Amazingly Creamy Leche Flan (Party Size)

Prepare:
Preheat oven to 180 deg Celsius. Have ready a 24 cm (8") round stainless steel aluminum cake tin or 3 traditional oval llaneras. Put a kettle of water to boil.

*You also have the option to steam the leche flan over gently boiling water for about 50 minutes.

Make Caramel:
In a small, heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium-high heat, combine the granulated sugar and water. Stir frequently as the mixture heats to dissolve the sugar. Once mixture comes to a boil, do not stir again but only occasionally swirl the pan to distribute the heat. Keep it boiling until the edges start to caramelize and the syrup stops bubbling (around 8 minutes, depending on your pan). When it starts to color, frequently swirl the pan until the sugar is caramelized.

Use your sight and smell to gauge your caramel. It should be a rich amber color with a distinct caramel aroma. Before the syrup turns dark amber, pour it into your cake tin or llaneras. Swirl the tin so that the caramel coats the bottom. The caramel will continue to darken as it sets. Leave it to cool on your counter top.

Make the custard:

In a large bowl, gently whisk the egg yolks to loosen them. Pour in - NESTLÉ® All Purpose Cream and Nestle Milkmaid® Full Cream Sweetened Condensed Milk. Continue mixing gently until combined. Try not to make the mixture bubble.

Pour the mixture through a very fine sieve into the caramel lined pan, trying to avoid forming bubbles.

Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil.

Bake the Flan (or steam it! See Procedure 1)

Place the pan into a large roasting pan or a larger cake tin and put this into the oven. Take your boiling water and pour it into the larger pan/cake tin, until water comes up about 1/3 to halfway up the sides of the smaller cake tin. This is called your Bain Marie or Bano Maria.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes.

To test if the custard is done, lift up the foil and insert a thin knife into the center of the custard. If you can see the lines made by the knife, the custard is done. If the knife comes out with bits of custard sticking to it or if the point where it enters looks curdled, give it another 5-10 minutes and then check again.

When it's done, take it out of the oven and out of the large, water-filled pan. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight. The unmolded flan will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

To serve: Run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the of the cold flan (between the flan and the cake tin). Invert a serving dish over the cake tin. With 2 hands, hold the dish firmly against the tin then quickly flip both over. Carefully lift the pan off the dish. Use a spoon the scrape the syrup that's stuck to the tin and pour it over the flan. Whack the hardened caramel on the tin with the back side of the spoon so that it breaks into shards. Scrape the shattered caramel onto the top of the flan for a decorative finish and added crunch.