LtDan'sKitchen.com: Milkmaid Leche flan

I'm trying a new recipe of leche flan and it is one that I call a work in progress although this one resulted to something quite spectacular. It was on my fifth or sixth try before I was able to make a passable leche flan since I arrived in April last year. I was not expecting it to be that good after so many failed attempts so as a result, no pictures to prove my success. It was devoured in a flash. I knew that all of my friends are crazy over this dessert and maybe that is the reason why we are still friends 25 years or so after. However, the more they ask me to make this dessert, the more resentment I feel over this unachievable feat of coming up with a recipe that I can prepare with my eyes closed knowing it will turn out perfectly every single time. This has been my gripe in that I cannot seem to make a consistent version of this dessert which I used to prepare without any fuss at all while still living in the US. I had "the recipe" that was fool-proof and now all of a sudden, it just wouldn't work.

I have had a lot of issues when making flan here back home. First, I noticed that the milk is a bit diluted and I was told that even our condensed milk contains coconut milk so it does not cook to the right consistency. Second, there is something off in terms of the sugar content of the condensed milk here as well. For some reason, it is very liquidy even when you buy the most expensive brand. I tried making a baked custard dessert one time and ended up with condensed milk syrup. I had to dump the whole thing as it was just unappetizing to look at much less, eat. A friend gave me a helpful tip to use the correct brand of milk and so far, my success rate has gone up a little bit. You do end up with an expensive version of the dessert but at least, you end up with something edible.

Milkmaid Leche Flan

12 egg yolks
1 can Milkmaid condensed Milk
1 large Alpine evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar + extra for the caramel
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix with a wire whisk. Set
aside.

2. In a small non-stick pan over medium low heat, caramelize about 1-1 1/2
    cup of sugar until golden brown and syrupy. Pour into an 8-inch round
    baking pan. Coat the pan evenly with the caramel syrup.

3. Pour the custard mix into the prepared pan over a fine sieve. Cover with
    aluminum foil.

4. Steam the flan in a large pot over barely simmering water for about an
    hour or until set. Remove from the steam and allow to cool.

5. Once cooled, store in the fridge for at least four hours prior to serving.

To make the caramel, make sure that you move the pan around to caramelize the sugar evenly. If you have a silicon spatula, you can use it to break the lumps but never use any metallic utensils.

To serve the flan, run a knife around it before inverting onto a large serving platter.