Chocolate Flan With Caramel Whipped Cream

Christmas Caramel Murder

Preheat oven to 350°F, rack in the middle position.

* chocolate curls for a topping are option (Make them by scraping them from a dark chocolate bar with the blade of a sharp knife.)

#### For the Caramel Whipped Cream

* 1 cup whipping cream
* 5 Tablespoons caramel ice cream topping (I used Smucker's)

### Directions

* Select a round glass casserole that's approximately 10 inches in diameter.
* Locate a baking pan with 4-inch or taller sides that is large enough to hold your glass casserole with at least an inch and a half of space on all sides.
* Set the casserole you've chosen inside the baking pan. Eventually, this baking pan will hold hot water to "bathe" the outside of your flan casserole. This water bath, or bain marie, will keep your flan from baking too rapidly and becoming hard around the edges.
* Spray the inside of the glass casserole with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray.
* Put two potholders or oven mitts out on the counter where they will be handy.
* Heat the cup and three-quarters of whole milk at MEDIUM heat on the stovetop in a medium-size saucepan until it almost comes to a boil. You'll be able to tell this is going to happen when bubbles start to form around the edges of the saucepan and steam begins to escape from the milk.
* Pull the saucepan with the milk over to a cold stovetop burner and stir in the cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
* Stir until the chips are melted and the mixture is a uniform color. If this doesn't happen, your milk was too cold. Put it back on the burner and stir constantly for another minute to make sure the chips are melted. Then pull it off the heat and turn off the stovetop burner.
* In a large bowl on the counter, whisk the 4 large eggs until they're light-colored and fluffy.
	+ **Hannah's 2nd Note:** *You can also do this in the bowl of an electric mixer.*
* Add the can of sweetened condensed milk, the vanilla extract, and the salt to the bowl with the eggs.
* Whisk the contents until they're well incorporated.
* Carefully, feel the outside of the saucepan with the chocolate mixture. If it's not so hot that it will cook the eggs, slowly, add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk or beat until everything is well incorporated.
* Pour the resulting mixture into your prepared casserole.
* Set your casserole inside the larger baking pan.
* Run water as hot as you can get from your tap, and fill a large measuring cup with a spout.
* Pour hot water from the measuring cup inside the larger pan. Keep pouring until the water level reaches halfway up the sides of the casserole holding your flan.
* Loosely cover your flan with foil and poke a few holes in the foil to let steam escape as it's baking.
* Carry both pans to the oven and put them inside to bake.
* Bake your flan at 350°F for 50 to 70 minutes, or until the blade of a table knife inserted one inch from the center of the flan comes out clean.
	+ **Hannah's 3rd Note:** *If your knife has liquid residue sticking to it when you remove it, your flan is not fully baked. Give it another 5 minutes in the oven, wash the dry your table knife in the meantime, and test it again.*
* When your table knife comes out clean, use oven potholders to take both pans out of the oven together and set them on a cold stovetop burner.
* Use potholders or oven mitts to lift out the inner casserole with your flan and place it on a second cold burner or on a wire rack. Use potholders or oven mitts to dump out the water in the outer pan and set it aside to cool.
* Set your timer for 20 minutes.
* When your Chocolate Caramel Flan has cooled for 20 minutes, cover the top of the flan casserole with plastic wrap. Refrigerate your flan in the casserole for at least 4 hours, or until it's time to serve dessert. Overnight is fine, too, if you want to make it the day before you plan to serve it.
* To serve, run the table knife around the inside rim of your flan to loosen it slightly. Turn it out in a flat bowl or onto a plate with a deep lip. Then make the Caramel Whipped Cream.

#### Caramel Whipped Cream

* In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the cup of whipping cream and the 5 Tablespoons of caramel ice cream topping together.
* Gradually, increase the speed of the mixer to MEDIUM-HIGH and beat until the resulting mixture will hold a soft peak. (Test for soft peaks by shutting off the mixer and dipping the flat blade of a rubber spatula into the whipped cream and pulling it up quickly. If it forms a peak, but the tip droops slightly, you have achieved soft peaks.)
* "Frost" your flan with Caramel Whipped Cream. People will ooh and ahh when you cut slices, place them in the dessert dishes and serve it.

**Yield:** This Chocolate Flan with Caramel Whipped Cream serves 6 to 8 people unless you invite Andrea's husband, Bill. Bill is absolutely crazy for this dessert. He boasted to me that he could eat a whole flan all by himself, and I believe him.

## Conversion Charts

See Baking Conversion Chart for non-USA baking conversions.