Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups whipping cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 - 2" strips orange peel
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 large egg yolks
• ½ cup sugar
• pinch of salt

Procedure

1. Put chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Combine cream, milk, peel, espresso powder and a pinch of salt in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring just to a boil. Then pour over chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Let stand 30 minutes. Strain through fine sieve set over medium bowl.
2. Preheat oven to 300°F. Ladle custard into cups. Line bottom of a baking pan (large enough to hold cups) with a folded kitchen towel and arrange cups the on towel. Place cups in large baking pan. Pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake until custards are set, about 50 minutes. Transfer ramekins to a rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Custards will set as they cool.) Chill, covered in refrigerator, until cold, at least 3 hours.