Quick and Easy Hazelnut Flan in the Pressure Cooker
Jenni, Pastry Chef On-line , said when I posted a pressure cooker flan recipe she’d buy a pressure cooker. How could I resist the challenge. Cheesecakes, bread puddings and custards like flan, are all especially well suited to the moist cooking environment in the pressure cooker.
I looked through Jenni’s recipe index and found a hazelnut flan recipe that she called Ridiculously Good Hazelnut Flan. I simplified it a bit and changed it in to a pressure cooker recipe that cooks in a fraction of the time but is still silky smooth and ridiculously good.
Making Quick and Easy Hazelnut Flan in an Instant Pot
I tried several methods of melting the sugar to make the caramel sauce but in the end the one that worked best for me was the one Jenni posted. (This may mean that my sugar crystallized twice due to my inability to not stir sugar while it’s melting.)
Jacques Pépin recommends discarding the caramel used to make the flan, and topping it with a new, thicker caramel sauce. He made a thick caramel-cognac sauce but I stuck with a traditional caramel without the alcohol.
I made my flan in individual custard cups and the cook time is reduced from about an hour to 6 minutes. You’ll need to wait at least 4 hours for the flan to chill in the fridge before you serve it. Although, since I was recipe testing I couldn’t wait, and I did eat one while it was hot. It was delicious. Although it was much better later that night chilled and topped with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts.
Jenni- I’ll look forward to what you’re cooking up in your new pressure cooker!
Quick and Easy Hazelnut Flan in the Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- pinch of salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons Hazelnut syrup
Instructions
Caramel
In a medium sauce pan over medium, add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and let boil 2 minutes to wash any sugar crystals off the sides of the pan.
Remove the lid and continue cooking until the mixture is amber. Don’t stir, but swirl the pan gently to keep the mixture moving (don’t let it get too dark or it will burn.). Carefully pour into 8 (6 oz.) ungreased custard cups, tilting to coat bottom completely. Set aside.
Custard
In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and a pinch of salt.
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until it begins to bubble. Gradually add hot milk to eggs to temper the eggs. Whisk in cream, vanilla and Hazelnut syrup. Strain into a large measuring bowl with pour spout or pitcher.
Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the pressure cooker and place the trivet in the bottom.
Pour custard into caramel lined custard cups, cover with foil, and place on trivet in pressure cooking pot. Stack the cups in a second layer. (I used a second trivet between the layers.)
Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 6 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid.
Carefully remove the cups to a wire rack to cool uncovered. When cool, refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To serve, run a thin knife around the outside of the ramekins, firmly hold a plate on top and flip the whole thing over. Served topped with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts, optional.
More pressure cooker dessert recipes you might like:
Pressure Cooker Creme Caramel, Hip Pressure Cooking
Cuban Flan, Cuban Recipes
Creamy Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding, Pressure Cooking Today
Meyer Lemon Cheesecake, Pressure Cooking Today
Barbara, is the hazlenut syrup the same as what is used in making latte’s?
Hi Marian – yes, generally it’s sold in the coffee section at the market.
Would I need to adjust the time in the PC if I make half a recipe? I’m still a novice at pressure cooking, but everything I’ve tried is turning out wonderfully. Thanks for the great recipes and tips.
Thanks Laila – so glad you’re enjoying pressure cooking and my recipes. Since they’re made in individual cups, you would not reduce the cook time when halving the recipe.
Thanks so much for this flan-I can’t wait to try it! As a side note, you can caramelize sugar in a microwave! One half cup water with one half cup sugar. Time depends on the wattage, anywhere from 6 minutes to 10. After six minutes you’ll need to watch as it turns color pretty fast. Use a Pyrex measure cup and some oven mitts! You can also scald milk in the microwave, about 4-5 minutes.
Thanks Maureen – I’ll have to give it a try.
How do you get the custard cups out without getting burned? Would the canning jar lifter work on these? Thanks.
I haven’t tried the canning jar lifter, but they may work. I just used a regular hot pad and lifted them out with my hand.
Thank you. I had a hard time trying that with the custard cups when I made the Egg Muffins. I ended up using regular tongs, but I was afraid I was going to drop them because they are just regular metal tongs.
OK, the canning jar lifter does not work. It can’t grab the edge like it does on a canning jar. I cut a strip of silicone mate to use as a gripper between the ends of my regular metal tongs. It only takes one time to drop a cup of hot custard to learn this lesson – LOL!
