Best-Ever Flan

Preheat the oven to 350 °F and place seven 6 ounce ramekins (or one 9-inch nonstick pan) in a large baking dish and place them somewhere easy to reach.

In a small saucepan, mix 1 cup of sugar with ⅓ cup of water. Cook for 8-9 minutes over medium-high heat, occasionally swirling the saucepan but not stirring. Remove from the heat when the mixture has turned a golden caramel color.

Work quickly to divide the caramel between the ramekins. Gently move the ramekins around to coat the inside with the caramel.

In a large bowl, combine 1¾ cups heavy cream, 1 cup whole milk, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.

In another large bowl, whisk 3 large eggs and 3 egg yolks together with the remaining ½ a cup of sugar until fully combined.

Pour in the cream mixture gradually and mix gently until just combined.

Divide the custard mixture between the ramekins, approximately ½ a cup in each.

Pour hot water into the baking dish so that it comes halfway to the top of the ramekins. Don’t overfill.

Bake the flans for 45-50 minutes until they are just set. They should jiggle slightly when shaken.

Take the ramekins from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for about 2 hours.

To extract the flans from the ramekins, take a small knife or offset spatula and loosen the edges of the flan carefully. Invert the flan over a serving plate and shake gently until the flan slides out of the ramekin and the caramel pours out on top.

Serve the cooled flan topped with the orange whipped cream and a garnish of orange zest if you wish.