Flan au Citron (Beninese Lemon Flan)

I have made Crème Brûlée countless times, but, somehow, I've never made flan. Tonight I changed that and it brought a flood of memories - I remember hunting high and low, all over Cabo, for the best flan with my friend Jalene. After ten days in Mexico, we decided that the creamiest flan to be had was at the restaurant at our hotel. Ironic. Next time I'll use smaller ramekins; these were very thin...but delicious nonetheless.

For the Caramel
6 T organic granulated sugar
1 T water

For the Flan2 eggs

1-1/2 C milk
6 T organic granulated sugar

1/2 T cornstarch

zest and juice of one lemon
Butter your ramekins and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the caramel, heat the sugar and water until a golden syrup forms; it will go through some "ugly" stages that look nothing like caramel. Don't worry, eventually the sugar will melt and turn a gorgeous shade of amber. Pour into the ramekins.

To make the flan, beat the eggs with the sugar. Add milk, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Mix well and pour into the ramekins.
Cook in a bain-marie for 45 minutes. Cool, unmold, and serve.

To unmold, run a knife along the edge of the dish and dip the bottom into a pan of hot water.