Bánh Flan ̣̣(Flan)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 10 eggs 
• 4 cups milk
• 1 can condensed milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. To make the caramel sauce: In a small pot, boil 1/2 cup of water and 1 cup sugar on high. Constantly stirring until the mixture reaches a warm brown. Remove from heat when color is reached and stir in 1 tbsp of water to thin out caramel sauce.
2. In a large bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Do not overbeat!
3. Stir in the milk. 
4. Pour the mixture through a sieve into another large bowl. Discard the thick egg whites that are caught in the sieve. 
5. Add the condensed milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. Stir to evenly combine and dissolve the condensed milk. 
6. Using a spoon, create a thin layer of caramel sauce on the bottom of your container. If the caramel sauce has thickened, place on the over over medium-high heat and stir until it's liquid again. 
7. Scoop some egg mixture and pour into the container over the caramel sauce. Repeat for the rest of the containers.
8. In a double boiler, fill one-third of the bottom pan with water. Place the lid on the bottom layer and boil the water on high.
9. Place as many containers as you can fit on the top layer of the double boiler. 
10. When the water is boiling, remove the lid, position the top layer on the bottom layer, and put the lid back on the top layer. 
11. When a lot of water collects on the lid, remove the lid and shake off the excess water or take a towel to wipe off the moisture. This is to prevent excess water falling on the flan. After you clean the lid the first time, lower the heat to medium-high heat. Repeat removing and cleaning the lid  2-4 more times until the flan is cooked. 
12. The flan is cooked when the tops have slightly whitened or when you can cleanly insert and remove a toothpick in the flan.
13. Remove the flan from the pan to cool. 
14. With plastic wrap or lids, place the flan in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
15. To serve:  You can eat directly out of the flan container. OR take a knife and cut around the edges and invert the flan onto a plate. Add 1/2 tsp of black coffee on top to add some coffee flavor.