Chocolate Espresso Flan Recipes

ESPRESSO FLAN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together egg and egg yolks. While whisking add the sugar slowly until fully dissolved. Add vanilla, heavy cream, milk, and salt and continue to whisk. In order to get rid of air bubbles in mixture, transfer to large bowl through a fine strainer.
• In the bottom of 6 (1/2 cup) ramekins (small ceramic custard cups), place about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel. When all 6 ramekins have caramel at the bottom, brush each bottom and side with melted butter to secure flan and yet allow it to be removed easily. Fill each ramekin with the flan mixture, SLOWLY to avoid air bubbles, until about 2/3 full.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place almost full ramekins in shallow baking pan and then fill the pan with boiling water. The hot water bath will allow the flan cups to cook evenly in the oven. Right before placing pan in oven, top each ramekin with a tablespoon of hot espresso. Bake for 40 minutes.
• When removing pan from oven, allow the ramekins to remain cooling in their original water bath, overnight if necessary.
• Before serving, place ramekins in another shallow pan of warm water to loosen the custard. Run a thin knife around the inside edge of cup to further loosen, place a plate on top of ramekin and flip onto plate to serve.
• In preheated saucepan over medium heat, pour in water and bring to boil. Add sugar and stir until caramel brown (about 4 minutes). Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 2 to 3 minutes.

FLAN DE CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Pour 2 cups of the sugar into the center of a deep saucepan and carefully pour the water around it, trying not to splash any sugar onto the sides of the pan. Do not stir; gently draw your finger through the center of the sugar twice (making a cross) to moisten it. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil without stirring. Reduce the heat to a fast simmer and cook without stirring until amber-caramel in color, 10 to 20 minutes. Immediately remove from the heat. Set 8 (1-cup) ramekins or shallow coffee cups nearby. When the caramel is cooked, quickly pour about 1/4 cup of caramel into each ramekin and swirl to coat the sides. Set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a saucepan, bring the milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Add the chopped chocolate and whisk to melt and combine. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, additional egg yolks, and the remaining cup of sugar. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the hot milk into the egg mixture and then whisk in the remaining hot milk. Strain the mixture into a pitcher to smooth it and to remove the vanilla bean and the cinnamon sticks.
• Pour the mixture into the caramel-lined ramekins and arrange in a hot water bath. Bake in the center of the oven until set in the center, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the water bath and let cool. Tightly cover each ramekin with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. (Or refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 24 hours.)
• To serve, turn out flans onto plates (you may need to dip the bottom of each ramekin in hot water to loosen the caramel.) The caramel will pour out and serve as the sauce.

CHOCOLATE WINTER FLAN

Steps:

• In a blender, blend together the eggs, evaporated milk, condensed milk, whole milk, cocoa, allspice and cinnamon until well incorporated and creamy. Bake either using the water bath or double boiler method below.
• To bake using the water bath method: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Caramelize the sugar in a pan over the stovetop until a light golden brown, using a wooden spoon to stir. This is the trickiest part as sugar burns easily, so don't let it get too dark and keep mixing the sugar with the spoon. Don't step away from this process; once the sugar gets hot, it browns quickly. Once it is completely liquefied, pour into an ovensafe 6- to 8-inch round mold (a tempered glass pie dish works well) and coat the bottom and sides three-quarters of the way up.
• Fill an oven roasting pan or baking dish with about 1 inch of water and place the sugar-coated pie dish inside. Add the flan mixture to the pie dish and bake until the top is firm and the flan starts to pull away from the sides, about 45 minutes. Remove from the water bath and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.
• To transfer the flan to a serving plate, make sure the sides are loose (you can run a thin knife around the edges to make sure it is not sticking to the sides), put a plate on top and in one fluid motion, invert the flan onto the plate and remove the pie dish. Refrigerate to chill before slicing and serving.
• To bake using the double boiler method: If you have a double boiler pan (which is what I typically use and is easier!), caramelize the sugar in the double boiler insert on the stovetop using the same method as above. Remove from the heat and, using a wooden spoon and by tilting and rotating the pan, coat all sides of the pan three-quarters of the way up.
• Fill the other double boiler pan with water about one-quarter full and bring to a boil while the sugar is caramelizing.
• Pour the flan mixture into the caramel and put the double boiler insert over the pan with the hot water. Cover and cook over medium low until the flan appears more solid and pulls away from the sides, about 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature for about 2 hours before inverting onto a serving plate using the same method as above. Refrigerate and serve cold.

CHOCOFLAN

Steps:

• Put an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Coat a Bundt pan with a little butter, then coat the bottom with 1/4 cup cajeta and put it in a large roasting pan. (The roasting pan will serve as a water bath during baking.)
• For the cake: Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until light and fluffy, then beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cocoa in a medium bowl. Beat 1/3 of the flour mixture, and 1/2 of the buttermilk into the egg mixture. Repeat, ending with the flour mixture. Blend until well incorporated.
• For the flan: In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for 30 seconds.
• Scoop the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan and spreading evenly. Slowly pour the flan mixture over the cake batter. Cover with foil and add about 1-inch of hot water to the roasting pan.
• Carefully slide the pan into the oven, and bake 1 hour, until the surface of the cake is firm to the touch, or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. When cake is done, remove from the water bath and cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Invert a large, rimmed serving platter over the Bundt pan, grasp tightly together, jiggle a little and flip over. Remove the pan and scrape any remaining cajeta from the pan onto the cake, garnish with chopped pecans and serve!

CHOCOLATE-ESPRESSO TART

Steps:

• Make the ganache: Put chocolate into a medium heatproof bowl, and set aside. Bring cream and espresso to a boil in a small pan. Pour through a fine sieve over the chocolate; discard solids. Let stand 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, 1 to 2 hours.
• Make the tart shell: Sift flour, salt, and cocoa powder into a medium bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add egg and vanilla, and mix until combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the cream. Shape dough into a thick rectangle; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough between 2 pieces of lightly floured parchment paper to a 16-by-6-inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Press dough into a 14-by-4 1/2-inch rectangular flan frame set on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Trim dough flush with top edge. Prick all over bottom of shell with a fork. Bake until firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. Unmold.
• Put ganache into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip (such as Ateco No. 828).
• Smooth mascarpone cheese over bottom of tart shell with an offset spatula.
• Pipe ganache rosettes, one next to the other, on top of mascarpone to cover.