My Leche Flan Recipe

Making Filipino-style leche flan (custard) has always been a challenge for me. I have never found the "right" recipe that's smooth, light, and with just the right sweetness. A spur of the moment decision today led me to make my improvised leche flan pictured above. It actually turned out pretty good--and I'm quite proud of myself. I didn't use condensed milk because I feel that makes the custard too sweet and "thick." At last, I have found that recipe which is smooth, light, and tastes delightful. Here's the recipe for you to try for yourself:

To make the caramel syrup that will line the bottom of your pan:

1/4 c brown sugar

1/3 c water

Over low heat, allow the brown sugar to caramelize and reduce. Let it boil for a while, but making sure the syrup does not boil over the pan you're cooking it in. When the syrup becomes thick and slightly sticky, pour into a round or square pan that you will use to bake your flan in. Let the caramel settle before pouring the flan mixture below (about 30 minutes in the fridge). If you don't let the caramel syrup cool and settle, you will end up with a bad mixture of syrup and flan that will have to start all over again.

To make the custard (flan):

8 egg yolks (save the 3 egg whites in a separate dish)

1 c white sugar (I didn't use all because I didn't want the flan to be too sweet)

1 can evaporated milk

First, beat the egg yolks in a bowl by stirring counter-clockwise. Make sure to stir only this one direction for the entire recipe. I don't know if it matters, but I did it anyway. Add the milk. Continue stirring counter-clockwise. Then, add the sugar. Set aside.

Next, with the egg whites in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until fluffy, but not stiff. When plenty of bubbles have formed, add this mixture in with the egg yolk mixture--again making sure to stir counter-clockwise only.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

You are now ready to ladle this mixture on to the hardened caramel syrup. Check to make sure the caramel is set. Ladle the mixture over the caramel. To bake, place this pan filled with your flan mixture into another pan that is half-filled with water. Bake for about 45 minutes. Poke a knife through the custard to make sure that the flan is cooked through.

Finally, let cool and then serve by turning the flan upside down (so the caramel ends up on top) onto a serving dish. Enjoy!

(I was too excited to try this out that I didn't even let it cool through and placed it on a serving dish about 10 minutes from taking it out of the oven. The form still kept its shape--amazing!)