White Bean Flan

The white bean flan is an elegant and delicate dish, suitable as an appetizer or a side dish. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 250 g of cooked cannellini beans (if using canned, drain and rinse well)
• 2 eggs
• 100 ml of fresh cream
• 30 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Butter for greasing the molds
• Breadcrumbs for sprinkling the molds
• Chives or other aromatic herbs to taste for garnish

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Begin by blending the cannellini beans until you have a smooth and homogeneous cream. If necessary, add a little cooking water to reach the desired consistency.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs with salt and pepper. Add the cream and grated Parmesan, and mix well.
4. Blend the cannellini cream into the mixture of eggs, cream, and Parmesan, working until you have a uniform mixture.
5. Grease the molds with a bit of butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
6. Pour the mixture into the individual molds, filling them about 3/4 full.
7. Place the molds in a larger tray and pour hot water into the tray until it reaches halfway up the sides of the molds, to cook the flans in a bain-marie.
8. Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until inserting a toothpick into the center of a flan, it comes out clean.
9. Once ready, let rest for a few minutes, then carefully unmold onto individual plates.
10. Garnish with finely chopped chives or other aromatic herbs and serve your white bean flans warm or at room temperature.

Trivia

Flan is traditionally a French egg-based dessert, but with a savory twist and the addition of legumes such as cannellini beans, it becomes a versatile and innovative recipe, drawing on the principles of Italian cuisine to use simple and high-quality ingredients to create tasty and nutritious dishes.