Pressure Cooker Thai Tea Flan

I recently made this Thai tea flan for a friendly get-together. It got rave reviews and several recipe requests. So, here it is.

I use half and half when I make flan, as well as when I prepare Thai iced tea. It seemed like the natural order of things to combine the two. The end result was a happy marriage of Latino and Asian flavors. You get the rich creaminess of flan with the pop of Thai iced tea flavor in every bite!

Pressure Cooker Thai Tea Flan

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 cups half and half, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup Thai tea dust
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

At least 1 day prior:

Pour the half and half into a container at least 2.5 cups in size. Add the Thai tea dust and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day:

In a small saucepan, heat white sugar over medium heat until all of the sugar has melted and turned amber.  Remove from heat and carefully add the 2 tbsp of water (watch out for the steam).  Stir until all of the water has mixed in, then pour into your flan mold or round baking dish.  Set aside to cool while you make the flan mixture.

Using a fine mesh strainer or tea strainer, strain the infused half and half a measuring cup to remove the tea leaves. Add additional half and half to bring the amount of liquid back up to 2 cups.

Combine the eggs, infused half-and-half, condensed milk, and vanilla in a blender.  Blend until combined and no streaks remain.  Gently pour into your prepared flan mold, then cover.

Pour 1 cup of water in the liner of your electric pressure cooker.  Place the flan mold on a trivet in the liner, then seal and cook on Manual (High Pressure) for 12 minutes.  After time is up, turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally for another 12 minutes.  Remove the Thai tea flan from the pressure cooker and uncover (flan should be slightly jiggly in the center, but not watery).  Allow to cool completely, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Makes about 8 servings.