Warm cheesy flan with zucchini puree
This fancy-looking and tasting dish is truly easy to make. I have chosen gruyere cheese here, but pecorino, romano, or whatever cheese you like/ love will work. (The recipe comes from a cooking class taken at the Fonte de Medici cooking school in Tuscany).
Ingredients
(Special equipment: ramekins or molds for the flan)
Flan
500 gr (2 cups) Milk (2%, whole, half-and-half, or cream), warmed
60 gr (1/4 cup) Butter, plus more (softened/ melted) for greasing the molds
60 gr (1/2 cup) All-purpose flour
80 gr (1/3 cup) Milder cheese, grated
50 gr (1/2 cup) Sharper cheese, grated
1 Egg
Plain breadcrumbs (for coating the molds)
Zucchini Puree
1 small zucchini (about 100 grams or 3.5 ounces), medium dice -- no need to be exact
Scant 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter the mold(s) -- either individually or as one large one, then layer it with the breadcrumbs.
Make a roux by cooking butter and flour in a saucepan over medium heat until incorporated.
Slowly add the hot milk and stir.
Take pot off heat, add grated cheeses, and mix well.
When mixture has cooled a bit, add the egg and stir vigorously to prevent it from scrambling and to incorporate everything until smooth.
Fill the mold(s) and bake for about 12 minutes (they should not look wet or gooey, and should jiggle just a little bit when ready).
Just before serving, unmold the flan and serve on the zucchini puree.