No Pressure Pressure Flan

I recently ordered an Instant Pot from Amazon UK.  I am still getting to know this amazing new gadget but it is no secret that I am beginning to love it.  And depending on what comes out of the IP, the rest of the family love it too.

My family loves this dessert. I try not to make it too often because it is quite rich and calorie-laden. Prior to discovering an IP version, it took a lot of effort to make. I like this recipe since it uses whole eggs and making it in the IP is a breeze. Many versions only use the egg yolks but that leaves me a lot of egg whites that usually end up becoming meringue. Depending on your point of view, that could be a good thing or a bad thing.

No Pressure Pressure Cooked Flan

Caramel:½ cup white sugar2 tbsp water

Custard:
4 large eggs
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or lemon zest

Combine caramel ingredients in a microwave-safe container. 
Microwave for 3 to 4 minutes until light amber in colour.  Check every 30 seconds after the 2-minute mark and stop once caramel looks done.  Better to stop cooking earlier rather than later.  Try not to overcook the caramel.
Do not allow to turn dark as the syrup may have a burnt taste.
Swirl the container to distribute the caramel evenly on the bottom.  
Be careful as the container and the caramel will be hot.
Set aside to allow caramel to harden.

Whisk together custard ingredients in a medium bowl. 
Strain mixture into prepared container to remove any bubbles.
Cover the custard, if desired. 

Place trivet inside Instant Pot and pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of IP.Carefully place custard container on top of trivet.
Close IP and set to seal.
Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes if using a single large dish (10 minutes if using 4 ramekins).
Once cooking cycle has completed, allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, open the valve and release any remaining pressure.
Very carefully take out the trivet and custard dish from the IP.
Allow custard to cool uncovered.
Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

To serve, loosen custard from side of pan and invert onto deep-sided serving dish.

Note :  To make the flan using sugar, regular milk and cream, replace condensed milk and evaporated milk with ½ c sugar, 1 ¾ c milk and 1 ¼ c cream.  Bring cream and milk to a boil.. Whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add milk mixture slowly into the egg mixture. Mix to combine.  Strain into prepared container as above.