3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

5 large eggs, room temperature 

14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

12 oz. can evaporated milk

1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350* with an oven rack positioned in the center of the oven. Bring a kettle of water to boil for the water bath and keep it at a boil while you proceed with the recipe. You will need a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan and a larger pan which the round cake pan will fit into with room for the water for the water bath.

To make the caramel, in a small sauce pan place the sugar and 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil over medium high heat without stirring, about 3-5 minutes. Once you see the mixture begin to turn golden, start swirling the mixture in the pan until it's the color of cinnamon, about 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat. Continue swirling until it turns amber colored, about another 30 seconds. Working quickly, immediately pour melted sugar into the round cake pan, swirling to cover the entire bottom of the pan before it sets up, using oven mitts. Careful, this stuff is like molten lava!  Set the pan aside on a heat proof surface and prepare the custard.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and salt and whisk until thoroughly combined. Carefully pour the custard mixture into the cake pan containing the caramelized sugar. Cover the cake pan with foil, tightly crimping the edges and making sure the foil doesn't touch the custard inside the pan. 

Place the cake pan of custard in the middle of the larger pan and pull out the center rack of your oven. Place the pan on the oven rack and carefully pour the boiling water into the outer pan until the water reaches at least halfway up the sides of the custard pan. Make sure the boiling water doesn't reach the top of the inner pan and get into your custard. Very carefully push in the oven rack, making sure you don't spill the boiling water or splash it under the foil into your custard. 

Bake at 350* for 70-80 minutes. To test to see if it's done, carefully remove the foil and jolt the flan pan. You should see a stiff jiggle in the center. If it seems too liquid/wobbly, replace the foil and bake another 10 minutes. Being very careful with the hot water, remove from the oven, uncover, place on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. There's no easy way to remove the pan from the water bath and I always end up with wet oven mitts and hot pads. Be very careful not to get water into your flan. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight is even better to ensure the flan is fully set. 

To serve, run a knife around the edges of the flan, cleaning your knife periodically. Place a rimmed platter or serving dish, bigger than the cake pan, upside down over the flan. Quickly invert the flan onto the serving dish, holding the edges of both the dish and the cake pan in both hands. If the flan doesn't slide out easily, gently tap the bottom of the cake pan until you feel the flan slide out, then carefully lift the cake pan off the flan. Slice into wedges and serve, spooning caramel sauce over each portion if desired. Garnish with berries, whipped cream or as you please.