Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath

Method

1. 1

   Prepare the moulds and weigh the ingredients

   Set out 8 oven-safe ceramic ramekins of about 180–200 ml, a stable deep roasting tray, scales, whisk, food thermometer, saucepan and dry oven mitts. Preheat to 160°C using conventional top and bottom heat for about 15 minutes while preparing; this overlaps the 25 minutes of preparation. Weigh the milk in grams and 300 g whole egg without shells; do not assume a fixed egg count. Keep milk and eggs chilled until use and clean hands and surfaces after handling shells.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Prepare the moulds and weigh the ingredients

2. 2

   Cook and divide the caramel

   Heat 60 g sugar with 30 ml drinking water in a clean saucepan over medium heat for about 10 minutes, until light amber. Once dissolved, do not stir with a spoon; gently tilt the pan if necessary. Remove before it darkens and turns bitter. Immediately divide among the 8 ramekins, turning each with dry mitts to coat the base. Hot caramel burns: do not touch or taste it or add cold liquid. Let it harden while preparing the custard. All the sugar and served caramel are counted; if any portion is left unused, the nutritional values change.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Cook and divide the caramel

3. 3

   Dissolve the cocoa in the milk

   Mix 45 g unsweetened natural cocoa with 150 g of the 750 g milk into a smooth paste. Add the remaining 600 g and warm gently in a clean saucepan for about 5 minutes, stirring, to approximately 55–60°C without boiling or lumps. Scrape in all the milk and cocoa. This formula contains no chocolate bar, coffee or vanilla. Alkalized or sweetened cocoa and plant drinks do not necessarily have the same nutritional values.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Dissolve the cocoa in the milk

4. 4

   Mix the egg and sugar

   Gently whisk 300 g shell-free whole egg with the 120 g custard sugar in a clean bowl until combined, without a thick foam. Do not taste the raw mixture or use utensils contaminated by eggshells. Total sugar is 180 g: 60 g in the caramel and 120 g here. Use whole egg; replacing it with only yolks or whites changes setting and nutrition.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Mix the egg and sugar

5. 5

   Temper the egg with the cocoa milk

   Pour a little warm cocoa milk into the egg in a thin stream while stirring gently. Gradually add the rest; never pour in boiling milk or beat in excessive air. Scrape both containers so all the mixture is used, and let surface foam settle before filling. Do not strain out cocoa solids while keeping the same nutrition calculation. If a batch has persistent lumps or prematurely cooked egg, start again.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Temper the egg with the cocoa milk

6. 6

   Fill the ramekins and set up the water bath

   Divide all the custard over the hardened caramel in the 8 ramekins, leaving space at the top. Place the ramekins in the tray and put the tray on a stable oven rack before adding water, so you do not carry a load of scalding water. Carefully pour about 1000 ml hot water around the ramekins, to roughly half their height, without wetting the custard. The amount may vary with the tray: bath water is not consumed or counted in nutrition. Do not fill to the rim or use vessels unsuitable for thermal shock.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Fill the ramekins and set up the water bath

7. 7

   Bake and check the setting

   Bake at 160°C for 60 minutes. Depending on oven, moulds and starting temperature, about 50–70 minutes may be needed; check early. Keep the water bath gentle, not violently boiling. The edges should be firm and the centre slightly wobbly, not liquid. A clean thermometer must show at least 71°C in the centre for this egg preparation. Continue baking and measure again if liquid or below the minimum. The clock alone does not prove safe cooking.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Bake and check the setting

8. 8

   Cool and refrigerate

   Using dry mitts and avoiding hot-water spills, remove the ramekins from the bath and cool on a rack for 20 minutes. Then refrigerate protected for at least 4 hours at 4°C or below before unmoulding. Never leave milk-and-egg desserts out overnight. Refrigerate within 2 hours outside temperature control, or 1 hour above 32°C; discard anything exceeding these limits. Total: 25 preparation + 75 cooking (10 caramel, 5 milk, 60 oven) + 20 cooling + 240 refrigeration = 360 minutes. Adjust for actual baking time.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Cool and refrigerate

9. 9

   Unmould and serve with the caramel

   Once the 8 flans are cold and firm, run a thin knife around each edge without cutting deeply. Invert onto a rimmed plate, lift off the mould and let its caramel flow out. Serve 1 flan and its caramel per portion; cream, fruit, shavings and cake are not included in the values. Keep covered at 4°C or below and eat within 2 days. Contains egg, milk and lactose; check cocoa labels and avoid cross-contamination. No sugar-free, dairy-free or therapeutic claim is made.

   
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   Chocolate caramel flan baked in a water bath: Unmould and serve with the caramel

The step photos are illustrative.