Asparagus Flan With Cheese Sauce

Submitted by Jeff Hixson

"This savory flan has an intense asparagus flavor. Its texture is unusually tender for a flan, without a trace of egginess. Originally posted by Mean Chef."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 25mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• For flan

• 2 lbs asparagus, trimmed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1⁄3 cups whole milk
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

• For sauce

• 1⁄4 lb italian fontina, rind discarded and cheese coarsely grated (or cut into 1/4-inch dice if too soft to grate)
• 1⁄2 cup whole milk
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon butter

directions

1. Make flan: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Butter an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper, then butter paper.
3. 3Steam asparagus in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Purée asparagus in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
5. (You will have about 2 cups purée.) Whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl, then whisk in asparagus purée.
6. Pour asparagus mixture into pan and bake in a hot water bath until flan is set and a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Transfer pan to a rack to cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
8. Make sauce while flan cools: Put all sauce ingredients in a metal bowl, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
9. Heat sauce, whisking until cheese and butter are melted, and then stirring with a wooden spoon, until sauce is slightly thickened and registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes.
10. Remove bowl from pan.
11. Run a thin knife around edge of flan to loosen, then invert a serving plate over pan and invert flan onto plate.
12. Remove pan and discard paper.
13. Cut flan into wedges and serve immediately with sauce.