Caramel Flans from Eagle Brand

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). (5 minutes)

In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat, cook ¾ cup sugar, stirring constantly, until melted and amber in color. (8-10 minutes) Immediately and carefully pour the caramel into eight 6-ounce ungreased custard cups, tilting to coat the bottoms evenly. (2 minutes)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth. (3 minutes)

Divide the custard mixture evenly among the prepared custard cups. Place the filled cups in a large, shallow baking pan. Pour hot water into the pan to reach about 1 inch up the sides of the cups. (5 minutes)

Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted near the center of a flan comes out clean, approximately 25-30 minutes. (25-30 minutes)

Remove the baking pan from the oven and carefully transfer the custard cups to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Then, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the flans to fully set. (3 hours)

While the flans are chilling, prepare the sugar garnish: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Fill a medium metal bowl halfway with ice. Combine 1 cup sugar and ¼ cup water in a medium saucepan; stir. Cover the saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until light brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Immediately place the pan in the bowl of ice for 1 minute. Carefully and decoratively drizzle sugar over the prepared baking sheet; cool, then peel sugar garnish from foil. (15 minutes)

To serve, gently loosen the sides of the flans from the custard cups using a small, thin knife. Invert each flan onto a rimmed serving plate, allowing the caramel to cascade over the custard. Top with the prepared sugar garnish just before serving. (5 minutes)