Good to know – sorry about the mishap 🙂
I am trying flan in the pressure for the first time. I bought a flanera pan. Is the time under pressure longer in the flanera pan as opposed to individual custard cups? I am trying 25 minutes but I’m just not sure.
Hi Brenda – yes, you’ll need to cook it longer in the flanera pan. I haven’t tried it, but I’ve seen cook times from 30 – 45 minutes, so starting with 25 minutes sounds like a good option. If it isn’t set, just lock in the lid back in place and cook it longer.
Any chances of a Pumpkin Flan? I love your recipes and now look at everything as hmmmm, I bet I could make that in my pressure cooker and it is all YOUR fault! Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Rose – I think that’s a great idea. I may save it until next year though.
By the way, do you have a recipe for chocolate custard? I really appreciate your site and all your recipes. They make more sense than all the cookbooks I have bought and discarded!
Thanks so much Ann. I don’t have a chocolate custard recipe, but I should work on creating one. 🙂
Hi Barbara! I’ve just bought my pressure cooker two days ago and have used it twice. So glad I found your site. For the cups, what kind of material are they? Glass or plastic? Just worried about melting plastic or breaking the glass because of pressure. Thanks!
Hi Mel – so glad you found my site too! The cups are glass. I’ve never had any problems using glass in the pressure cooker. http://amzn.to/1ig4UGF Enjoy!
This is my favorite dessert…so sweet & delicious
The flan that this recipe produced was very good. Not as good compared to my oven baked version, but the texture and flavor was more than respectable and better than the flan I have tasted in some restaurants. I liked the hazelnut flavor. Ouch on the price of that syrup.
Thanks Rich for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it.
Hi Barbara,
Love this site!! I grew up with mom cooking the pressure cooker, it’s used widely in Latin America for stews but desserts is a whole new world.
Couple questions – I have a Fagor which has setting 1 and 2…..which one would be used for high pressure at 15lbs? Also, I keep it at 15lbs and start the timer for 6 minutes once the pressure signal, (yellow knob) pops up and a steady whistling stream starts, correct?? I just don’t want to overcook or scorch my desserts which is easy if one isn’t careful.
Last question, I don’t know where I put my trivet that came with the cooker. Probably said, “wonder what this is for?” and tossed it. Do you know where one can buy replacement trivets?? Looking forward to making this and the Meyer Lemon Cheesecake for Thanksgiving!!!
Thanks Jen! Yes, start timing it as soon as it signals it’s at high pressure. Then lower the temperature to maintain high pressure . Level 1 is Low (8.5psi) or Level 2 is High (15psi)
The trivet I use is similar to this one http://www.amazon.com/Andersons-Baking-Cooling-Round-6-Inch/dp/B000I1ZUWO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1384655677&sr=8-4&keywords=pressure+cooker+trivet
My family would love this cheesecake for Thanksgiving. Great idea!
I need to get a trivet so I can make this flan. I am happy you went with the caramel in the bottom of the flan for the sauce. I like to make the caramel quite dark as I feel the stronger flavor balances the sweet flan nicely.
And I hear you Jenni–flan takes even longer at 7000 feet above sea level.
Do you know if you could use small canning jars with the lids on- maybe tight or barely tight to get the same effect? I just can’t use aluminum knowing the health risks associated with it.
Thanks!!!
Sherry
Hi Sherry – I haven’t tried it but think it would work just fine. I know they do canning in pressure cookers. Let me know if you try it. Thanks!
I just got my first pressure cooker finally – wish I had gotten it sooner now that I see how easy and versatile it is to use.
Hi Jeanette – That’s great. Which pressure cooker did you buy? What have you been cooking?
ARE YOU SERIOUS??? This is amazing Barbara! I have to try this in my pressure cooker. We love flan around here. You are a genius.
You’re a master at this pressure cooker stuff. I love flan, and this looks amazing.
Fine. You win. Uncle.
But seriously–6 minutes in the pressure cooker?! Huzzah!
I love that hazelnut flan so much! It’s the first dessert I developed at one of the restaurants after I was a Big Girl and in charge. Chef said, “Hey, how about a flan,” so I went to work. And now I wish I had had a pressure cooker to make them in, because they literally took 1 1/2 hours to bake. Dang!