Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
4 eggs, beaten
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of whole milk
1 fresh vanilla bean, cut open and scraped out
½ cup sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 6-8 ramekins.

In a medium saucepan combine the sugar and water and bring to a moderately high heat until all sugar dissolves. Continuing to boil the sugar without stirring, allowing it to begin to turn a light honey brown, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and place a spoonful or more of sugar on the bottom of each greased ramekin, swirling it and coating the bottom of the ramekin. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet with a rimmed edge. In the meantime in a large bowl combine the eggs, condensed milk, scraped vanilla and the sugar and mix until smooth. Pour the batter evenly between the ramekins. Pour a bit of water in the pan that the ramekins are placed in. Place in the pre heated oven and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Chill the flans well before removing from the ramekins. Run a knife around the edges and loosen the sides and invert onto a serving plate. Garnish with more caramel or fresh fruit.