Bonet Piemontese: Italian Amaretti & Chocolate Flan

5 from 1 vote

A rich chocolate flan scented with rum, vanilla and cinnamon from Piedmont in Northern Italy. Makes 6 8 oz ramekins or 12 4 oz jelly jars.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: bonet dessert recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 166kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 15

Equipment

6 4 oz ramekins or 12 small, 4 oz jelly jars
1 Heavy 2 quart saucepan for the caramel
1 Strainer optional
1 Wide, deep baking pan for using as a waterbath

Ingredients

Caramel *see note

2 cups white sugar
⅓ cup water

Flan Custard

2.5 cups Heavy cream
1 large Egg
5 large Egg yolks
¼ cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup white sugar (divided in half)
1 cup crushed amaretti cookies plus extra for garnishing
1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract or wild vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon Rum optional
½ Cup Very strong coffee or espresso *see note
2 Cinnamon sticks

Serving

¼ cup Toasted nuts, chopped of the same type used for the amaretti, optional
1 cup Whipped cream

Instructions

Caramel

Heat the water and sugar in a heavy bottomed saucepan until the sugar is melted and turns a light amber color.
Remove the pan from the heat, swirling it occasionally. It will continue to darken in color as it sits while you prepare the molds.
Carefully pour ¼ cup caramel into each mold, carefully rotating the molds to coat the bottom and sides with caramel.
Allow the molds to cool completely.

Chocolate Flan

Heat the cream, cocoa, coffee or espresso, ¼ cup sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and rum and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat off and allow to cool. Remove the cinnamon sticks.
In a wide mixing bowl, beat the egg and yolks with the remaining ¼ cup sugar, then pour the custard into them. Strain the custard if possible.
Preheat the oven to 325 F.
Put two heaping tablespoons of amaretti in each ramekin, then fill with custard leaving at least ½ inch headspace from the top.
Put the ramekins in a baking dish, filling it with hot water ¾ of the way up the molds.
Bake the custards for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees.
Continue cooking the custards for another 20-30 minutes, or until completely set. When in doubt, cook them a little longer, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean.
Remove the custards and allow to cool in the warm water until room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and chill the custards for at least 4 hours.

Serving

Put the ramekins in a tray with warm water to loosen the caramel for 5 minutes.
To serve, slide an offset spatula or butter knife around each mold and invert onto a plate. Spoon the extra caramel sauce over the custard, garnish with crushed amaretti, a few toasted nuts and whipped cream, and serve.

Video

Notes

Caramel can be dangerous. It's a good idea to keep a bowl of ice water on hand while lining the molds. If you get caramel on your hands, plunge them into the ice water.
For a richer chocolate flavor, melt two ounces of grated semi-sweet chocolate with the cream.

Homemade Amaretti Biscuits

To make homemade amaretti biscuits, combine 1 cup nut flour or meal with 1 egg white, ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ cup sugar. Form the dough into teaspoon-sized balls and bake on a cookie sheet at 300F for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off the oven and remove the cookies when cool.

Nutrition