1 1/2 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus more for topping
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 vanilla bean, split
2-3 drops red food coloring
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Set aside.
In
a saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining tablespoon of sugar,
heavy cream, buttermilk, and split vanilla bean to a simmer. Once the
mixture starts to get foamy, remove from heat. Take out the vanilla
bean halves and scrape out the seeds, adding the seeds back to the
mixture. Pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate and let sit for
one minute. Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
Slowly
pour half of the chocolate mixture into the eggs while whisking.
Continue to whisk, and slowly pour in the remaining chocolate mixture.
Add 2 drops of the red food coloring and whisk. Add another drop if needed.
Strain the custard into a spouted measuring cup. Evenly divide the custard between two ramekins.
Place
the ramekins into a baking dish. Pour boiling water into the baking
dish until the water comes up to about the custard level.
Bake
25-60 minutes (depending on the size of the ramekin), or until the
custard is set (it should still be jiggly in the center). Remove the
baking dish from the oven and let the ramekins cool in the water bath.
Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
Once
chilled, sprinkle a generous amount of sugar on the top of each
custard. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. (If you don’t
have a kitchen torch, place the ramekins under the broiler until the
sugar is caramelized, keeping a close eye on them.) Let sit about 5
minutes before serving.
