Asparagus Flan Recipes

ASPARAGUS FLAN

Steps:

• preheat oven to 400.
• heat a pot of salted water, bring to boil.
• break off ends of asparagus, discard.
• cut off tips, reserve.
• cut asparagus into 2" pieces, add to water, boil for 8 minutes until soft.
• transfer to a food processor, reserving cooking water.
• add cream, eggs,flour, tarragon, salt and pepper to processor.
• puree until smooth.
• return asparagus water to boil, add tips, cook for 1 minute.
• drain, set aside.
• grease 6 ramekins and put in a roasting pan filled with 1" water.
• pour asparagus mixture into ramekins filling 3/4 full.
• bake for 30 minutes or until set.
• serve hot garnished with asparagus tips.
• drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh black pepper.

ASPARAGUS GRUYERE TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry into a 16-by-10-inch rectangle. Trim uneven edges. Place pastry on a baking sheet. With a sharp knife, lightly score pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Using a fork, pierce dough inside the markings at 1/2-inch intervals. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes.
• Remove pastry shell from oven, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Trim the bottoms of the asparagus spears to fit crosswise inside the tart shell; arrange in a single layer over Gruyere, alternating ends and tips. Brush with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake until spears are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

ASPARAGUS FLAN WITH CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make flan: Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Butter an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper, then butter paper.
• 3Steam asparagus in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Purée asparagus in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• (You will have about 2 cups purée.) Whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl, then whisk in asparagus purée.
• 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.
• Transfer pan to a rack to cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Make sauce while flan cools: Put all sauce ingredients in a metal bowl, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water.
• 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.
• Remove bowl from pan.
• Run a thin knife around edge of flan to loosen, then invert a serving plate over pan and invert flan onto plate.
• Remove pan and discard paper.
• Cut flan into wedges and serve immediately with sauce.

ASPARAGUS FLAN WITH CHEESE SAUCE

Steps:

• Make flan:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan and line bottom with a round of wax paper, then butter paper. 3Steam asparagus in a steamer set over boiling water, covered, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Purée asparagus in a food processor until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. (You will have about 2 cups purée.)
• Whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl, then whisk in asparagus purée.
• 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.
• Transfer pan to a rack to cool slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Make sauce while flan cools:
• Put all sauce ingredients in a metal bowl, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. 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. Remove bowl from pan.
• Run a thin knife around edge of flan to loosen, then invert a serving plate over pan and invert flan onto plate. Remove pan and discard paper. Cut flan into wedges and serve immediately with sauce.

ASPARAGUS FLAN

Steps:

• Wash the asparagus and cut the hard stem.
• Slice cut the asparagus but save six ends.
• Blend the asparagus slices to get a green cream.
• Prepare a Béchamel sauce, put in a pan the milk (pre-heat), butter and a tablespoon of white flour and cook at low flame until you get a light condensed white cream.
• Add to the béchamel sauce the asparagus blend we obtained before and add the egg yolk, salt and pepper.
• Buttering and flouring the pudding molds (better aluminum made) then, add the asparagus cream.
• Cover the pudding molds with aluminum foil.
• Take a ceramic casserole and fill with water and dunk the pudding molds inside. The water level need to be at half of the pudding molds.
• Baking at 180°C (oven pre-heated) for 30 minutes.
• Then remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes to roast the surface of each flan.
• Take out the molds and when they're cooled remove the mold and decorate with the asparagus ends.

ASPARAGUS FLAN (FROM FWDGF)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Boil the asparagus in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and let cool. Chop each stalk into 2 or 3 pieces and set aside.
• Saute the bacon in a nonstick frying pan till crisp. Drain on paper towel and set aside.
• Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl (reserving some chervil for garnish). Pour the egg mixture into a 9" pie plate, 2 inches deep. Sprinkle in the asparagus and bacon. Bake for 15-20 minutes till the custard is set but not dried out.
• Serve immediately, topping with some reserved chervil if desired.

