Broccoli Flans with Goat Cheese Sauce

Broccoli flans with goat cheese sauce are a delicious and sophisticated dish that can be served as an appetizer or as a light second course. Here’s how to prepare them:

Ingredients

• 500 g of broccoli
• 3 eggs
• 100 ml of fresh cream
• 70 g of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Butter to grease the molds
• Breadcrumbs to sprinkle the molds

For the goat cheese sauce:

• 100 g of goat cheese
• 50 ml of liquid cream
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg (optional)

Preparation

1. Clean the broccoli, divide it into florets, and cook in boiling salted water for about 5-7 minutes or until tender but still crunchy. Drain them and quickly pass them under cold water to preserve the color.

2. Blend the broccoli with a mixer or an immersion blender until you get a smooth puree.

3. Add the eggs to the broccoli puree and mix well. Then add the cream and Parmigiano, adjusting for salt and pepper.

4. Prepare the molds for the flans by lightly greasing them with butter and sprinkling the inside with breadcrumbs. Pour the mixture into the containers.

5. Cook the flans in a bain-marie in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 25-30 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the flans comes out clean.

For the goat cheese sauce:

1. In a small pan, melt the goat cheese with the cream over low heat. Stir until you obtain a smooth sauce.

2. Adjust for salt and pepper and add a pinch of nutmeg if you wish.

3. Serve the warm flans with a spoonful of goat cheese sauce on top or on the side.

Curiosity

The flan can be considered an Italian version of flans or soufflés. The word “sformato” comes from the fact that this dish is generally prepared in a mold and then “unmolded” before being served. It is a versatile dish that can be adapted to many ingredients and can even be enriched with the addition, for example, of dried fruit or spices to give an even more personal touch.