Easy Orange Flan

How to Scald Milk:

1. Place the evaporated milk and the strip of orange peel in a medium saucepan.  Whisk over medium heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the orange zest and allow it to cool. Strain into a large measuring cup or bowl with a spout and discard the orange peel; set aside.

How to Make Orange Caramel

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1 cup of sugar. Cook the sugar, stirring occasionally until it begins to melt and turns brown around the edges. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to pull the melted sugar around the edges toward the center of the unmelted sugar; this will help the sugar melt evenly.
2. Continue cooking and pulling the melted sugar until all the sugar is melted and the caramel is uniformly dark amber (it should smell caramelly but not burnt), about 10 to 12 minutes total. (If you still have undissolved lumps of sugar, stir it off the heat until melted.)
3. Next, carefully pour the room-temperature orange juice into the melted sugar while continuously stirring the mixture with a heatproof rubber spatula tilted slightly to prevent hot steam from burning you. The mixture will bubble and steam vigorously, and some of the sugar may harden up and crystallize, but don’t worry; just keep stirring the mixture over medium heat for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sugar re-melts completely and the caramel is smooth.
4. Be careful not to overcook the caramel, as it can burn quickly and become bitter.  Pour the caramel into the bottom of (8) 9oz Ramekins; quickly swirl around to coat all bottom and sides. Lay a dishtowel on the bottom of a roasting pan, place the ramekins on top of the towel, and set aside to cool completely.
5. Pour the caramel into the bottom of (8) 9oz Ramekins; quickly swirl around to coat all bottom and sides. Lay a dishtowel on the bottom of a roasting pan, place the ramekins on top of the towel and set aside to cool completely.

How to Make Orange Custard

1. Place the cream cheese, egg yolks, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer while adding the condensed milk until smooth and well integrated. Add the cooled steeped orange flavored milk, orange liqueur, orange zest, and the vanilla extract and stir gently until all the ingredients are incorporated.
2. Pass the mixture through a fine strainer into a large measuring cup to ensure that the flan will be perfectly smooth. Slowly pour into the caramel-coated ramekins to avoid air bubbles.

How to Bake Flan

1. Adjust a rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350° degrees. Bring water to a boil in a kettle. Transfer the flan to the oven, and fill the roasting pan with water to the halfway point. Bake until just set, about 35 to 45 minutes; the finished flan should have a slight jiggle in the center. Don't worry if it seems undercooked; it will continue to cook as it cools.
2. Next, remove from the oven and allow the ramekins to cool in the water bath for 1 hour. Then, remove from the water bath and let the flan cool completely before serving, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator, for about 4 hours.

How to unmold the Flan:

1. When ready to serve, remove the flan from the refrigerator and let it sit for 10 minutes.  Next, fill a shallow pan with hot water. Dip the bottom of the ramekin in hot water for a minute before inverting it so the caramel loosens from the bottom of the ramekin.
2. Run a knife around the ramekin's rim, and be sure to reach the caramel on the bottom; tilt the ramekin slightly to allow a bit of the caramel into the gap.
3. Carefully invert a rimmed round platter over the ramekin. Grabbing both, carefully invert the orange flan onto the individual platters, scraping out any loose caramel, and serve. Enjoy!😋