Coconut Custard (Gabonese Flan de Coco)

Coconut flan (or flan de coco in French) is a traditional Gabonese dessert made from coconut milk, grated coconut, eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Its origin is said to be linked to French colonization in West Africa. It is also famous in the West Indies where it bears the name of West Indian custard or West Indian coconut custard. For the coconut flan to be perfect, the center of it must remain slightly wobbly. This version is different from the traditional flan, the addition of grated coconut gives it a slight biscuit texture that is soft at the same time. Unlike other versions of coconut flan, the Gabonese recipe also does not contain sweetened condensed milk which changes both its visual appearance making it look like pastel de nata, as well as its texture. It also gives a less sweet and more digestible custard. This is a cheap and very quick recipe to prepare.

2 cups coconut milk
4 eggs
½ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup coconut, freshly grated

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3).

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, eggs, 4 Tbsp. of sugar, the vanilla extract, and half of the grated coconut.

Divide this mixture between the four ramekins, then place into a deep baking dish (e.g. a lasagna dish). Pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake in the center of the oven for around 20 minutes, until the custard is set at the sides, with the center retaining a slight wobble.

Turn off the heat, and leaving the door open, allow the custard to cool in the oven.

Mix the remaining sugar and grated coconut together, and spoon equal amounts over the top of each custard.

Brown under a hot oven broiler for around 3 minutes, until the sugar has caramelized.

Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.