Cafe con Leche Flan

Preheat the oven to 325° F and bring a pot of water to a boil.

Make the caramel by placing the 1/2 cup of sugar in a small saucepan, and adding just enough water to moisten the sugar. Turn the heat on medium high, and cook until the sugar begins to caramelize. It will start to darken slowly, but keep an eye on it, because once it starts browning, it goes quickly. Test out the color of the caramel by placing a small dollop on a white plate.

Once the caramel has arrived at the appropriate dark brown color, moving quickly, pour it into the dishes that the desserts will be baked in. Move it around so that it coats the bottom of each dish evenly. Set the dishes aside for the caramel to harden.

Mix together the vanilla, coffee, half and half, and condensed milk. Place on the stovetop, and bring to a bare simmer. Turn of the heat, and let cool slightly.

Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale yellow in color and thoroughly combined.

Slowly pour the coffee/milk into the egg/sugar mixture, and whisk to combine. The hot coffee/milk could cook the eggs, so pour it in gradually, tempering the mixtures first.

Place the individual baking dishes into a larger pyrex dish that holds them all comfortably.

Pour equal amounts of the custard into the individual baking dishes. Pour the boiling water into the larger pyrex, so that the water reaches about halfway up the sides of the custards. Carefully place in the oven.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and the custards do not jiggle when moved.

Remove the dishes from the pyrex, and place into an ice water bath to cool, then refrigerate until cold.

To serve, cut around the edges of the dishes with a small knife and invert the custards onto the serving dishes.