This dessert has been on my to-do list since the summer. I am obsessed with flan, it being the first dessert I ever learned how to make, and I’ve been meaning to do something with kabocha squash, but I wanted to wait until it was the fall to do so. For this dessert, it’s a kabocha flan with a mugicha(barley tea) syrup, and gluten-free kabocha friands. Friands are like a financier, but with regular butter instead. I wanted to use mochiko and kabocha in mine, just to add that wagashi touch to them and to make them have a more distinctly Asian-dessert texture and flavor profile. I also added a tiny bit of coffee to my friands too, just to play off of the barley tea.

For the kabocha flan:
3 egg yolks
1/3 cup steamed kabocha squash, pureed until smooth
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon egg white powder
a pinch of salt

Combine kabocha, milk, cream in a pot. Whisk egg yolk with sugar and salt. Temper the two together then puree in your egg white powder. Divide your custard base into three large ramekins, cover each with aluminum foil(not doing this step could result in double the cook time and your custard possibly scrambling) and steam for 15 minutes, or until the center of the custard wobbles just slightly. Allow to cool down at room temperature for 10 minutes before transferring to the freezer to set for an hour.

For the mugicha syrup;
1 mugicha tea bag
2 tablespoons kuromitsu
3 tablespoons muscovado sugar
a pinch of salt
water

Steep the mugicha in water first and reduce down to about 1/4 cup of liquid. Strain out the tea bag and add the other ingredients. Bring to a simmer until that is reduced by about half. Cool down completely. Pour onto the cooled down custards.

For the steamed kabocha:
1 kabocha squash

Slice the kabocha squash and remove the seeds and pulp(you can extract the pepitas from those if desired for the friands). Place on a steamer and steam until tender enough to scoop out with a spoon, discarding the green husk.

Friands:
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup mochiko
1/2 cup steamed kabocha squash, pureed until smooth
1 teaspoon guar gum
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
3 egg whites, whipped stiff
1/4 cup granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso
pepitas

Combine everything except the pepitas, and egg white first. Fold in the egg white last and transfer the batter to a piping bag. Pipe the batter into a silicone bar mold (about 3/4 the way full) and garnish with pepitas. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before unmolding, to prevent tearing.