Orange Espresso Flan

I love the  instant coffees by International Coffees.  These are more like a drinkable dessert than coffee, but it was the first Cappuccino that I tried.  The flavor was called Italian Cappuccino and had orange flavor added to the instant coffee.  Are these even sold, any longer?
 The flavor was so different from anything I had tasted and I fell in love with it. 
So I was thinking about Flan,  which made me think about, coffee, cinnamon, and orange.  The more I thought about the flavors, the more I wanted to combine these into a Flan.  So here it is, I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1 1/2 cups of Sugar, divided
4 Eggs
1 1/2 cups of Milk
1/2 cup of Double Strength Espresso
1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon of Orange Zest

Set 4 8-ounce ramekins in  an oven proof 13" X 9" pan. Set aside.
In a sauce pan, heat 1 cup of sugar over medium-high heat until the sugar starts to melt.  Do not stir the sugar.  Once the sugar starts to melt, lower heat to low and stir occasionally until the liquid sugar starts to turn golden brown.  Pour a small amount into a ramekin.  Using pot holders, lift the ramekin and swirl the caramel around the bottom of the ramekin and up on the sides.  Return to the larger pan. BE VERY CAREFUL. The hot sugar will cause severe burns.  Repeat until all of the ramekins have caramel.
Beat eggs with remaining sugar until combined.  Heat milk, coffee, orange zest, and cinnamon until it starts to boil.  Remove the milk from heat. Resume beating the eggs and very slowly drizzle in the hot milk.  Be careful not to drizzle the milk to quickly or it will curdle the eggs.  Once all of the milk has been combined, remove the foam and divide the liquid mixture evenly between the ramekins. Top with the foam. Place the 13" X 9" pan on the middle oven rack. Pour enough boiling water into the bottom of the ovenproof pan half way up the sides of the pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.  A note: the cinnamon will still be attached but not the Flan.  Refrigerate 4 to 24 hours before unmolding and serving. After baking the flan, I made additional caramel and pour it on a greased sheet of foil, in shapes that I liked to make the cool garnish. I let these stand until the candy hardens.
When ready to serve, unmold onto a serving plate.  Scrap the extra caramel over the top, grate a little orange zest over it and top with the caramel shapes.

Enjoy!

Deloris