Simple Flan
Serves 4
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 eggs
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a heavy pan, place 1/2 cup of the sugar and cook over high heat, stirring constantly. When it begins t foam and turn light brown, remove from the heat, and immediately pour the carmelized sugar into our pudding mold. (Molds can be one large one, or for individual servings). Tip the molds gently from side to side to ensure that the caramel coast the bottom evenly. Let cool.
Beat the egg yolks and the whole eggs together until slightly thickened.
In a saucepan, heat the milk to a boil over medium heat. Add the remaining ½ cup of sugar and stir to dissolve. Mix the cornstarch and water and stir into the milk to dissolve.
Slowly add the milk mixture to the beaten eggs, beating continually. Stir in the vanilla .
Pour into the pudding mold. Cover with a tightly fitting lid. If you don’t have a lid for the mold, use aluminum foil and place another lid on top. Place the mold in a large pan with water halfway up the sides of the mold. Let the water simmer gently, topping up as needed, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the pudding is set.
Remove from heat and let flan cool to room temperature. Unmold and serve.

Variations

Orange Flan

Use freshly squeezed orange juice instead of milk, and grated orange peel instead of vanilla.

Pineapple Flan

Instead of making a caramel, boil 2 cups of pineapple juice with the ½ cup sugar called for in the recipe for the flan. Let cool slightly before adding the cornstarch slurry and mixing with the eggs.

Nut Flan

Grind 1 cup of any unsalted nut you choose: walnuts, pine nuts, blanched almonds, etc. Add the ground nuts to the boiled milk along with the sugar.

Coconut Flan

Instead of making a caramel, take about 1 cup unsweetened dried coconut and cook in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of water and the 1/2 cup of sugar called for in the recipe. Simmer until the coconut is translucent. Add the grated coconut and its cooking liquid to the boiled milk along with the remaining sugar. I like to toast some coconut to use as a garnish.