Vanilla Banana Flan with Raw Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients:

For the flan

1 ½ cups milk

1 vanilla bean

1 ¼ cups sweetened condensed milk

7 large egg yolks

2 ounces 99 Banana Liqueur, or any other banana liqueur

For the chocolate sauce

1 cup sugar

½ cup raw chocolate (rough-chopped cocoa nibs)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350º F and spray 16 two ounce aluminum ramekins with oil.

Heat the milk in a medium saucepan over medium flame until it begins to simmer. Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape in the contents; also add vanilla bean to the milk. Switch off the heat and, whisking continuously, add the condensed milk.

Whisk the egg yolks in a medium heatproof bowl. Continuing to whisk, pour in about half of the hot milk mixture. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining hot milk. Stir in the banana liqueur.

Strain the mixture into the ramekins. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water around them. (The water should reach about half the height of the ramekins.) Cover with foil, and bake 20 minutes or until set. Remove the flans and refrigerate.

For the sauce, melt the sugar in a medium saucepan over a medium flame. Once it begins to colour, stir until it reaches a light gold. Add 3/4 cup water and stir until the water has dissolved the caramel. Add the raw chocolate. Reduce the heat, simmer for five minutes, and then transfer to a bowl to cool.

Unmold the flans unto plates and serve with a drizzle of the raw chocolate sauce.