Almond Leche Flan

    Surrounded by a spun sugar cage and garnished with pomegranate seeds.


   Caramel
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

   Melt the sugar and water in heavy saucepan over high heat until the caramel turns brown. Make sure to stir or shake the mixture in the pan so that it cooks evenly.
    Pour caramel into mold and allow to harden for 5 minutes.

   Flan
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
7 oz. Condensed milk
6 egg yolks
1 tbsp. almond extract


     Combine all flan ingredients and mix well, but gently, with a whisk. It's very important not to incorporate air into the mixture, as it will produce bubbles in the flan during cooking. Pour flan into mold and tap mold in the counter several times to remove air bubbles.
    Cook in water bath covered with foil (fill water bath until it reaches half-way up the side of the mold. Your oven should be at 350 degrees, and the flan will take 45-50 minutes. It is ready when the center of the flan is firm when shaken.
    Cool and unmold. To unmold, run a knife around the edges between the mold and the flan. Turn the mold upside down onto a plate. The caramel should melt and run down the sides as your sauce.

Sorbet Trio:

     Rambutan, jackfruit and coconut sorbets in a cookie tulip leaf, with peach and cranberry sauces.
    Simple syrup: Melt together equal parts of sugar and water until it boils. Cool and keep in the refrigerator.

    Jackfruit Sorbet/Rambutan Sorbet/Coconut Sorbet

1 16 oz. can jackfruit/rambutan/coconut milk
12 cup simple syrup

    Puree in a blender whatever fruit you are using ( including the juice) until it's very smooth. Strain through a fine sieve. Mix in the simple sugar and process in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.