Make at least 6 hours before serving, or even the days before.

• 2 eggs
• 5 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2/3 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12 oz) can condensed milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk eggs and yolks in a large bowl until combined. Add sweetened condensed milk, condensed milk, whole milk, vanilla and salt and whisk until well combined. Set aside.

Fill kettle with water and set on high heat.

Adjust oven rack to the middle position set oven to 300 degrees.

Line a 13 X 9 baking dish with a tea towel, folding the material to fit smoothly. Set aside.

Making Caramel

Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Cook without stirring for 10-15 minutes over medium high heat until sugar turns golden. Then cook another 1-2 minutes, swirling sugar in the pan, until the colour of peanut butter.

Remove from heat and continue swirling another 15-30 more seconds until sugar is reddish amber and fragrant.

Carefully swirl in 2 tablespoons warm water (watch out, it will steam and bubble up alarmingly), but just keep swirling until everything calms down. Pout the hot sugar into the loaf pan and set aside.

Making Flan

Slide the oven rack out. Place the 13×9 baking dish on the rack. Put the loaf pan in the centre of the 13×9 pan. Pour the egg mixture into the loaf pan through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Cover tightly with tinfoil, and bake until centre of custard jiggles slightly when shaken (180 degrees in the centre), 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours.

Remove foil and leave custard in water bath until the loaf has cooled completely.

To un-mold, slide a knife around the edges of the pan and invert on a serving platter. Using a rubber spatula, scrape resigdual caramel into the flan, then slice and serve.