Pudim de leite condensado

Step 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Have ready a 20–22 cm ring tin (or a 1.5 litre round tin) and a roasting tin it fits in.

Step 2: For the caramel, heat the 5 ½ oz granulated sugar and 3 ½ tbsp water in a small pan over a medium heat, swirling (not stirring) until it dissolves. Boil until it turns a deep amber, like dark honey, about 6–8 minutes. Pale caramel tastes only sweet; take it to the edge of bitter for the real flavour.

Step 3: Pour it straight into the tin and quickly tilt to coat the base and some of the sides. Careful, it's extremely hot. It will set hard; that's fine, it melts again in the oven.

Step 4: Blend the 14 oz sweetened condensed milk, 1 ¾ cups whole milk, 3 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract for just 20–30 seconds, until smooth. Blending longer whips in air and gives holes. Strain through a sieve into the tin.

Step 5: Cover the tin with foil, set it in the roasting tin and pour in hot (not boiling) water to come halfway up the sides. Bake for 50–60 minutes, until set at the edges with a slight wobble in the middle, and a knife pushed in halfway comes out clean.

Step 6: Lift out of the water and cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight. A properly chilled pudim slices cleanly and turns out in one piece.

Step 7: To serve, run a thin knife around the edges and dip the base in hot water for 30 seconds. Put a deep plate on top, turn over in one quick move and lift off the tin. The caramel will pour down the sides.