June, folks. We are in June. That means half of this amazing year is pretty much over. Carpe diem. The months always end on a nice note for me, because the last Monday brings Reveal Day of The Secret Recipe Club. I was paired this month with Dena from “Oh! You Cook!”. Dena describes herself as a librarian by day, recipe blogger by night, except on nights in which she works as a librarian… Not only she works around books, but she is an author herself, having published last year “The Everything Kosher Slowcooker Cookbook”. Check it out here. Reading her blog is a lot of fun! She is quite witty, and often opens her articles with remarks that will bring a smile to your face. For instance, the recipe I chose, carrot flan, is under a post entitled “Go Forth on the Fourth…” I quote straight from her blog:
Go Forth on the Fourth… and barbecue, of course!
Steaks… check!
Skewered chicken… check!
Carrot flan… huh? 🙂
So there you go. Whether you are making this dish as a side for a barbecue or as a light meal, it will turn your day into something unique. Elegant, light, sophisticated, and the best part: it’s actually quite simple to make.
CARROT FLAN WITH GREENS AND LEMON VINAIGRETTE
(adapted from “Oh! You Cook!”)
Makes 6 individual servings.
for the flans:
12 ounces carrots (enough to make 2 1/2 cups of chopped pieces)
4 eggs
4 ounces (1/2 cup) heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch of grated nutmeg
for the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon honey
Make the flans: Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter 6 ramekins (3/4-cup size). Cook the pieces of carrots in boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth, and let cool slightly.
Whisk the pureed carrots together with the eggs, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Divide the mixture among the buttered ramekins, and place the ramekins in a baking pan. Add enough hot water to the baking pan so that the water goes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pain with foil and bake until the custards are set and a knife inserted near the middle of one comes out clean. (In my pathetic oven it took almost 1 hour, but you should start checking it at 40 minutes, normally it should take around 45 minutes). Remove the ramekins from the baking dish and let cool slightly before unmolding.
For the vinaigrette: whisk together the lemon juice, lemon peel, mustard, and honey. Stream in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until an emulsion forms. Season well with salt and pepper, and store in the refrigerator.
Final assembly of the dish: Place a handful of salad greens of your choice for each serving of flan in a large bowl. Drizzle some vinaigrette over the greens, season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, and toss to dress. Run a knife around the inside of the ramekins to loosen the flans, then invert them over a plate to unmold. Serve the flans with the salad and an additional drizzle of the vinaigrette.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: This might be a bold statement, but I’ll go ahead with it: I think this was my favorite recipe of all the “Secret Ones” I’ve made in the year and a half participating in the event. Phil raved about it from the first bite, and said that these flans could be served on the best bistrots of Paris. How’s that for a compliment? The leftover flans were warmed in a microwave for 40 seconds, and they unmolded perfectly then. So, this recipe is a wonderful option for a dinner party.
Polishing off the meal with non-stop compliments: Nice! Wearing a tie-die shirt with more colors than the dinner plate? Optional, but so very cool… 😉
If you want to see what my friends from Group D cooked up for this Reveal Day, click on the blue frog at the bottom of the post…. have fun!
ONE YEAR AGO: The Secret Recipe Club: Granola Bars
TWO YEARS AGO: Awesome Broccolini
THREE YEARS AGO: A Twist on Pesto
FOUR YEARS AGO: Ciabatta: Judging a bread by its holes
Wow this looks amazing! Love how such simple ingredients can create something so special. Have pinned ready to try. Great pick for SRC!
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Thanks! A very creative recipe indeed
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I would have never thought of a flan being made with carrots, but after seeing your presentation and description of it, I would love to try it. Happy SRC Reveal Day! 🙂
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I also never thought of doins a veggie/flan, but it works very well…
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The flan looks so good!!! Love the way you served it, too!
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Thanks, Mimi… very elegant presentation, if you go in the original site, you’ll see her version with microgreens on top, also quite nice
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This is MY kind of recipe and I have bookmarked it to make, great SRC pick! Karen
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Glad you liked it, Karen…
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I have no idea what happened to my original photos, but yours are MUCH better anyway. Thanks for selecting this recipe for SRC!
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I think your photos are great, no problem with them… that was an awesome recipe – I say it for the third time! ;-0)
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I’ve never heard of carrot flan, but now I want to try it! Looks delicious!
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I am sure other veggies will work just as well – cauliflower? spinach? butternut squash? 😉
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What a unique and beautiful selection! Great pick for SRC Reveal Day!!
