Caramel:

1. Preheat your oven to 300F (conventional / no fan)
2. For the caramel, spread the sugar evenly in a clean and dry wide-bottomed, light colored pan – preferably stainless steel. Place it on the stove on medium to medium-low heat, and wait until you see the sugar starting to melt on the bottom
3. Once it looks like the bottom layer of the sugar has melted, gently stir the sugar with a clean and dry wooden spatula so the sugar on the top can also heat up and start to melt – I usually slide the spatula inwards from the edges. This process can develop some lumps of sugar, but don’t worry. Wait for more of the sugar to melt, and then stir again
4. Keep stirring gently every now and then until all the sugar has melted. If you see any lumps in it, press them to break them down and wait for them to melt, too. By this time, the sugar will have a light golden color
5. Now turn the heat to low, and keep stirring until the melted sugar reaches a deep golden / amber color. Be careful not to overcook, as caramel can burn easily at this stage
6. Quickly pour the caramel into an 8″ cake pan. Carefully lift the pan (use a dish towel to hold it as it will become hot fast), and tilt it to spread the caramel evenly on the bottom, and slightly up the sides. Place the pan in the fridge to let the caramel harden

Custard:

1. Add the eggs and egg yolks to a bowl, and use a hand whisk to very gently whisk until the eggs are broken down with no lumpiness. Use a stirring motion instead of a whisking motion, and avoid getting air bubbles into the eggs. If any yolks or whites are being stubborn, use your whisk to “stab” them and break them down instead of whisking aggressively
2. Now add the sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and optional vanilla and salt. Continue to gently and slowly stir with your whisk until the ingredients are just combined
3. Strain the custard into another bowl using a fine mesh sieve to remove any eggy bits. Do this gently and don’t hold from a height as, again, you want to avoid adding air bubbles. Then strain back into the original bowl
4. Assembly and baking:
5. By this point the caramel should have completely set inside the pan. Gently strain the custard into the pan on top of the caramel. It should be completely smooth with no air bubbles. If you see any air bubbles or froth on the surface of the custard, you can hold a blow dryer on the lowest setting at a slight distance to heat up the air bubbles and cause them to pop
6. Place the pan with the flan custard inside a 9″x13″ pan. Pour 1/2″ of boiling water inside the 9″x13″ pan, avoiding the flan, to create a water bath
7. Now carefully transfer the whole thing to the pre-heated oven. Bake for ~50-55 minutes, or until the flan feels set around the edges but jiggles in the middle when you gently shake it (like jello).
8. Remove the flan from the oven, and carefully lift it out of the water bath. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then transfer to the fridge and chill overnight, or for at least 4 hours
9. Serving:
10. To remove the chilled flan from the pan, first use a knife to gently release the edges from the pan. Then place the pan on the stove on the lowest flame for ~30 seconds, or until the caramel warms up and melts. You will be able to tell because you will see that the flan has released from the pan and slips on top of the caramel when you gently shake the pan
11. Place your serving dish/plate upside down on top of the pan. Hold the pan and dish together tightly, and carefully but quickly flip them so the flan pan is now on top. Place on the counter, and gently shake the pan until you hear the flan “drop”. Lift the pan and the flan should now be ready to serve!
12. If you have a lot of caramel left over in the pan, you can heat it up on the stove until it melts, and pour on top of the flan. Slice, serve and enjoy