This keto, sugar-free and dairy-free "Pudim Abade de Priscos" caramel flan is a must try traditional Portuguese egg dessert. It's rich, complex, sumptuous, and it melts in your mouth.
Heat up 1 cup allulose sweetener over medium-low heat until it melts, mixing with a spatula. Simmer just until it reaches a golden brown/amber color.
Immediately upon removing from heat, carefully pour the hot caramel into the baking mold. Evenly coat the bottom and the sides.
In another pan, add the 2 cups water, 1 1/2 cup keto sweetener, 2 ounces bacon fat, 1 lemon peel and 1 cinnamon stick and stir medium-high until the sweetener is fully dissolved.
Bring it to a rolling boil and let it boil for around 5 minutes, until the fatback melts into the syrup. Remove from heat and set it aside until it's just warm.
Mix together 2 ounces red wine and 15 egg yolks, then pour into the warm syrup in a thin stream while whisking.
Sieve the batter - Use a fine mesh strainer to pour the flan into the mold prepared with caramel.
Cover the baking mold with parchment paper, then with aluminum foil (or make 2 layers of foil), and fold it tightly over the edges.
Make the water bath: Place the covered mold inside a larger baking dish, and pour hot water to about 1" height.
Take the Portuguese flan into the pre-heated oven for one hour until firm, with a slight jiggle in the center. In doubt, check with a toothpick, it should come out clean.
Remove from the water bath and let it cool completely before unmolding.
Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
Notes
I recommend allulose specifically for the caramel. For the flan custard, you can also use allulose, or any keto baking sweetener. I used xylitol.
I changed the Port wine used in the original recipe for dry red wine to decrease the amount of sugar, but feel free to use Port wine if you prefer.
You might need to refill the water in the water bath if it reduces too much during the cooking time (I never had to, though). Don't let it dry out.
If the flan doesn't unmold easily, put the mold into hot water again to re-melt the caramel so it will slide out, or gently lift the edges of the flan with the point of a knife or toothpick.
IF NOT KETO/LOW-CARB, you can make this recipe with regular sugar instead of sweetener and Port wine instead of dry red wine.