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November 2003 RANDALL’S PUMPKIN FLAN
The only problem about garden produce is that too much comes all at once, stretching the cook’s imagination to the limit. Pumpkin is a notable offender, as is the butternut squash that can be substituted for pumpkin in this recipe. So I’m always happy to pass on ideas like this flan from Chef Randall Price, who has come to Burgundy from Ohio via Washington D.C., Budapest, and Paris. Randall relishes a challenge and this is just one of his many inspirations. He prefers to bake the pumpkin or butternut in the oven, as he finds it can get very waterlogged if boiled. This recipe doubles easily.
1. To cook the pumpkin: Heat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Discard seeds and fibers and cut the pumpkin in 2-3 pieces, including the rind. Sprinkle with salt, put the pieces in a baking dish with the water for steam and cover tightly with foil. Bake in the oven until the pumpkin flesh is very tender, 25-35 minutes. 2. When tender, let the pumpkin cool slightly, then scoop out the flesh and purée it in a processor, or using an immersion blender. Strain it and measure 250ml/8fl oz/1 cup. Leave the oven on. Mix the eggs and yolk in a bowl and stir them into the pumpkin. Stir in the milk and cream. Taste and season the mixture quite highly with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. 3. Butter the ramekins, pour in the pumpkin mixture, filling the ramekins to the top. Set the ramekins in a water bath. Bring the water to a boil on top of the stove, transfer the bath to the oven and bake until the flans are set and wobble only slightly in the center when shaken, 25-30 minutes. A skewer inserted in the center should come out clean. Meanwhile braise the leeks. 4. When the flans are set, lift the ramekins from the water bath and let them cool 5 minutes. Reheat the leeks if necessary and spread them on warm individual plates. Turn out the flans onto the leeks, and serve. Shortcut: Use canned pumpkin purée. The flan will not be quite as light and fresh-tasting, but good all the same. Getting Ahead: Bake the flans and sauté the leeks up to a day ahead and keep them tightly covered in the refrigerator. Warm both on top of the stove, using a water bath for the flans. In the Glass: This recipe says Italy to me, so let’s set the scene with a soft Valpolicella or a more robust Barbaresco from Piedmont. This Recipe of the Month selection comes from Anne Willan's newest release: Good Food No Fuss (2003) published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang. |
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