Chocolate Flan

Flan is a versatile, delicious baked custard that can be made with a variety of flavors. Your steam oven makes it especially easy to bake since no water bath is required.

A water bath is an ingenious method for cooking delicate foods in a regular oven; however, using the steam mode in a steam oven creates the same delicate environment for baking custard and flan. 

This recipe combines whole milk and cream infused with cinnamon, eggs, vanilla, and bittersweet chocolate. The quantities are for a 9” cake pan.; however, you can portion the flan into 2 9” pie dishes or smaller individual ramekins.

While the assembly and cooking time for flan are fairly fast, it needs to be chilled for at least 4 hours or overnight before being turned out on a plate for serving.

PREPARATION

Begin by preparing the caramel:

Place ⅔ of a cup of sugar and ⅓ of a cup of water in a small heavy saucepan and heat over medium-high heat to dissolve. Allow the mixture to boil and continue cooking without stirring until it reaches a deep amber color.  Brushing the sides of the pan with water is recommended to wash down ice crystals that may form on the inside of the pan.

Once the caramel has achieved the desired color, immediately pour it into the baking pan and set aside.

Heat the steam oven in the Steam mode to 212 F/100 C. Place the prepared pan into the large perforated oven pan, which makes it easier to place and remove the pan from the oven.

For the custard:

Combine the milk and cream with the cinnamon sticks in a medium saucepan and heat slowly until bubbles appear around the rim, taking care not to let it boil. Once scalded, remove the cinnamon sticks, add the chocolate to the mixture, and whisk until completely dissolved.

Meanwhile, whisk ½ of the sugar with the eggs, yolk, vanilla, and salt. Slowly add the milk to the egg mixture, whisking until well combined, then pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Slide the pan into the steam oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until the mixture is set but still slightly jiggly. 

Set the pan aside to cool for 30 - 40 minutes, then refrigerate to chill for 4 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to turn the chilled flan onto a plate, follow these steps to remove the flan from the baking pan.

• Add a cup of boiling water to a shallow pie dish and gently submerge the base of the flan baking dish into the water for a minute or so.  

• Then, run a knife or offset spatula around the rim to loosen the flan.  

• Place a rimmed serving plate over the pan and flip it over to invert the flan; hold it over the plate and allow it to drop gently onto it.  

INGREDIENTS

For the caramel:

⅔ cup granulated sugar

⅓ cup water

For the custard:

5 large room-temperature eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 cinnamon sticks

8 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Makes 12 servings