This dessert is called flan in Mexican and Spanish cuisine, and crème caramel in French cuisine. The taste is incredible and the texture is more delicate than tender! In terms of consistency and taste, this dessert is most reminiscent of crème brulee. They are similar in composition - milk base, sugar and eggs. Only creme brulee uses cream, which makes it fatter, and the flan recipe uses milk. We make the caramel, mix the base ingredients and bake in the oven. All we have to do is to cool the flan and take it out of the mold, because it is supposed to be served cold.
Pour the sugar into a pan or saucepan, add about 50 ml of water to soak all the sugar and stir to combine. Turn on medium heat and turn the sugar into an amber color caramel. When the sugar begins to change color to turn down the heat so it doesn't burn, but continue continue to heat. If it starts to smoke - raise the pan/tray, let it cool slightly. Stir the contents by tilting the casserole from side to side, do not stir with a spatula.
Pour into a baking dish about 22-26 cm in diameter, swirl the mold so that the caramel spreads evenly over the bottom. Place in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C / 360 °F, on high + low.Squeeze 50 ml of orange juice from ~ half an orange, separate the yolks of 3 Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Mix condensed milk, milk, 2 eggs, 3 yolks and orange juice with a whisk.
Take the caramel mold out of the refrigerator and pour the liquid mixture. Cover with foil.Take a tall baking tray and place the flan mold in it. Fill with boiling water, to a level ~ 1/3-1/2 of the height of the mold.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes (the smaller the mold and the higher the flan, the longer). The flan should firm up, but remain slightly mobile, springy, as if jelly-like. Carefully remove the tray and from the oven, take out the form with flan, cool to room temperature. Place in fridge for at least 3 hours, better overnight.
Take the flan mold out of the refrigerator and gently slit the edges with a long thin knife, lowering it to the bottom across the diameter of the mold to separate the edges. Place the mold in hot water for a couple of minutes.Cover with a large dish and invert the mold with flan onto the dish.