blog too :) Hope to see you again…

  35. Pravs on October 29th, 2007 3:28 pm

    I absolutely love flan ! Looooks so yummy !! :drool:

    Thanks pravs :)

  36. Shantanu on October 29th, 2007 5:15 pm

    Re: I am human after all. Damn, I always imagined you to be a Superwoman, what with the daily gourmet cooking, work, training and everything. :grin:

    :D that’s why I thought I should just say it out… :D

  37. Suganya on October 30th, 2007 12:13 am

    Oh Sig, You will do well. Don’t be hard on yrself.

    I was hard on others I guess :) just decided to cut people some slack

  38. mandira on October 30th, 2007 7:24 am

    Sig, you’re right about second chances… and rather brave to admit it! The flan looks fantastic, what edges are you talking about? :)

    :) thanks Mandira, I am definitely getting wiser with age ;)

  39. sunita on October 30th, 2007 12:29 pm

    Sig,it’s been the other way round for me… I used to give others 5th and 6th chances as well :shock: , perhaps even more than that…but gradually,I’ve realised that it was probably a bit too much…people tended to take it for granted and don’t realise it :cry: …I now stick to the second or third …life’s lessons learnt.

    And that happens to be one of my favourite desserts…my mom was so good at making this…I’ve one in my blog as well…and btw, I don’t seem to see any imperfections in yours…looks delish to me :drool:

    :) u have(had) a lot of patience Sunita… Yeah, I believe in second chances now, have to still figure out about third ;) baby steps, right? :) …

  40. Ramya on October 30th, 2007 9:19 pm

    You know what?? I dont think theres anything wrong in cutting unwanted people out of our lives…. We only end up getting reminded of unpleasant situations often, if we remain in touch w/ them.. what say? and btw, lovely dessert!!! :smile:

    Hi Ramya, so good to see you :) Its been a while…. Hope you are doing great!
    I know what you mean, but I think I’ve been a little too tough on people… sure if I think someone is intentially trying to hurt me, I’d definitely cut them off :) but I am just trying to cut them a bit more slack…

  41. sona, the kitchen scientist on October 31st, 2007 5:04 am

    Sig…u looking too much into the mirror nowadays???..whats with these sudden feelings etall..we are all humans, after all!!…not to forget, the custard is class!!

    :) yeah , self reflections Sona… guess I am getting old ;)

  42. lathanarasimhan on October 31st, 2007 7:20 am

    Very true that training helps us to understand ourself! It takes lot of experience to come to terms with realities of life! If you can accept your self as you are, you can accept others too!:)) Everyone needs to improve ourself for our own peace and happiness!
    Peach flan is looking delicious!:)) :grin:

    That is very insightful, thanks Latha..

  43. Kaykat on October 31st, 2007 10:20 am

    I can see where you’re coming from, I’ve contemplated the whole “cut someone out if I can’t deal with them” thing often, sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t, but learning why we react the way we do seems to go a long way in making things easier.

    Re: flan - I love the imperfections in the picture! And I’m the same - hated flan on first taste, but am growing to really savor the flavors now. And this looks deeeelish! :)

    Thanks Kaykat, good to see u here :)

  44. Manju on October 31st, 2007 6:53 pm

    That was brilliant how you tied your training with deciding to post this picture and recipe! I’ve never made flan myself but yours reminds me of my dad’s famous (in our family) leche flan. Dad loves pistachios, maybe if I send him some he’ll make me flan when he visits next time! :razz:

    oh lucky you, I’m sure ur dad’s version sounds delicous! ask him to add pistachios next time, it is a wonderful variation on the classic.

  45. sheela on November 2nd, 2007 10:54 am

    Hi Sig, catching up late as usual :)

    Agreed I only know you thru your blogs and email, but, you seem like a difficult person to aggravate - you seem so cordial and what’s the word… ummm… NICE! yes, nice. So, I can see why it would bother you when people don’t reciprocate in kind… also, in my experience, i have taken things literally and been over-sensitive and it seems like a waste of my energy…

    anyway, gawd, i wish i had your energy and creativity to make desserts! they look lovely!

  46. Mansi on November 2nd, 2007 3:04 pm

    Hey Sig! the lesson about giving second chances is alwasy a hard one to learn:), but glad you benefited from your training!

    the pistachio flan looks really really nice..and I’ve tasted it and felt it to be “too eggy” myself…so maybe now it’s my time to give it a second chance! :wink:

    Have some leftover?? then send it over!

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