Flan

Method

1. caramelize8 min
   medium-high, do not stir
   sugar + water in a small pan — swirl the pan, never stir, because a spoon drags sugar crystals up the sides and seeds the whole batch back into grit. Pull it at the color of dark honey; carryover heat pushes it further and burnt caramel turns the finished flan bitter
2. prep2 min
   working fast
   pour caramel into two 6-oz ramekins and tilt to coat the bottoms before it stiffens — it sets glassy in under a minute, and that hard disc is what dissolves into syrup during the chill
3. whisk3 min
   gentle, no aeration
   eggs + salt, then + condensed milk + evaporated milk + vanilla. Whisk only until uniform: air beaten in now becomes a foam layer that bakes into a pocked, spongy top instead of a dense custard
4. prep2 min
   through a fine sieve
   strain custard into the caramel-lined ramekins to catch the chalazae and any set egg thread — anything that does not pass the sieve shows up as a rubbery fleck. Skim off surface bubbles
5. bake50 min
   325°F / 165°C, ramekins in a pan of hot water to mid-height, loosely foiled
   the water bath holds the custard near 80–85°C, below the point where egg protein squeezes out its water and weeps. Done when the edge is set and the center still wobbles as one mass — a knife test that comes out clean means it is already overcooked and will be grainy
6. rest260 min
   room temp 20 min, then refrigerate at least 4 hours
   cool then chill uncovered until cold through. The chill is not optional: the custard firms enough to hold a shape, and the hard caramel draws moisture from the custard and liquefies into sauce. Unmolded warm, it slumps and there is no syrup
7. prep2 min
   cold
   run a thin knife around the edge, invert a plate over the ramekin and flip in one motion — the caramel runs down as the sauce. A stubborn one loosens in 10 seconds of hot water around the base