Otherwise known as creme caramel or Latin caramel custard, this common dessert of the Latin world is creamy, rich and delicious.

1 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 6 to 8 custard cups or ramekins with nonstick spray.

2. In a small saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water. Stir to dissolve sugar. Turn heat to medium and boil the sugar, without stirring. Keep an eye on the boiling sugar and remove from heat when it has turned a honey-color (10 to 15 minutes).

3. Remove the caramelized sugar from heat and immediately place a Tablespoonful of the melted sugar into the prepared cups, moving the cups around so that the sugar coats the bottoms and a little bit up the sides. You won’t need to use all of the caramelized sugar. Place the cups into a larger baking pan that is large enough to hold all of them without touching.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, condensed milk, whole milk, vanilla and sugar until well mixed and smooth. Pour mixture into a “pourable” container (like a pyrex measuring cup… it’s easier this way), and pour into the prepared cups.

5. Fill the larger baking pan with enough hot water to come about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the containers. Place in the oven and cook until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. This will take about 45 minutes.

6. Remove the custards from the water bath and chill well. When ready to serve, run a thin knife around the edge of the custards, invert over serving plates and they should pop out- along with some of the sugary, caramel sauce.

*You can also bake one large flan in a 9-inch cake pan. Follow the same instructions above, and baking should take somewhere between 50 and 60 minutes.
*Don't be tempted to put a large amount of the melted sugar in the bottoms of the custard cups. If you put too much, it'll just become a hardened mess that will be difficult to clean later on. A small amount will be just enough to give it the caramel syrup it needs when the custard cups are overturned to serve.