Spiced Chicken Broth with Chive Flans

Ingredients

• 8  peppercorns black
• 2  carrots quartered
• 2 rib celery stalks cut into 2-inch lengths
• 5 pounds chicken wings 
• 0.3 cup chives plus more for garnish finely chopped
• 1 large egg yolk whole
• 3 inch ginger peeled thinly sliced
• 16  cardamom pods green crushed
• 1 cup half and half 
• 1 medium onion trimmed unpeeled halved
• 6  parsley (without leaves)
• 1  bay leaves 
• 4 quarts water cold

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• paper towels
• sauce pan
• ladle
• oven
• knife
• whisk
• pot
• sieve
• roasting pan
• offset spatula

Directions

1. Bring all broth ingredients to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt in an 8-to 10-quarts heavy pot and skim foam. Gently simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally, 4 hours.
2. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a damp paper towel into a large bowl, discarding solids. Skim off and discard any fat. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
4. Simmer chives and half-and-half in a small heavy saucepan 5 minutes, then let stand, covered, 15 minutes.
5. Whisk together egg and yolk, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a 2-cup measure, then whisk in chive mixture until blended. Put mold on a rack in a roasting pan and put 1 teaspoon chive mixture in each cup (if using mini-muffin pans, fill only 16 cups; about 1 tablespoon per cup). You will have mixture left over.
6. Bake in a water bath until flan is just set, 8 to 10 minutes (10 to 12 if using muffin pans). Carefully remove mold from water bath. Cool flans at room temperature, then chill until cold, at least 1 hour.
7. Run a thin knife around flans to loosen. Invert mold onto a baking sheet and, pressing gently, pop out flans (or lift out of muffin pans with a small offset spatula).
8. Carefully transfer flans to 8 shallow bowls and ladle in hot broth.
9. •Broth can be made 1 week ahead and chilled (covered once cool) or frozen 1 month. Discard solidified fat.•Flans can be chilled up to 1 day.