A new twist on Leche Flan

Leche Flan (Creme Caramel) is a staple dessert in the Philippines. It is very versatile. I used the original recipe with a twist - instead of caramelising the sugar which takes a long time, I used ready made syrup. I will experiment next time as I just found out there is now Light Condensed Milk now so will pair that with semi-skimmed milk instead of evaporated for a healthier option and see if its ok and not a disaster. I will also try and use sugar caramelised with my kitchen blowtorch, for now here is the recipe for the below picture.

Leche Flan (Crème Caramel)

Golden syrup
Softened butter, for greasing
10 large egg yolks
1 can condensed milk (397g)
1 can evaporated milk (410g) or 1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of small lemon

Note: This recipe can be steamed or baked in the oven. If baking, pre-heat the oven to 370 degrees.

Lightly butter 8-10 metal pudding basins or large ramekins. Put enough golden syrup to cover the bottom (The more syrup you add here, the sweeter the flan will be). Set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until light and fluffy. Then add condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla and lemon together until smooth. Try to avoid making too many bubbles. Pour carefully into the buttered dishes and cover moulds tightly with foil.

Steam for about 20 minutes OR Bake for about 45 minutes. Before baking the Leche Flan, place the dishes on a larger baking pan half filled with very hot water.

To serve: run a thin knife around the edges of the mould to loosen the Leche Flan. Place a platter on top of the mould and quickly turn upside down to position the golden brown caramel on top. Serve with sliced strawberries or raspberries.

Can be eaten cold as well, my daughter dunk wafer sticks on them!