Who could resist a sweet milky egg custard that is just dripping with a light caramel sauce? By adding a bit of quinoa one could say this Peruvian Quinoa Flan is healthy too (sorta)!
I have been meaning to tell you one of my craziest travel stories for a while now which happened in Peru … but I just never got around to making a Peruvian recipe. Well a fun food group I just discovered focuses on a country a month and guess what this month is? Peru or course, for which I prepared a Crema Volteada de Quinua, or Peruvian Quinoa Flan for ATW12P.
But before we get elbow high into the recipe I urge you to watch my video where I will tell you how I breached airport security on purpose in Cusco, Peru. Yes, airport security! It’s a crazy story (kids do not ever do what I did)….
Peruvian Quinoa Flan
This is my first participation in a group called Around the World in 12 Plates which is lead by Gabby. Each month the group explores a suggest country. For August we are of to Peru…a country I have visited in real life! I could have gone with a gazillion potato recipes as Peru grows over 3,800 varieties! But quinoa is just as indigenous to the Andes and so healthy. But let’s turn our quinoa into a naughty treat.
Funny how a recipe can travel around the world and take different names. Of French origin, crême caramel can be found in many European restaurants. But in Latin countries this dessert is called a flan! And in Peru a flan is called a crema volteada, or flipped over cream. Let’s add quinoa to ours: this unique Quinoa Flan, or Crema Volteada de Quinua, is as Peruvian as you can get!
PIN IT FOR LATER https://www.pinterest.com/pin/266275396701989025
I got my Quinoa Flan recipe from a Spanish blog called Cocinando con Wendy. I am far from being fluent but I can understand a recipe in Spanish no problem. Actually her directions are only a video and I still figured it out right away lol. French and Spanish are pretty close. Normally a white quinoa is used for this Quinoa Flan recipe but I just happened to have black at home. I kind of like the grungy look 😉
No those are not almonds on top! That is the caramel sauce that did not melt and turned into a barley sugar. I think it was because of my silicone mold. I put it back in the mold and the next day it was melted into a sauce, weird!
Peruvian Quinoa Flan | Crema Volteada de Quinua
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup quinoa
- 2 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 14 oz can condensed milk
- 6 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil and add quinoa with cinnamon stick. Reduce to a simmer. After 10 minutes remove the cinnamon stick and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a saucepan add the sugar and cook over medium-low heat until melted and just lightly golden.
- Pour the caramel in a 6-cup mold, cake pan or in six ramekins. Place your baking dish of choice in a large baking pan.
- In a blender add the quinoa with any liquid, condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla, and process for 1 minute. Pour in the prepared baking dish of choice. Add water to the large baking pan halfway up the filled baking dish.
- Cover loosely with aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour or until the center is set and an inserted knife comes out clean.
- Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then put it in the fridge overnight. Run a knife along the edge and tap the flan on the sides to make sure it is loose, then flip over onto a plate with a lip that will catch any caramel sauce.
Around the World in 12 Plates
Check out what wonderful Peruvian dishes my fellow ATW12P blogger friends have prepared #ATW12P:
- Bernice at Dish n the Kitchen
- Gabby at The Food Girl in Town
- Loreto and Nicoletta at Sugar Love Spices
Check out more South American recipes here:
That looks straight up yummy! WANT!! <3 – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Thanks Gingi!
I have never seen quinoa used for anything other than savoury dishes. This is a great idea!
Thanks Caroline and it really is delicious!
Oh this is definitely WAY too healthy. 🙂 But it sure looks good. YUM!
LOL exactly MJ, NO GUILT!
What a delicious flan! And the caramel spots are so inviting!
Thank you Katerina 🙂
Quinoa Flan!!! this is seriously naught hehehe. Loved how the caramel looks like.. very beautiful indeed.
Thank you so much Amira! I was quite thrilled with the results 🙂
Gosh! it looks sooo goooood!!
Thank you so much, it was a big hit!
I would have never thought of using quinoa in a flan but it works perfectly! Love what you have done with the caramel sauce
Thanks Bintu and yeah the caramel wa a wonderful surprise and melted by the next day 🙂
Wow very interesting, I never had imagined quinoa and flan together in one dish. Looks really nice
Thanks Raymund, it was a a great and delicious surprise the combo!
That flan looks amazing! How gorgeous?! I would never have thought about pairing quinoa with a dessert option!
Thank you so much Melody! yeah they work so well together!
Oh I don’t know which one I love more, the gorgeous flan or your hilarious travel story! Great great video Eve. I was glued on to my laptop all the way.
LOL Sonali glad you liked the story too as much as the flan. What a crazy day that was.
