Parmesan Flan With Tomatoes Basil Cooking Light Recipes

PARMESAN FLAN WITH TOMATOES & BASIL (COOKING LIGHT)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Coat 4 (6-ounce) custard cups or ramekins with cooking spray. Place 3 tablespoons flour in a medium bowl. Gradually add milk to bowl, stirring constantly with a whisk until blended. Add egg whites and eggs; stir well. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; stir well. Divide mixture evenly among prepared custard cups. Place custard cups in a 9-inch square baking pan; add hot water to the pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until puffy and set.
• Combine tomato, dash of salt, and dash of pepper in a medium bowl. Loosen edges of flans with a knife or rubber spatula. Place a plate, upside down, on top of each cup; invert onto plates. Spoon 1/2 cup tomato mixture over each flan. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon basil.

BASIL-PARMESAN FOCACCIA WITH FRESH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Place the chopped onion in a bowl and pour boiling water over it. After 15 seconds, drain and blot dry with paper towels. Set aside.
• Combine the yeast with the half-cup of water. Add one and a half cups of the flour and mix. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board and knead it for about eight minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Pour one tablespoon of the olive oil in a bowl, add the dough, turning once to cover with the oil. Drape a lightly dampened towel over the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk. This will take one and a half hours with rapid-rise yeast, or three hours with regular yeast.
• Punch down the dough, add the onion, a quarter-cup of water, three tablespoons of olive oil, the cup of Parmesan cheese, the remaining flour, the basil and two teaspoons salt, and mix. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for eight minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding small amounts of additional flour if needed.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Roll the dough into a large circle measuring about 15 inches in diameter and about a quarter-inch thick, and transfer it to a heavy cookie sheet. Using your fingertips, make several indentations in the dough, so the surface is irregular. Brush with two tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle on two teaspoons of coarse salt. Bake in the top half of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown and crisp. (You may prepare the recipe ahead to this point, but leave the baked focaccia at room temperature.)
• To prepare the topping, combine the olive oil, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Lay the sliced tomatoes in an overlapping pattern on the focaccia and spoon the olive-oil mixture over them. Return the focaccia to the oven for two minutes. Sprinkle with three tablespoons of Parmesan and return the focaccia to the oven just until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about one to two minutes. Remove from the oven and cut into large slices. Serve.

CREAMY PARMESAN FLANS

Steps:

• Bring the milk and cream to a bubble (do not boil).
• Add bay leaves and garlic, turn off heat, place lid on saucepan, and leave to infuse (for approximately 1/2 hour or longer).
• Whisk together the eggs and egg yolks.
• Pour milk mixture over eggs very slowly while whisking.
• Strain through a sieve (this removes any left over unconstituted egg "bits" and makes for a smoother, glossier end-product).
• Add grated parmesan and salt and pepper.
• Pour into 4 individual ramekin dishes and place in a bain-marie (see note below).
• Bake at 375°F for 30-40 minutes until set at the edges but still slightly "jiggly" at the centres.
• Upend onto serving plates and serve with a side garnish of olive oil-dressed rocket leaves.
• Note: For our beginner cooks, place the ramekins in another container into which you can pour hot water such that the water comes up to about halfway up the ramekin dishes.