Chocolate Winter Flan Food

CHOCOFLAN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with cooking spray. Pour and spread caramel topping in bottom of pan.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, water, oil and 3 eggs with electric mixer on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour batter over caramel topping in pan.
• In blender, place Flan ingredients. Cover; blend on high speed about 20 seconds or until smooth. Slowly pour mixture evenly over batter. (Flan mixture will mix with batter, but they will separate during baking, forming 1 layer of cake and 1 layer of flan.) Spray piece of foil with cooking spray, and place sprayed side down over top of pan; cover tightly.
• Place cake pan in large roasting pan; add 1 inch of hot water to roasting pan.
• Bake 1 hour 20 minutes to ensure cake AND flan layer bake completely (toothpick inserted in center of cake will come out clean). Remove cake pan from water bath to cooling rack; remove foil. Cool at room temperature 1 hour. Refrigerate in pan, uncovered, 2 hours.
• Remove from refrigerator; run thin metal spatula around outer and inside edges of pan to loosen cake. Place serving plate upside down on cake pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. Spoon any remaining caramel from pan over top of cake. Store loosely covered in refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE FLAN CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 12-cup fluted tube pan with no-stick cooking spray. Place piece of rolled up foil in tube of pan to prevent cake from baking over top. Pour caramel topping into prepared pan.
• Prepare cake mix according to package directions using the water, oil and eggs. Pour evenly over caramel topping.
• Combine cream cheese, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla in blender container. Process until blended. Pour slowly over cake batter. NOTE: While baking, the cake rises and the milk mixture goes to the bottom.
• Coat piece of foil with no-stick cooking spray. Cover pan, coated side down, tightly with foil. Place pan in large roasting pan. Pour hot water into roasting pan to a depth of 2 inches.
• Bake 2 hours or until toothpick in center still has a few moist crumbs. Place cake on cooling rack. Cool 15 minutes. Remove foil and invert onto serving plate. Cool 1 hour at room temperature. Chill 4 hours or overnight.

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.

CHOCOLATE FLAN WITH TOFFEE POPCORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place six 6-ounce ramekins in a roasting pan and set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium-high heat, mix 2/3 cup granulated sugar with 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil, then cook until a medium-amber caramel forms, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour the caramel evenly among the ramekins.
• Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks, remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl until pale and thickened.
• Heat the whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla seeds and pods and cinnamon stick in a saucepan until simmering. Temper the hot liquid into the egg mixture by adding one ladle of the hot liquid into the eggs at a time while whisking constantly. Strain the mixture back into the pot, then whisk in the melted chocolate. Pour evenly into the ramekins. Place the roasting pan in the oven and pour hot water into the pan, allowing it to come halfway up the ramekins. Bake until just set, 20 to 25 minutes.
• In the meantime, make the toffee popcorn. Pop the popcorn using an air popper and place it in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the peanuts.
• To a saucepan, add the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and a remaining pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cook to a temperature of 240 degrees F, not exceeding 260 degrees F. Remove from the heat and whisk in the baking soda and vanilla. Pour over the popcorn and peanuts and mix to combine, coating all of the popcorn. Pour out onto a silicone liner or piece of parchment and spread into an even layer, getting as much separation as you can. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt. Allow to cool.
• Top each flan with toffee popcorn.

CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO FLAN

Steps:

• Prepare the caramel and coat a 9-inch round cake pan, reserving the extra sauce in the refrigerator as directed above. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a heatproof mixing bowl over simmering water or on top a double boiler. Add condensed milk, chocolate and heavy cream. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat. In a large mixing bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Beat until well blended. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Pass through a fine strainer into the caramel-coated cake pan. Place pan in a water bath and bake for 1 hour, until the center just feels firm when pressed. Remove from the hot tap water and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve with reserved caramel sauce.

WHITE CHOCOLATE FLAN

Steps:

• Combine white and brown sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar completely, but stop stirring once the mixture comes to a boil to prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
• Swirl the pan gently to redistribute the caramel as the sugar begins to darken. Cook to about 310 degrees F (160 degrees C), or until the sugar turns light golden brown. Remove from heat immediately, as sugar will continue to darken.
• Pour the caramel in an 8-inch baking dish, coating the bottom and sides of the dish. Let caramel harden, about 5 minutes.
• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Melt the white chocolate in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on your microwave). Do not overheat or chocolate will scorch.
• Cream together the cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, and melted white chocolate in a bowl until smooth.
• Pour the cream cheese mixture over the hardened caramel.
• Place baking dish in a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with about 1-inch water.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
• Refrigerate until completely chilled, 5 to 6 hours. To serve, run a paring knife along the edges of the baking dish to loosen the flan. Cover the baking dish with a plate, and invert it to tip the flan out of the pan and onto the plate.

CHOCOLATE FLAN

Steps:

• Cook ½ cup sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to melt and turn brown around the edges. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, pull melted sugar at edges toward center of unmelted sugar. Continue cooking, pulling in melted sugar, until all the sugar is melted and caramel is uniformly dark brown (it should smell toasty but not burnt), 10-12 minutes total (if you still have undissolved lumps of sugar, stir off heat until they melt). Pour caramel into 8"-diameter cake pan to create an even, ⅛"-¼" deep layer. Let cool.
• Bring 1 cup water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in cocoa powder until no lumps remain, then add cream, milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick and return to a simmer. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Purée eggs with sugar and ¼ teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth and sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Strain chocolate mixture into egg mixture and blend at low speed to combine, discard solids. Skim foam off the top and transfer to prepared baking dish.
• Line a roasting pan with a thick kitchen towel; this will keep baking dish from sliding and will insulate flan, preventing it from overcooking. Set dishes on towel and place roasting pan in oven. Pour boiling water into pan until it reaches the same level as flan in baking dishes. Bake flan until it looks set like Jell-O (it will wobble when gently shaken), 35-45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Cover with plastic and chill until set and cold, at least 3 hours and up to 24.
• Meanwhile, increase oven to 350°. Toss sesame seeds, syrup, and ¼ teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Scrape onto a silpat- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and spread in a even layer. Bake brittle until sesame are golden brown and syrup is bubbly, 15-20 minutes. Let cool until hardened, then break up into small pieces; discard any dark brown, bitter pieces.
• Run a small knife around edges of flan to loosen. Invert onto a platter and top with crushed candy.
• Do Ahead: Flan can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Unmold and serve.