Flan

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I love custards, pastry cream, anything eggy and creamy - mmmmm. This is a simple recipe I got from someone in Ithaca. It is a great dessert to make for non-chocolate people.

Ingredients

Caramel
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Flan
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups milk
3 eggs

Instructions

Dissolve the sugar in the water, stirring over low heat in a saucepan.

Increase the heat to medium high. DO NOT STIR. Allow the mixture to boil until caramel color begins to appear - usually 5 minutes or so. [Stirring introduces crystals into the solution which immediately seeds and causes the entire sugar syrup to crystallize into a very hot and solid mess - this from the voice of experience.]

When the entire solution is a deep caramel color, remove from heat and pour into a 9" or 10" round baking pan.

Quickly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the caramel before it crystalizs.

Set the pan aside to cool while preparing the custard.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Then mix in vanilla and sweetened condensed milk.

Stir in the milk.

Pour the custard into the pan (the caramel will crack - not a problem) through a strainer.

Set the pan in a water bath up to 1/2 or 3/4 of the pan height in an oven at 400 degrees F. (I usually place the flan on a large shallow baking pan in the oven and then pour the water in last - again, the voice of experience). Bake for one hour (I actually bake for 53-55 minutes).

Cool the flan until room temperature (a couple of hours) and then refrigerate for 12 hours. Loosen the sides of the flan with a knife.

Cover the top of the pan with the serving dish. Invert and carefully lift the pan up off of the serving plate.

	Dissolve the sugar in the water, stirring over low heat in a saucepan.
	Increase the heat to medium high. DO NOT STIR. Allow the mixture to boil until caramel color begins to appear - usually 5 minutes or so. [Stirring introduces crystals into the solution which immediately seeds and causes the entire sugar syrup to crystallize into a very hot and solid mess - this from the voice of experience.]
	When the entire solution is a deep caramel color, remove from heat and pour into a 9" or 10" round baking pan.
	Quickly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the caramel before it crystalizs.
	Set the pan aside to cool while preparing the custard.
	Whisk eggs in a large bowl. Then mix in vanilla and sweetened condensed milk.
	Stir in the milk.
	Pour the custard into the pan (the caramel will crack - not a problem) through a strainer.
	Set the pan in a water bath up to 1/2 or 3/4 of the pan height in an oven at 400 degrees F. (I usually place the flan on a large shallow baking pan in the oven and then pour the water in last - again, the voice of experience). Bake for one hour (I actually bake for 53-55 minutes).
	Cool the flan until room temperature (a couple of hours) and then refrigerate for 12 hours. Loosen the sides of the flan with a knife.
	Cover the top of the pan with the serving dish. Invert and carefully lift the pan up off of the serving plate.