Leche Flan

Leche Flan. It was the first time I attempted to make leche flan myself this was done sometime back when I made a post on Razon’s halo-halo few months back. It was not that perfect as it has air pores on most of the custard especially the batch that uses aluminum molds or llanera and the caramel was a bit bitter sweet. Now I adjusted the recipes particularly the procedure to rectify what’s went wrong. The sweetness and bitterness of the caramel can be determined by its color. Light color means sweeter but less bitter compared to the darker color which is more bittersweet. The absence of air pores on the custard means very rich flavor and porous custard firmer. I myself prefer the later one with some air pores. “Hindi nakakaumay”. There are countless version of this popular Pinoy dessert. It is usually steamed in a bamboo steamer but some version are baked in an oven or even steamed in a pressure cooker. This recipe is self explanatory and I would say it is more instructive compared to most that I have seen. Good luck.

Ingredients:

For the custard

12 medium size eggs
3 big cans condensed milk
1 big can evaporated milk
2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated dayap or lemon rind (optional)

For the caramel

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water

Cooking procedure:

In a small saucepan, pour water and place the sugar at the center whirl the pan a few times to distribute the sugar. Bring to a boil over a medium heat without stirring, instead whirl the pan occasionally until all the sugar are melted and is amber-caramel in color. Immediately pour just enough caramelized sugar to evenly coat the bottom of each mould. Let cool and keep aside. Warm in a hot bath of water before opening the milk cans. Using 2 big bowls separate the egg yolks from the whites of each egg, keep aside whites. Gently beat the yolk using a whisk, do not over beat. Now add condensed and evaporated milk slowly while gently stirring with the whisk. Add the vanilla, rind while continuously stirring slowly to avoid creating bubbles. Pour the mixture on the caramel coated moulds. Steam for 20-40 minutes or until no mixture sticks to the tooth pick when pricked at the middle of the flan. Let it cool and chill in the refrigerator before serving. To serve, run a knife around the edges of the mold and invert into a serving plate, let the caramel flow over the leche flan.