Local Flan
Motivated by my love of squash and my desire to eat as locally as possible, I decided to try this interesting Squash Flan recipe from Tree Hugger tonight. Despite my husband’s continual questions as to why we were having pie for dinner, it was a delicious new way to incorporate local foods in the winter. It was very flavorful, savory, not too heavy, and looked pretty good for my first attempt at a flan and using phyllo dough. A perfect dinner for a frigid cold day here in the upstate New York where the temperature remained in the single digits all day. Below is my slightly modified version of the recipe. Now I just need to find a good baklava recipe to use up the rest of this great organic phyllo dough!
Squash Flan with Mushrooms
First, preheat oven to 450. Peel and dice a big Butternut squash (Hubbard or Acorn should work too). Toss with salt and pepper, a big drizzle of olive oil, and maple syrup in a baking dish. Dot with butter and bake until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring a few times. Remove and place squash into a strainer to seperate any liquid and to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375.
Next, prepare your pan. Layer 8 sheets of organic phyllo dough lining a spring-form pan, brushing each layer with melted butter, working quickly to prevent dough from drying out.
Then, saute 1/2 of a chopped onion until translucent. Add the squash and cook about 5-10 minutes to reheat and dry slightly. While that cooks, combine 4 whole eggs and 5 egg yolks (from a local farm, of course) in a blender, saving the extra egg whites for an omelette in the morning. Add to the blender 1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmesan like Grana Padano or Parmiagiano Reggianno. Then add the squash and onions to the blender and mix until smooth. Pour the mixture into prepared phyllo dough mold. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and cool.
To prepare the mushrooms, start by warming a little olive oil in a saute pan with garlic. Add julienned mushrooms (shiitakes, or I used baby bellas) and cook for about a minute. Add 2 oz of Marsala cooking wine (or white wine) and 1 oz of balsamic vinegar and allow to cook off completely.
Release the flan from the pan, slice, plate, and top with a little more fresh grated Parmesan and sauteed mushrooms.
No Comments »
No comments yet.
