Creamy Caramel Flan

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Creamy Caramel Flan is the perfect dessert to serve at your Cinco de Mayo party.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 small baking dishes and a 9x13 inch pan for hot water bath.

In a heavy sauce pan over medium heat, add sugar and water. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and becomes clear. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture turns a light golden brown. Immediately pour mixture into 6 baking dishes, dividing mixture evenly.

Over low heat in a small sauce pan, heat milk until hot. Remove from heat.

In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, salt and 1/2 cup sugar until thick and light yellow in color. To incorporate the warm milk into the egg mixture, add 1/2 cup at a time stirring constantly. This will gradually bring up the temperature of the egg mixture without scrambling the eggs. Add cinnamon and whisk to mix. Divide mixture evenly between the baking dishes.

Place the filled baking dishes into the 9x13 inch pan. Pour hot water into pan to approximately 1 inch below the top of the flan baking dishes.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean. Remove flan baking dishes from hot water bath and cool on a wire rack. When cooled, chill for 2 hours before serving.

To serve, run a knife around the outside edge of the flan and invert the individual flans onto dessert plates.

For more Cinco de Mayo ideas, click here.