Cardoon Flans

Cardoon flans are a refined and tasty dish that can be served as an appetizer or side dish. Here is the recipe for preparing Italian-style cardoon flans:

Ingredients

• 500 g of cardoons
• 1 lemon (juice)
• 50 g of butter
• 50 g of flour
• 500 ml of milk
• Nutmeg q.b.
• Salt and pepper q.b.
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 eggs
• Bread crumbs q.b.
• Butter q.b. for greasing the molds

Preparation

1. Start by cleaning the cardoons. Remove the toughest outer leaves and filaments. Cut the cardoons into pieces and soak them in water acidulated with lemon juice to prevent them from turning black.
2. Cook the cardoons in boiling salted water until tender, then drain and let them cool.
3. In the meantime, prepare a béchamel sauce: melt the butter in a pot, add the flour and stir for a few minutes. Gradually pour in the milk, continuing to stir until you obtain a smooth and lump-free cream. Flavor with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
4. Take the béchamel sauce off the heat and allow it to cool down. Then incorporate the grated Parmesan and beaten eggs, mixing well.
5. Add the cooked cardoons to the béchamel and mix gently.
6. Prepare the molds for the flans by greasing them with butter and sprinkling them with breadcrumbs. Pour the mixture of cardoons and béchamel into the molds.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 20-25 minutes, until the flans are golden brown and firm.
8. Remove the flans from the oven, let them rest for a couple of minutes, then gently unmold them onto a serving dish.

Trivia

The cardoon is a winter vegetable highly appreciated in Italian cuisine, especially in the north and central Italy. In Piedmont, for example, cardoons in bagna cauda are a traditional dish during the Christmas period. The cardoon flans are an elegant way to present this vegetable, turning it into a sophisticated dish.