Recipe: Close to Perfect Leche Flan

I couldn't say that it's perfect because everyone has their own criteria for perfection. My idea of a perfect Leche Flan is the one without gelatin or starch extenders like in commercial flans. Smooth, rich, creamy with little or no bubbles and made with 100% eggs and condensed milk. Ahhh, sugar-cholesterol overload!

You will need

• 8-10 eggs. 8 if large, 10 if regular and when I mean regular, it's the ones you find in your local grocers like Rustans, SM, Hypermart, Metro etc.
• A can of condensed milk. I prefer Milkmaid brand.
• Fresh milk. We need about same amount as the can of condensed milk.
• Vanilla extract. 1 teaspoon.
• Lemon rind or lemon essence. Optional if you don't like it. In this case, I didn't use any. You can make lemon rind by rubbing the lemon skin on to a microplaner.
• 2 small lañera pans. Small so it will fit into the rice cooker.

I find that the eggs nowadays has the mark "Tamago" on it. ( Yeah, as in tamagochi. :) I hope these are not fake ones like circulated on the internet years ago.

Im using 10 eggs. Separate the 9 and use the 1 whole. The remaining white helps hold the flan together. Keep the whites for future use in tempura, egg drop soup, one-yolk-9-white omellette or for your beauty mask...yes, it firms up your facial skin too.

In a mixing bowl, stir the yolks and the whole egg, it is important not to beat it or it will introduce air bubbles into the mixture. Add a can of Milkmaid condensed milk and a can of fresh milk. Add vanilla and lemon rind or essence. Use the same can. Stir again. Pass this mixture into a fine sieve on to another bowl back and forth to make sure the eggs and milk mix together with minimal bubbles. This will also strain the lemon rind too. Set aside.

Prepare 2 small aluminum lañera pans. Add about 3 tablespoonfuls of white sugar and a teaspoon of water on each lañera. Heat it over the flame until it caramelizes. Careful to keep the pan moving so the sugar won't burn on one spot. Once it turns to a light caramel brown, remove from fire. Tilt the pan to spread the caramel evenly at the bottom. Let it sit while it hardens, do the other lañera. Remember to discard burnt caramel if you happen to overheat it, and make another one. You wouldn't want your flan to taste bitter.

 

Pour the egg-milk mixture into the lañeras, cover with aluminum foil and steam in low heat for 20 minutes. The foil protects the flan from the water that drips from the cover of the steamer. Extra water drips ruin the flan.

My secret to a perfect and steady steam is to cook it in a rice cooker. Yes, good, old reliable cooker. It usually comes with a steamer when you buy it.

Steam for 20 minutes. To test if it's done is to insert a toothpick in the center of the flan. If it comes out clean, then it's done. If the mixture sticks to the toothpick, give it another 3-5 minutes.

Remove from steamer. Let it cool down before chilling it in the fridge.

 

To serve. Run a knife around the edges and cover with a serving dish. Turn the flan upside down and give it a gentle tap on the top/bottom of the pan to loosen it into the dish.

There you go. My close to perfect Leche Flan.

No bubbles.