Flan

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 5 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (I used 325 for convection).
2. In a small nonstick saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat. Shake and swirl occasionally to distribute sugar until it is dissolved and begins to brown. Lift the pan over the heat source (4 to 6 inches) and continue to brown the sugar until it becomes a dark golden brown. Be careful, it is VERY easy to over brown (burn) the sugar. You may slightly stir while cooking, but continually stirring causes the sugar to crystallize. Pour caramelized sugar into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or a large loaf pan, or several individual ramekins and swirl to coat the bottoms evenly.
3. In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for one minute. Pour over the caramelized sugar. If it seems a bit frothy, that is OK.
4. Place the filled casserole dish(es) into a larger pan and add 1 inch of HOT water to the outer pan. I use my 180 degree faucet for this, but water heated in a tea kettle works well too. A tea kettle also allows you to pour the water in to the pan as it sits on the oven rack so you do not have to worry about spilling as you move the whole conglomeration.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set.
6. When it comes out of the oven, run a sharp knife around the edges to loosen the flan from the pan and turn out on to a small plate or serving tray.