The best thing I ate all week: flan with candied kumquats from Comal

I ate very well this last week and discovered some new tasty and surprising foods along the way. I ate a frittata with turnip and carrots in it that despite being unexpected fillers worked really well. I was also introduced to my new favorite flavor potato chip: Voodoo flavor from Zapp’s. I’m told it’s similar to the “all dressed” flavor our Canadian friends have been enjoying for years but we don’t seem to see here in the US. Fun side story I just learned: Voodoo flavor was created by accident when an employee dropped a crate of spices spilling them all over the floor. Someone tasted the mixed spices and decided to create a blend for a new flavor.

Despite the delicious potato chips with a cute origin story and despite the strange frittata ingredients that somehow work, they were not the best thing I ate all week. That honor belongs to the dessert I ordered at Comal last Monday: flan with candied kumquats. It was shockingly good and I almost didn’t even order it being full from the tasty meal we’d just finished.

See, I’m not the type of person who needs something sweet after a meal. I often make a decision to pass on desert while still eating the main course because I know I’d rather have another serving of savory than something sweet. That said, there is one dessert I will always order. If crème brûlée is on the menu, I am ordering it, promise. I have followed this rule unflinchingly for years and it has rarely let me down. Despite how full I feel there is always room for crème brûlée. The silky custard with crunchy sugar topping is such a satisfying way to end a meal. It’s light and rich at the same time and if prepared well is only slightly sweet.

Flan, is essentially the same dish without the hard sugar topping so when I saw it on the Comal menu it was the only dessert I considered, and I am so glad I gave it a go. As expected the custard was airy and smooth but firm enough to hold it’s shape when cut with a spoon. The custard was rich and the sauce was sweet, but acid from the kumquats brightened each bite. The candied kumquats were soft enough to cut with a spoon but provided a nice textural contrast and a burst of brightness that countered the sweetness and richness of the flan itself. I kept going back and forth between bite of flan, bite of kumquat and before I knew it the plate was clean.

Flan is always a joy to eat but like crème brûlée and many desserts it suffers when made too sweet. This pairing with the kumquats was a perfect twist that kept the dessert light and fresh. I’m not sure if I will expand my rule to include all flan, but if I see this flan on a menu again I’m definitely going to order it.