Mexican · Authentic-ish Mexican
Flan
122 kcal a serving, against 336 for the traditional version. That is 214 kcal off, or 64%, with 6.9g of protein. Serves 8. 1 hour plus chilling.
What the traditional version is
A thick layer of melted sugar caramel poured into a dish. The custard is whisked together from equal parts sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk, heavily fortified with whole eggs. It is baked in a water bath until completely solid, then chilled and inverted.
What changed, and what each change costs
400g of condensed milk and 350g of evaporated milk swapped for 600g of semi-skimmed milk
Tinned milks are heavily processed and loaded with sugar and fat, costing hundreds of calories before you even look at the eggs. Semi-skimmed milk provides the necessary liquid base for a fraction of the cost, completely changing the profile of the dish.
What it costs you. You lose that fudgy, sticky density entirely. The dessert becomes much lighter, behaving more like a delicate set custard than a heavy brick. It is the first compromise you'll notice when you put a spoon through it, because the resistance just isn't there.
250g of whole eggs swapped for 150g of whole eggs and 150g of egg whites
Cutting the heavy tinned milks means the custard desperately needs structural help. Egg whites bind the semi-skimmed milk together so it sets properly, while adding pure protein instead of the fat you normally get from yolks.
What it costs you. Less yolk means less richness on the tongue. The mouthfeel is definitely cleaner and less luxurious. You miss that mouth-coating velvet texture that traditional flan is famous for.
150g of sugar reduced to 100g
You only need enough sugar to coat the bottom of the dish for the caramel. The condensed milk is gone, so I add a tiny bit of sugar directly to the milk, but overall the sugar load drops massively.
What it costs you. The caramel pool is thinner and much less dramatic. You won't get huge spoonfuls of dark, thick syrup pouring over the edges when you turn the pudding out.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 336 | 122 |
| Protein | 10.9g | 6.9g |
| Fat | 10.6g | 3.3g |
| Saturated fat | 5.7g | 1.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 50.6g | 16.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.2g | 5.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Mexican prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
This is a sharp, elegant pudding. A light, wobbly panna cotta cousin, then. Not a dense diner staple, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. You give up the sticky decadence of tinned milk. You get a clean dairy dessert you can eat a massive slice of. The extra egg whites do their job, allowing the semi-skimmed milk to set firmly enough to slice into tidy wedges. It tastes perfectly of roasted caramel and baked custard, but it won't put you in a sugar coma.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Mexican, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback