Roasted Garlic Flan (Roasted-Garlic Custards with Mushrooms and Green Onions)
Savory custards flavored with nutty roasted garlic are topped with an unusual sauce of sliced garlic, mushrooms, green onions, and pasta. This is a stunning appetizer, and can become the star of a meal if the entrée is simple. The mushroom stock, custard mixture, and sauce — up to addition of the pasta — may be prepared one day in advance and refrigerated separately. Add 8 to 10 minutes to the baking time for the custards.
Ingredients
- Mushroom Stock
- Portablo Mushroom - 1
- Chicken Stock - 2 cups (alt. vegetable stock)
- Custards
- Heavy (whipping) cream - 1 cup
- Garlic - 1 clove, crushed
- Eggs - 2
- Egg Yolks - 1
- Garlic - 5 to 8 roasted bulbs (1/2 cup roasted garlic puree)
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- Sauce
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Olive Oil - 2 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Garlic - 2 cloves, thinly sliced
- Green Onion - 4, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Dry Sherry - 3/4 cup
- Mushroom Stock (above) - 1-1/2 cups
- Fettuccine pasta - 1/4 cup, broken dried
- Thyme - 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh
Instructions
To make the mushroom stock: Twist the stem off the mushroom, wipe it with a damp paper towel, and chop it coarsely. Slice off the dark gills from the underside of the cap and reserve the cap. Combine the stem pieces, gills, and stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the stock uncovered for 30 minutes, until reduced to 1-1/2 cups. Set aside.
To make the custards: Preheat the oven to 325 F. Place the cream in a saucepan over medium heat with the garlic clove and bring to a boil. Remove the garlic and keep the cream hot. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk together. Add the cream in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Whisk in the roasted garlic puree until the mixture is smooth and season with salt and pepper.
Butter four 6-ounce ramekins. Fill the ramekins with the custard mixture and place them in a shallow roasting pan. Place the pan in the oven and fill the pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the custards are set and a knife inserted in the middle of each comes out clean. Remove the ramekins from the water bath. Let the custards sit for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the inside of each ramekin. To unmold the custards, place a dinner plate over each ramekin and turn it over quickly; lift off the ramekin.
While the custard is baking, prepare the sauce: Slice the reserved portobello mushroom cap and heat the butter and olive oil in a medium saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the sliced mushroom and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the mushroom with salt and pepper. Add the sliced garlic and green onions to the pan. Saute over medium heat until the garlic is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sherry and boil over high heat until the liquid is reduced by three fourths, about 2 minutes. Add the mushroom stock to the pan along with the broken pasta and thyme. Lower heat and boil gently for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
To serve: Arrange some mushrooms, garlic, and onions around each unmolded custard. Ladle sauce around the custard and serve.
Note: Julienned red and yellow peppers, baby corn, and celery may be added to the sauce with the pasta to make a heartier dish to serve as an entrée.
