Flan napolitano

Ingredients

• For the dry caramel
• 200 g white caster sugar
• For the custard
• 225 g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 397 g sweetened condensed milk, one standard tin
• 354 ml evaporated milk, one standard tin
• 4 eggs, whole, at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

1. 1
   Heat the oven to 160 °C. Set a deep roasting tin inside and pour in enough hot water to come 3–4 cm up the sides — this is the bain-marie in which the mould will sit. Place a 23 cm round metal or ceramic flan mould nearby and warm it slightly so the caramel does not seize on contact.
2. 2
   Pour the caster sugar into a dry, heavy-based saucepan set over medium heat. Do not stir at any point. Swirl the pan occasionally as the sugar begins to melt at the edges and colours toward amber. This is where the dish lives or dies: stirring invites crystallisation and ruins the caramel; the moment the sugar reaches a deep amber — the colour of dark honey — with the first suggestion of a bitter, smoky aroma, remove the pan from the heat and pour the caramel immediately into the warmed mould, tilting quickly so it coats the base in an even layer before it sets.
3. 3
   Combine the room-temperature cream cheese, condensed milk, evaporated milk, eggs, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and no cream cheese lumps remain. Tap the blender jar firmly on the work surface several times to release trapped air bubbles.
4. 4
   Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the caramel-lined mould. The surface should be smooth and free of foam.
5. 5
   Lower the filled mould carefully into the bain-marie. Bake at 160 °C until the custard is just set at the edges but retains a gentle, uniform wobble at the centre when the mould is nudged — the surface should be barely coloured and not puffed. Bubbles or browning indicate excessive heat.
6. 6
   Lift the mould from the water bath and allow it to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours and ideally overnight. The flan is ready to unmould only when fully cold and firm throughout.
7. 7
   Run a thin knife carefully around the entire circumference of the flan to release it from the mould. Invert a rimmed serving plate over the mould, then flip both in one decisive movement. The caramel — now fully liquid again — will pour over and around the custard. Lift the mould away cleanly.