Quick and Easy Hazelnut Flan in the Pressure Cooker

Jenni, Pastry Chef On-line , said when I posted a pressure cooker flan recipe she’d buy a pressure cooker. How could I resist the challenge. Cheesecakes, bread puddings and custards like flan, are all especially well suited to the moist cooking environment in the pressure cooker.

I looked through Jenni’s recipe index and found a hazelnut flan recipe that she called Ridiculously Good Hazelnut Flan. I simplified it a bit and changed it in to a pressure cooker recipe that cooks in a fraction of the time but is still silky smooth and ridiculously good.

Making Quick and Easy Hazelnut Flan in an Instant Pot

I tried several methods of melting the sugar to make the caramel sauce but in the end the one that worked best for me was the one Jenni posted. (This may mean that my sugar crystallized twice due to my inability to not stir sugar while it’s melting.)

Jacques Pépin recommends discarding the caramel used to make the flan, and topping it with a new, thicker caramel sauce. He made a thick caramel-cognac sauce but I stuck with a traditional caramel without the alcohol.

I made my flan in individual custard cups and the cook time is reduced from about an hour to 6 minutes. You’ll need to wait at least 4 hours for the flan to chill in the fridge before you serve it. Although, since I was recipe testing I couldn’t wait, and I did eat one while it was hot. It was delicious. Although it was much better later that night chilled and topped with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts.

Jenni- I’ll look forward to what you’re cooking up in your new pressure cooker!

Quick and Easy Hazelnut Flan in the Pressure Cooker

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 5 hours hours 6 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Hazelnut syrup

Instructions

• Caramel
• In a medium sauce pan over medium, add 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and let boil 2 minutes to wash any sugar crystals off the sides of the pan.
• Remove the lid and continue cooking until the mixture is amber. Don’t stir, but swirl the pan gently to keep the mixture moving (don’t let it get too dark or it will burn.). Carefully pour into 8 (6 oz.) ungreased custard cups, tilting to coat bottom completely. Set aside.
• Custard
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and yolks with 1/3 cup sugar and a pinch of salt.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk until it begins to bubble. Gradually add hot milk to eggs to temper the eggs. Whisk in cream, vanilla and Hazelnut syrup. Strain into a large measuring bowl with pour spout or pitcher.
• Pour 1 1/2 cups of water into the pressure cooker and place the trivet in the bottom.
• Pour custard into caramel lined custard cups, cover with foil, and place on trivet in pressure cooking pot. Stack the cups in a second layer. (I used a second trivet between the layers.)
• Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and set the timer for 6 minutes. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure. When valve drops carefully remove lid.
• Carefully remove the cups to a wire rack to cool uncovered. When cool, refrigerate covered with plastic wrap for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve, run a thin knife around the outside of the ramekins, firmly hold a plate on top and flip the whole thing over. Served topped with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts, optional.

More pressure cooker dessert recipes you might like:

Pressure Cooker Creme Caramel, Hip Pressure Cooking
Cuban Flan, Cuban Recipes
Creamy Pressure Cooker Rice Pudding, Pressure Cooking Today
Meyer Lemon Cheesecake, Pressure Cooking Today