Vietnamese Crème Caramel Flan (Bánh Flan)

Step 1

Make the caramel syrup. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the sugar water and lemon juice. Pour the syrup into a small saucepan on medium low heat, until the sugar dissolves and melts into a golden amber about 10-12 minutes. Do not stir! You can pick up the saucepan and swirl it around 1-2 times to prevent it from burning. Pour the caramel into the 8-inch cake pan or ramekins and quickly swirl the brown sugar syrup to cover the entire bottom of the pan (Careful pan will get hot). The syrup will harden in a few seconds.

Step 2

Mix the custard. Using a fine mesh sieve over a large mixing bowl, crack the eggs over the sieve and use a fork to break up the yolk to go through the sieve. Add the vanilla extract and gently whisk slowly until combined. Try not to whisk too quickly to create any air bubbles in the mixture. While slowly whisking, gradually pour in the evaporated milk, water, and sugar and continue whisking until the sugar dissolves and just combined.

Step 3

Pour the flan through the sieve into the sugared pan. Slowly pour the flan mixture through the fine mesh sieve into the caramel cake pan or ramekins. Make sure to pop any air bubbles with a tooth pick.

Step 4

Steam the flan. In your steamer, fill the water until the bottom pot is 3/4 full and heat you steamer on high heat until it reaches boil. Then when it reaches a boil, turn down the heat to low or a low simmer. Place the flan in the steamer and steam for 1 hour. Place the lid on the steamer with a chopstick in the lid so that the lid is slightly open. Every 10 minutes wipe down the condensation on the lid to prevent water from dripping into the flan. The flan is done when the outer rim is set and the center has a slight jiggle. If a toothpick comes out liquidy, then it will need to steam longer.

Step 5

Cool and remove. When the flan is finished cooking, let the flan cool about 15 min until it reaches room temperature and then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. To remove, use a pairing knife to run it along the edge of the pan. Place the plate on top of the cake pan and flip the cake pan 180 degrees. Tap the top of the cake pan a few times to release the flan. Serve immediately.