Loved your travel story! Only in a foreign country—don’t think you could get away with this in the states! And who knew you could add quinoa to flan? I love them both and would happily eat a big slice.
Ha for sure that would not FLY in the States, especially post 9/11. The flan is the best. Have you ever had problems having a caramel turn into a barley sugar from a silicone mold? I am sure I did not overcook the sugar.
I feel like it’s fate-I’m heading to the airport this morning to catch a flight to Peru! 😀 This flan looks absolutely delicious!
WOW really what a coincidence. Have a fab trip Lorraine!
This is so awesome! Love the travel story and yes, lol I have breached International Security during travel…also twice! My passport was never stamped when we were in South Korea and they almost never let me on the next plane (with my entire family) AND I accidentally bribed passport security in Egypt. That was a SUPER scary moment!
Thanks so much for joining us, your flan looks amazing!
Wow Bernice I can’t believe we both have not one but two breached International Security stories lol. Both yours sounds insane. How do you accidentally bribe passport security ???? My other story is boring: I took the wrong door in London after checking my Eurostar train ticket and ended back in the line to first show your ticket. Thanks for the invite to the group!
I really wish I could eat quinoa sometimes – It just looks so cool and looks like a texture my mouth would really love!
I am sure you are a fan of a lot of textures in your mouth (HA)! Not sure what would be a good alternative.
Yummy! Such a finger-licking recipe, Evelyne! The perfect treat for people with a sweet tooth!
Thank you Agness and it is actually not that sweet either 🙂
That looks incredible! I may have to try this recipe. I don’t usually like quinoa, but this might turn it around for me.
Thanks so much Mags and you won’t be able to really tell your eating quinoa with the other flavors so no worries 😉
Wow what an interesting story to just grab ande go like that. This flan looks amazing, and the use of quinoa is brilliant. This is what I love about cultural dishes is the use of these healthy ingredients in most unusual way.The caramel on top looks interesting too. The cake looks so moist too. Would love to taste test this cake, for professional reasons of course, lol.
Great addition to the ATW12P.
Have a b eautiful day!
Loreto@SugarLoveSpices.
Yeah is was a pretty insane moment but I did not want to miss my international flight. Well you must taste test the flan for sure 😉 …but it is a flan, like a custard, not a cake 😉 Have a wonderful day too Loreto!
Delicious! Adding to list to try. I’m not familiar with Peruvian food. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Malini so glad you like it and might try it!
Love quinoa and custard and caramel, but now can’t have sugar. I’m going to try and find a way to replicate something like this is just sounds so good 🙂
Thanks Amanda, I am sure their must be an alternative to the caramel. Let me know if you find anything 🙂
Sometimes when I cannot think of a word in French I think of it in Italian so I’m sure it’s the same for Spanish. PS your links are not working.
Yes close languages are easier to decipher lol. You mean the other participant’s links? Will have to check with them they gave us those links 🙁 thanks for letting me know.
I’ve watched the video on your YouTube and then I read the recipe. Really loved both and I love the mobile site. It all looks like a lot of hard, but fun, work: a very delicious and rewarding kind of work.
Thank you my Syster so glad you liked the recipe and video 😀 You lost me on the mobile site though????
OK, so I am not a great chef, but this actually does look really easy to make (and bonus points for being healthy) I think I will give it a go! I need to start eating more varied, and I have heard that quinoa should be good for so many things…
Love your video as well, Evelyne. Great smile and lovely cooking instructions
X Louise
Thank you Louise for your awesome comment on the blog and video! You are too sweet. And yes this is totally doable, just make sure to cover with the aluminium foil (I messed up the first time for not doing this, it burned), bake until an inserted knife comes out clean, and rest overnight. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Wow, this is so striking, and a really interesting way to use quinoa, it’s become a really trendy global ingredient these days! The caramel areas look so pretty!
Thank you so much Kavey, I was really pleased with the look too. Yes quinoa is very trendy but the Andeans have been eating it for 3,000 years…time we caught up 🙂
Really interesting! Haven’t seen anything like this — who knew quinoa could be used in flan? Fun idea, though – thanks.
Yes I was just as surprised when looking for recipes about quinoa in a flan lol. But I am sold now!
This Peruvian Quinoa Flan looks amazing! Thx for the recipe.
Thank you so much Doreen!
You are right..who could resist? One of most unique quinoa recipes, Evelyne, and so delicious too. What’s on the top? Almonds? You didn’t mention them in the recipe…
Thanks Angie and yeah an original way to eat quinoa lol. No that is the caramel sauce that did not melt and turned into a barley sugar. I think it was because of my silicone mold. I put it back in the mold and the next day it was melted into a sauce, weird!