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Thank you, Rebekah!
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What an interesting recipe. I love carrots so this would be perfect for Summertime entertaining. Nice choice!
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We love our carrots too, and I am always searching for new ways to use them.
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Thanks, everyone! I am totally, completely, absolutely busy and won’t be able to reply to comments individually for a few days.
shall be back when the coast clears…. 😉 Just let me say once more ” WE LOVED THIS RECIPE!” Make it, you will be glad you did…
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This looks so pretty – and such a clever way to use carrots.
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Agree completely! Thanks for stopping by….
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I bet I could totally fool my kids into thinking this is a cake for dinner. 🙂 This looks so good and I love the flavor combination.
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oh, that is funny! Cake for dinner… and carrots in disguise.. 🙂
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This looks both quite delicious and refreshing, Sally!
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very light and rich at the same time… great recipe!
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This is so inventive. I have so many carrots right now too!
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agree with you, a completely different approach on the humble carrot… I hope you give it a try!
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Isn’t this something? It really is a flan made with carrots! Coming with 2 rave reviews, this must be quite a dish. I need to try this one. Thanks for sharing, Sally.
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You are welcome, John!
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I’ve already weirded the.boy out with green flan, so why not add orange to the mix? Sounds delicious!
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I remember your green flan, I think you posted that one right when I was about to make this…
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I love this idea Sally! I don’t think I have ever come across a carrot flan before — what a dreamy, delicious idea. The ingredients are so yummy too – I can imagine the tasty combination of flavors and the hint of nutmeg with the lovely cream…. Your favorite of the secret recipes you say? I must try :).
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I suspected you would like this one! ;-0)
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A savory flan with the vinaigrette is just simply one of the most creative things I have ever seen. I am wanting to try it right now. I can imagine an explosion of delicious flavors
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Absolutely wonderful in terms of flavor and texture too, the flan with the salad is a perfect combo
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That sounds divine. I bought a lot of carrots today and I’m planning a simple “carottes rapees” for tonight. I will try your carrot version over the weekend. Thanks for sharing!
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Just saw your post on the carottes rapees – such a classic! Hope you try this version and love it too… 🙂
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I have never had a flan of any kind. These look pretty
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Flans are delicious and so easy to make – the only important part is making sure they are baked just right, not overbaked. Other than that, no big deal to make them
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This is so cool! I wanted to make flan recently but didn’t want to just make a dessert… now I can have all my heart’s desires in one dish! Thanks!
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Isn’t that perfect? Two birds with one stone (not that I am wild about killing birds, of course not 😉
I hope you will try this recipe, or improvise with other veggies… imagine the color of a beet flan!
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Oooh, that would be awesome! Now you’ve got me thinking…. I’ll let you know what I end up doing:)
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Looking forward to your adventures with the flan! If I make a beet flan my beloved might take that personally. But, who knows? He might just go for it… 😉
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Haha, I keep hearing about all these people who have problems with beets (including the president and first lady!) but I think they all just need to try them in something new and exciting (and when the beets are fresh picked and super sweet!).
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Loved the article! Had not seen it, thanks for sending it in my direction… I might have to buy some beets this weekend, I am feeling kind of daring 😉
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Love this!! I will definitely have to give this a try! 🙂
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Hi Sally,
So I made the flan on Monday (and then forgot to tell you about it!). I went ahead and did it with the beets. It turned out pretty well but I realized I should have roasted the beets rather than boiled them because most of their lovely red color was lost to the boiling water! However, the flavor was very nice. I also added a bit of strawberry rhubarb jam to the mix just to make sure there was enough sweetness for the beets (which were old winter storage beets!). Anyways, I agree that in many ways it’s more of a souffle than a flan, but nonetheless, a very cool and versatile idea. Thanks!
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Thanks for the feedback, I am sorry it took me so long to reply, I definitely meant to come here sooner!
Maybe you could take a look at the original site (that is not the one I got the recipe from, but the one SHE found it first). In that site, she compares methods of making the base, and getting two types of textures in the final product. Worth a look, very interesting
glad you tried it!
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Okay, will do! Thanks 🙂
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I tried this recipe tonight and I simply love it! Will blog soon and let you know. Thanks!
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Awesome! Thanks for letting me know… made my day! 😉
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Pingback: Carrot Flan | flippenblog's Blog
Hi Sally. I posted http://flippenblog.com/2013/12/12/carrot-flan/. Thanks again for a great recipe!
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