Banana-Chocolate Flan

Caramel:
Softened butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Lightly butter 6 (4 ounce) ramekins or custard cups. Stir together water, lemon juice and sugar in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Using a pastry brush dipped in water, brush sides of the pot just above the sugar every 30 seconds to prevent crystals from forming. Cook the sugar until a rich dark color is achieved.

Immediately set the pot into a bowl of ice. Spoon cooled custard into prepared cups. If the caramel becomes too thick or sets up completely, warm it over very low heat until it is pliable again. Pour 2 teaspoons of caramel into each mold and turn the molds to evenly coat the bottom.

Custard:
2 cups milk
Peels from 2 ripe bananas
1 small pinch of salt
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 ounces milk chocolate, chopped, or 3 ounces
    semisweet chocolate, chopped, and 1 tablespoon cocoa

Heat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine milk, banana peels and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring milk to a strong simmer and turn off heat. Let milk cool for at least 30 minutes.

Combine eggs and egg yolks in a bowl and whisk in the sugar until the mixture is blended but not foamy. Melt chocolate in a bowl over simmering water until it is just smooth. Do not overheat it. Strain milk through a fine sieve into the chocolate, pressing the banana peels with the back of a large wooden spoon to extract all of the milk. Discard peels. Whisk milk into the egg mixture to blend well. Pour custard into prepared cups and place in a water bath. Place flans into preheated oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until firm. Carefully remove flans from the water bath and chill for 4 hours or overnight before serving.

When ready to serve, loosen flans from the edges of the cups with a sharp knife pressed firmly against the edges of the cup. Unmold individual flans directly onto their serving plates. If making one large flan, put the serving plate on top of the mold and invert them in tandem. Lift mold off carefully. Drizzle reserved caramel around, if desired, and serve at once.