How to Make the Perfect Flan

• use a water bath
• use gentle heat to cook the flan
• cover with foil
• check for the jiggle and make sure it is still there when you take the flan out of the oven

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The Perfect Flan

A creamy and jiggly flan that melts in your mouth.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Mexican, Spanish

Keyword caramel flan, flan

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Caramel

• 1 cup sugar

Custard

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 quarts water for water bath

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Caramel

• Make caramel by heating sugar in a medium saucepan on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes. As you see the sugar browning, swirl the pan to allow the melted sugar to touch other sugar crystals. This will help with even caramelization. When sugar is completely liquid and golden brown, turn off heat. Immediately drizzle evenly into 6-8 ramekins. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Custard

• Make custard by beating together heavy cream, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat until well incorporated.
• Boil 1 quart of water. Set aside.
• Then evenly distribute custard mixture into the ramekins. Place ramekins onto a baking sheet. Then cover the ramekins with foil. After placing the baking sheet into the oven, carefully pour the boiled water into the baking sheet so that the ramekins are sitting in hot boiled water.
• Bake flan at 325 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until eggs have a slight jiggle.
• Then remove from the oven, allow to cool completely. When it is cooled, remove the ramekins from the water bath and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold the next day.
• To release the flan from the ramekins, run a clean sharp knife around the edge of the inside of the ramekin to loosen the flan. Jiggle the flan around the ramekin to loosen it. Then flip the ramekin onto a plate in one swift motion. The flan should release with the caramel side on top.

For baby-led weaning, make sure you read up on what textures, sizes, and shapes are appropriate to feed your baby based on their age and finger grasping and swallowing abilities. If your baby does not have good finger grasp, then you can give him/her long strips of the soft zucchini so that he/she has a handle to hold while nibbling at the zucchini. But if your baby does have good finger grasp, cut the zucchini up into chickpea-sized pieces to reduce risk of choking. I found out the hard way because my 6 month old had much better grasp than I realized, and giving her long pieces was a choking hazard.

What baby food is good for baby-led weaning?

In general, you want foods that are soft enough so that your baby can smash in their hands and in their mouths using their gums and tongue. Foods that are cooked until soft or easily smashable when raw are ideal.

1. Soft steamed vegetables: carrot, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato
2. Soft steamed fruit: apples, pears, peaches
3. Soft raw fruit: mangoes, bananas, peeled peaches and necatarines, orange segments with pith and membranes removed, tangerines with pith and membranes removed

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Baby Food Roasted Zucchini

Roasted and steamed zucchini for babies

Course Baby Food

Cuisine Baby Food

Keyword baby food, baby led weaning, zucchini for babies

Prep Time 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

Servings 2 people

Cost $5

Ingredients

• 1/4 zucchini cut into thin 1 inch strips for babies with poor pincer grasp, cut into chickpea size pieces for babies with good pincer grasp
• 1/2 tsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place zucchini on a roasting pan. Season with oil and garlic powder, mixing thoroughly.
• Roast zucchini for 4 minutes at 400 degrees. Then cover zucchini with another piece of foil, and place back into oven at 350 degrees. Allow to steam for another 7-10 minutes until zucchini is completely soft. Test the zucchini by smashing a piece with your thumb and forefinger. The zucchini is ready when it can be easily smashed.
• Allow to cool completely, then serve.

For more scrumptious baby food recipes, check out my salmon congee.

What kind of Chinese food can you feed your baby?

Depends on the age and your baby’s swallowing abilities. Most parents start giving their baby solids around 6 months. It is a good idea to start with purees, as well as congee / rice porridge because it requires almost no chewing, is soft, and easy to swallow. Salmon congee is perfect because the fish is also soft, but very nutritious.

Is salmon congee safe to feed my baby?

Assuming your baby can swallow solids, definitely yes! Both the salmon and the cooked rice are soft and easy to swallow.

Can I put salt in salmon congee?

Most Western medical advice indicates that it is best to avoid added salt to your baby’s food especially toward the beginning. I am not a medical professional, so do your own research before you decide on how to proceed. Many prepared baby foods are bland and tasteless. In my opinion, baby food should be flavorful too. I began putting some salt in my baby’s food around 5 months and by 6 months, I was making her food that was just slightly less flavorful than my own food. Just make sure you give your baby water when you start giving them salt. That should help to balance out the salt concentration in their bodies. It works the same for adult bodies.

Can I put herbs and spices in my baby’s food?

Absolutely yes! Have you tried jarred baby food? Would you eat it? If your answer is no, then what makes you think your baby would like it? You should be asking yourself what you can do to make your baby’s food more tasty and crave-worthy. Babies will eat food that tastes good. End of story. I started using herbs and spices (not chilies of course) right when I started making purees for my baby. I used spices such as thyme, garlic, onion, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, paprika. I also made sure to saute, roast, and bake her food to make it more rich and flavorful. Steamed food can become boring.

For other baby recipes, check out my Garlicky Roasted Zucchini.

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Salmon Congee- Chinese Baby Food

A healthy and delicious salmon congee that doubles as Chinese baby food

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Keyword rice porridge, salmon congee, salmon porridge

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 baby servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp dashi optional
• 1 tsp fish sauce optional
• 2 ounces salmon finely diced
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

• Add rice, rolled oats, chicken broth, water, garlic, dashi, and fish sauce into a large pot. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low to simmer for 30 minutes until rice has started to cook down. Stir occasionally.
• Add salmon and sesame oil into cooked congee. Allow salmon to cook for 3-5 minutes until just cooked through.
• Allow to cool. Then serve to your baby warm.

For tasty adult recipes involving salmon, please check out my orange glazed miso salmon.