Flan Napolitano - Mexican Flan

 Ingredients
1/3 of a cup of sugar for the flan
1/3 of a cup of sugar for the caramel
12 oz of evaporated milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla

Equipment
1 Small pan to make the caramel
1 Medium pot with hot water
1 Spatula
1 Whisk
1 Large baking dish (or 2 smaller ones) for holding water for bain marie
1 Medium oven safe glass container that fits into the baking dish or multiple smaller containers for individual portions

First, I cannot stress this enough, get all your ingredients and equipment ready to go. Once the sugar is caramelized, it will have to be poured into the cups immediately before it starts to crystalize. There is no time to waste!

In a medium bowl, place 3 eggs and beat them. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Set aside. 

Place a small pan over medium-low heat. Pour the sugar in. Do not mix by putting anything (e.g. spatula, spoon, etc). I know you will be tempted to do it. Do not! You can mix the sugar only by shaking the pan. Do not put any utensil in the sugar, trust me, the sudden change in temperature will crystalize your sugar if you do. At the same time, place the pot with water on medium heat and just let it heat up. Also, start preheating your oven at 325.

Continue standing by the stove, mixing the sugar by shaking the pan from side to side only. The caramel will be ready when it has a completely liquid consistency and no solid pieces of sugar. 

Once your caramel is ready, immediately pour it inside the one medium glass container or distribute it evenly inside the smaller individual glass containers. Only then may you use a spatula to get any residue from the pot. I recommend trying to get it all off before you put any soap and water on the pot. Hardened caramel is very hard to wash off; but lots of persistent scrubbing and hot water can do the job. 

Pour the mix evenly among the small containers. If you are using one larger container, pour all the mix into said container. Place the container(s) inside the baking dish(es) for the bain marie.

Pour the hot water inside the baking dish(es).

Place inside the oven and bake at 325 for 40 minutes if doing smaller containers for 50-60 minutes if you are making one large flan. After baking, place the flan container(s) on a cooling rack. It is fine if your flan seems to jiggle in the middle, it will continue to set as it is still hot. 

Once the flan has reached room temperature, cover and place inside a refrigerator. Your flan will be ready 8-12 hours later. Trust me, it will be worth the wait! 

Enjoy directly from the jar or serve it upside down as it is traditionally served in Mexico!