ASPARAGUS FLAN WITH SMOKED SALMON-POTATO SALAD

Steps:

• Blanch only the asparagus tips in a small saucepan of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes, drain, and shock in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the shallots. Sauté for 2 minutes, until softened, then add the chopped asparagus stalks, cream, and milk and simmer gently over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the asparagus pieces are quite tender. Remove them from the heat and cool about 10 minutes, then pour the mixture into a blender (in batches if necessary) and puree until smooth. Strain the asparagus cream through a fine sieve.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks and whole egg together until well mixed and just barely frothy. Slowly whisk in the asparagus cream and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Butter 4 individual ramekins (with sides about 2 inches high) and place them in a baking dish. Pour the asparagus mixture into the dishes, dividing equally. Carefully fill the baking dish with hot water until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the water bath for about 30 minutes. Watching for steam, carefully open the foil and jiggle the pan to see if the flans are set. They should be firm around the outside but just barely set in the middle, with no bubbles. If they are still liquid in the middle, return to the oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove the flans from the oven, uncover, and set aside until ready to serve. These flans can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerated, and gently reheated in a water bath.
• Put the potatoes in a small pot, cover with cold water, add a sprinkling of salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until cooked through but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool.
• Whisk the shallots, vinegar, and olive oil together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, celery, onion, croutons, and salmon. Stir in half the dressing, season with salt and pepper, toss, and add more dressing to desired taste. Add the bacon and toss again. To serve, divide the salad among four plates. Place one warm flan on each plate. Place two asparagus tips on top of each flan and add the rest to the salad.
• This recipe will result in a pale green flan. To brighten the color, you can add 1/4 cup blanched, finely chopped spinach or 2 tablespoons fresh parsley to the cream the minute before you remove it from the heat. Proceed to blend the mixture as described above, and the result will be a delightful emerald green flan.

SPRING ASPARAGUS TART

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the puff pastry to a 9- by 12-inch even rectangle. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Combine the mascarpone, 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt, the flour, egg and lemon zest, and then fold in the chives and tarragon. Spread over the puff pastry, leaving a 3/4-inch border. Make small cuts around the border about 1 inch apart with the tip of a paring knife.
• Toss the asparagus with the olive oil in a bowl. Lay half of the asparagus in a neat row across the surface of the tart so the tips meet the edge. Do the same in the opposite direction with the remaining asparagus. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Bake until the border of the tart is deep golden and puffed and the top is lightly spotted golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.
• Serve with lightly dressed greens.

ASPARAGUS AND CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Add the asparagus; cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Drain and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking; drain and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Roll out the puff pastry into a 10-by-16-inch rectangle on a floured surface. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet.
• Meanwhile, mix the fontina, comte, shallot, egg yolks, milk, nutmeg and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the puff pastry, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Toss the asparagus with the olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Arrange the asparagus on the tart and bake until the cheese mixture is slightly puffy, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the lemon zest. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ASPARAGUS FLANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter six 3/4-cup soufflé dishes or custard cups. Line bottoms of dishes or cups with rounds of wax paper and butter paper. Line a baking pan large enough to hold dishes or cups with a double layer of kitchen towels.
• Trim asparagus and cut off tips. Halve asparagus tips lengthwise and cut stalks crosswise into 1-inch pieces. In a steamer rack set over boiling water steam asparagus tips, covered, until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Transfer asparagus tips with a slotted spoon to a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Drain tips well and pat dry.
• Steam asparagus stalks, covered, until tender but still bright green, about 8 minutes. Transfer stalks with slotted spoon to paper towels and pat dry well. In a blender purée stalks, cream, tarragon, 3 tablespoons butter, Parmesan, and salt until smooth. In a bowl whisk eggs until combined and add asparagus purée in a stream, whisking until smooth.
• Divide mixture among dishes or cups and put on towels in pan. Add enough hot water to pan to reach halfway up sides of dishes or cups and bake flans in lower third of oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove dishes or cups from pan and cool on a rack 5 minutes.
• In a small saucepan heat asparagus tips in remaining tablespoon butter until heated through. Run knife around edges of dishes or cups and invert flans onto 6 plates. Top flans with asparagus tips.