Flan de Elote (Sweet Corn Flan)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bring a kettle of water to a boil.
2. Make the caramel: cook the granulated sugar and water in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat without stirring, swirling once it colors, until deep amber, about 340°F (171°C), 8 to 10 minutes. Pour it into the cake pan at once and tilt to coat the bottom. Let it harden.
3. Put the sweet corn kernels and the evaporated milk in a blender and blend on high until as smooth as possible, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Pour the corn mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing hard on the pulp with a spatula to extract all the liquid; discard the skins left in the sieve.
5. Rinse the blender, then add the strained corn milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and fine salt. Blend on low just until smooth, about 15 seconds.
6. Pour the custard over the hardened caramel. Cover the pan tightly with foil, set it in a roasting pan, and add boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
7. Bake until the edges are set and the center jiggles slightly when nudged, 60 to 75 minutes; a thin knife inserted near the center should come out clean and the center should read 170 to 175°F (77 to 79°C).
8. Lift the flan out of the water, uncover, and cool on a rack 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
9. Run a thin knife around the edge, set a rimmed serving plate on top, and invert in one quick motion. Lift off the pan and cut into 10 wedges.