While doing research at Lopez Museum recently, I came across a recipe for leche flan in an old issue of Sunday Times Magazine.

Back in the day, before martial law was declared in 1972, the Sunday Times was the leading weekend publication. It published feature stories on current events, fashion trends, the arts and even short stories by award-winning writers like F. Sionil José.

The leche flan recipe was among the numerous ads in the magazine. Many of the ads were for popular products that we no longer see in today’s market, such as Purico, Mayon Cooking Oil and Jayne’s Carminative Syrup.

They certainly made me feel nostalgic for those good old days, when life was simpler and the truth was easier to fathom.

Another product popular in the ’50s and ’60s was Liberty Evaporated Filled Milk. It was Liberty’s ad in the Sunday Times Magazine that carried the leche flan recipe. Feeling nostalgic (for those good old days as well as for my own youth), I decided to have the ad photo copied so I could try the recipe at home.

Besides, the recipe looked doable and promised a leche flan that was “creamy smooth, richly delicious.” With 10 egg yolks and the grated rind of one lime in the mixture, it seemed to be the old-fashioned leche flan that was served in town fiestas, when it was still customary for families to host massive feasts.

The leche flan turned out to be rich and creamy, as Liberty’s ad promised. However, the syrup wasn’t what I expected. Perhaps because it contained equal parts water and sugar (¾ cup), the syrup was pale white, not the golden brown caramelized syrup that makes leche flan so appealing.

I substituted a different recipe for the syrup, using pure white sugar that I melted in a pan until it was a rich, golden brown liquid. I also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the egg mixture for more flavor and baked the flans in a bain-marie (water bath) so that the custard’s texture would be fine and delicate.

The result was a satiny, sumptuous leche flan, worthy to be served in any town fiesta and family gathering.

Old-fashioned ‘leche flan’

For the syrup:

1 ½ c white sugar

For the leche flan:

10 egg yolks

1 c sugar

1 1/3 c evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 lime or 2 dayap

Make the syrup: Put the sugar in a wide, shallow pan. Cook over low heat, without stirring, until the sugar melts and caramelizes into a dark brown liquid. Immediately pour the liquid into two llaneras, dividing equally.

Make the leche flan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks, sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk to blend then strain into another bowl. Grate the rind of the lime or dayap and add to the mixture. Pour into the prepared llaneras that contain the syrup, dividing equally.

Arrange both llaneras in a large heat-proof dish such as a Pyrex. Pour about one cup water into the dish to create a bain-marie (a water bath). The water should reach until about half way up the sides of the llaneras. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the leche flan is firm yet soft to the touch (test with the back of a spoon). Let cool.

To serve: Run a spatula around the edges of the leche flan to loosen it. Invert each llanera into a serving dish (an oval dish works best). Shake gently to loosen the flan further. Let all the syrup drip onto the leche flan then remove the llaneras. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Cook’s tips:

If you don’t have a llanera, use a similar size pan. Make sure the pan is oven-proof.

To melt the sugar, use very low heat. Do not stir the sugar so it doesn’t crystallize. However, you can shake the pan occasionally so the sugar melts evenly.

Be careful when pouring the melted sugar into the llaneras. The liquid will be very hot.