1 cinnamon stick (about 2 inches long), broken in half
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup sugar
6 eggs
Directions
In a cheesecloth bag or a tea ball, combine cloves, all-
spice, cardamom, and cinnamon stick
Place in a 2-
quart pan with milk and vanilla; set aside.
In a small frying pan, melt 1 /3 cup of the sugar over
medium heat, shaking and tilting pan until sugar is
caramelized
Immediately pour syrup into a 9-inch pie
pan at least 1-1/2 inches deep
Using hot pads, tilt pan
quickly so syrup flows over bottom and slightly up sides
If syrup hardens before you finish, set pan over medium
heat to soften.
Heat milk and spices over medium heat until steaming
hot, then remove from heat and let cool slightly; remove
spices
This process intensifies the spicy flavor and
shortens the baking time
In a large bowl, beat eggs with
remaining 1/3 cup sugar; gradually add heated milk,
stirring quickly with a fork.
Set caramel-lined pan in a larger pan and pour in egg
mixture
Add enough boiling water to larger pan so it
just comes up around edges of pie pan
Bake in a 350F
oven until a 3/8-inch-deep crevice forms when you gen-
tly push center of custard with back of a spoon (about
15 minutes)
Remove flan from hot water and refrigerate
immediately for at least 6 hours or until next day.
To serve, loosen edge of flan with a knife, then cover
pan with a rimmed plate
Holding both together, quickly
invert
To serve, cut into wedges and spoon caramel
sauce on top
