Chocolate and
Guajillo Chile
Flan
SERVES 8
Active: 45 min.
Total: 6 hr. 50 min.
In this recipe, adapted from The Art and Craft of Chocolate,
by Nathan Hodge of Raaka brand, the fruitiness of guajillo
chiles and chocolate brings a brightness to classic flan.1⅓ cups (10½ oz.) sugar, divided
½ tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup (¾ oz.) stemmed and chopped dried guajillo
chiles (do not remove the seeds)
1 cinnamon stick, cracked a few times with a mortar
and pestle
10 oz. bittersweet (60–70 percent) chocolate, finely
chopped (1⅔ cups)
5 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 Set a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325°F.
Place a 10-inch pie plate by the stove. In a small, heavy pot
over medium-high heat, add ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons
(5¼ ounces) sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅓ cup cold water.
Stir with a spoon until the sugar has dissolved, then cook
until the syrup becomes a deep copper color and registers
240°F on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
2 Immediately pour the hot caramel into the pie plate, and
swirl the plate gently until the caramel coats the bottom in
a n even layer. S et a side.
3 In a small pot over medium-low heat, add the milk, cream,
chiles, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the
heat, cover the pot, and set aside to steep for 15 minutes.4 Meanwhile, in a medium pot, add enough water to reach an
inch or two up the sides. Set a large bowl on top. (The bottom
of the bowl should not touch the water.) Add the chocolate to
the bowl, and bring the water to a simmer. Let cook, stirring
the chocolate occasionally with a rubber spatula until com-
pletely melted, then remove the bowl. Pour the milk mixture
into the chocolate, and whisk to incorporate. Set aside.
5 In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ½ cup plus 3 table-
spoons sugar with the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and the
remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Add the chocolate mixture, and
whisk to combine.
6 Set a fine strainer over a large bowl, and strain the
chocolate mixture, pressing on the solids with a spatula or
the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
Discard the solids, and pour the liquid into the pie plate.
7 Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the pie plate in a
large roasting pan, and place the pan in the oven. Carefully
add enough boiling water to the roasting pan to reach half-
way up the sides of the pie plate. Cover the pan tightly with
aluminum foil, and bake until the custard is set but still jiggly,
about 1 hour 10 minutes.
8 Remove the pan from the oven, remove the pie plate, and
let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until com-
pletely chilled, about 4 hours. To remove and serve, run a thin
knife along the sides of the pie plate to help release the flan.
Overturn a large, flat serving dish atop the pie plate. Holding
them together firmly, flip the pie plate over to release the flan.
Slice into wedges and serve.CUSTARD78 SAVEUR.COM