Note: 9/4/19 - none of the hints for melting caramel below worked AT ALL! 4/14/21: used more water in de-glazing which worked better. Also sprayed bottom of cups with oil. Pour custard over back of spoon so carmel isnt disturbed. 2/1/22-Used brown sugar for caramel with some water at end. Nice. Try again. Also used in flan. Ugly. Back to white.

Pre-heat oven 260. Place ramekins in baking pan with a bit of hot water to avoid thermal shock when adding caramel

Caramel: Pour sugar, water and corn syrup in pan. Dissolve the sugar slowly, stirring with a wooden spoon over mediumheat. Then stop stirring and boil until the sugar is a copper colour. Remove immediately and add water to deglaze, swirl till uniform. Quickly pour the caramel into ramekins. Set aside to cool. DONT WASH PAN.

Custard: whisk eggs, vanilla and sugar in a 4 cup measuring cup until sugar dissolved.

Pour milk into caramel pan and simmer until caramel is dissolved. Cool a bit. Slowly pour into eggs, whisking until smooth, then pour into the prepared ramekins.

Set pan in oven then fill pan half-way with boiling water. Cover loosely with foil. Bake 45-50 minutes or until the custard has set but still wiggles a little. Do not overcook! Check around the edges of the dishes, to make sure no bubbles are appearing.

Take pan out of the oven then put ramekins on a cooling rack when able to handle. When cool, transfer to the fridge overnight so that the caramel melts.

To serve, run sharp knife around side of the custard. Place a serving dish on top of the ramekin and turn upside down.

Notes: Caramel is past the hard crack state when it browns around 320 F. The sugar concentration is 100%; all water boiled out. If you deglaze with water, the sugar syrup is rehydrated and will not harden immediately upon pouring into the ramekins. Set ramekins on tea towel in roaster. When serving set ramekins in hot water to melt the caramel a bit.