Fabulous Flan (with Variations)

Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 12
• 1 cup sugar (or up to 1 1/2 cups if you like a lot of caramel sauce)
• 6 eggs
• 1 (14 ounce) can condensed milk
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 375°f.
• 2 place cinnamon stick and milk in a small saucepan over very low heat. this step is optional but gives a nice flavor.
• 3 meanwhile, caramelize sugar: in a small heavy skillet (preferably non-stick) without stirring, heat the sugar over medium heat until it begins to melt. cook and stir for 4 or 5 minutes or until the sugar turns a rich brown. be careful not to burn. remove skillet from heat and immediately pour caramelized sugar into a round 2 quart casserole or other appropriate dish. holding dish with pot holders, quickly rotate dish so that the sugar coats the bottom and sides evenly. set aside to cool.
• 4 beat the eggs in a mixer or with a hand blender. add condensed milk, evaporated milk, heated cinnamon milk and vanilla. mix well. pour into prepared casserole. take a baking pan large enough to hold the casserole and add about 2 inches of very hot tap water or enough to come about 2/3 up the sides of the prepared pan. place casserole in water, being careful not to let water into the flan mixture. bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out just barely clean ã¯â¿â½ there should still be some bit of custard on it. carefully remove casserole from water bath. cool completely. cover and refrigerate.
• 5 to unmold, loosen edges with a knife. set the casserole dish in a bowl of hot water )being careful not to splash water into the flan) for about 2 minutes in order to loosen up the caramel. invert into a serving platter with deep enough sides to contain the caramel.
• 6 notes: for less fat, substitute low fat or fat free condensed milk and/or evaporated milk. this recipe works well in that you can reduce the eggs to 4 and still have a great custard. it needs some fat, so donã¯â¿â½t go all fat free and only 4 eggs. the key is a good balance. if you like a richer custard you can use up to 10 eggs.
• 7 if you prefer a firmer flan you can bake it without the water bath for about 35 to 40 minutes at 350°f it will cook quicker but won't be quite as creamy.
• 8 coconut flan: prepare as above adding one can of cream of coconut. use a 3 quart casserole.
• 9 pumpkin flan: empty one 16 oz can pureed pumpkin into a saucepan. add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cloves (if desired). cook, stirring frequently until the mixture is hot and slightly glossy, about 5 minutes. add the pumpkin mixture to the egg custard as above and bake in a 3 quart casserole.
• 10 chocolate flan: add 4 to 6 ounces of good melted chocolate to the custard mixture. the amount of chocolate depends on how chocolaty you want it.