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Leche flan with gingerbread crumbs

Leche flan with gingerbread crumbs

“On a recent trip to Tassie, we enjoyed a gorgeous leche flan with spicy gingerbread crumbs at Pecora in Birch’s Bay. Would chef Luke Burgess kindly part with the recipe?”
Angus Kelly, Conway, Qld

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Leche flan with gingerbread crumbs

Serves 8
Cooking Time Prep time 15 mins, cook 1 hr 25 mins (plus resting, cooling, setting)
440 gm (2 cups)   white sugar
4   eggs
4   egg yolks
1   vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, bean discarded (or reserved, if desired)
50 ml   dry sherry
750 ml (3 cups)   milk
Gingerbread crumbs
130 gm   plain flour
½ tsp   Dutch-process cocoa powder
¼ tsp   bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp   ground cloves
2 tsp   ground ginger
1 tsp   ground cinnamon
60 gm   butter, softened
45 gm   caster sugar
1   egg yolk
90 gm (¼ cup)   blackstrap molasses (see note)


1 For gingerbread crumbs, sift dry ingredients (except sugar) and ½ tsp each of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper together and set aside. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until pale and creamy, add egg yolk and beat until combined. Add molasses, beat to combine, then add sifted ingredients and stir until just combined. Form dough into a square, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 180C. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick and transfer to a lightly greased and baking paper-lined oven tray. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. Cool, then break into pieces and process in a food processor until coarse crumbs form.
2 Reduce oven to 120C. Place eight ¾ cup-capacity (1.5cm-deep) moulds in a roasting pan. Combine 1 cup sugar and 2/3 cup water in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves, then increase heat to medium-high and simmer for 10 minutes or until golden caramel. Divide among moulds and cool until set.
3 Whisk together whole eggs and egg yolks, remaining sugar and vanilla seeds in a bowl, add sherry and milk and gently stir to prevent bubbles forming, then divide among prepared moulds. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of moulds, cover with 2 sheets of foil and bake for 1 hour or until just set. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate until cold. Serve leche flans scattered with gingerbread crumbs.

Note Blackstrap molasses is available from the health food section of supermarkets and health food stores.

RECIPE Luke Burgess, Pecora restaurant (edited by Adelaide Lucas) PHOTOGRAPHY Teny Aghamalian STYLING Elodie Rambaud

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