Categories: HolidaysSide DishesThanksgivingVegetablesVegetarian

Savory Carrot Flan

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Wanting something a little out of the ordinary for your Thanksgiving meal? This Savory Carrot Flan is an elegant, yet surprisingly easy to make side dish that your family will love. And who wouldn’t love their own individual flan?

Not quite a souffle, this dish is more like an eggy cross between a custard and a flan. It’s subtly sweet from the carrots, earthy from the cumin, and rich from the whole milk and heavy cream.

Don’t let the two-step cooking process intimidate you. If you can boil something and bake something in the oven, you can make this sophisticated dish.

WHAT IS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Butter – for sauteing and to grease the ramekins
Carrots
Shallot – you could also use a small sweet onion and a small garlic clove instead.
Whole milk – don’t use skim or low fat. You want the milkfat for extra richness
Heavy cream or whipping cream
Cumin, salt, and pepper for flavor
Cilantro – if you don’t like cilantro, use parsley or fresh thyme. Save a bit for garnishing the tops after they are baked.
Eggs

TIPS FOR MAKING SAVORY CARROT FLAN

Take the time to peel the carrots. It keeps the color of the carrots cleaner and the final flan more visually appetizing.
Be sure to cook the carrots until they are ready to fall apart. You want the carrots to be fully homogenized with the milk and cream. You should not be able to see discernable pieces of carrot.
Place the roasting pan into the oven with the ramekins of carrot flan before you pour in the boiling water. This will prevent you from splashing the water into the ramekins or getting burned.
When the flans are done baking, they will be slightly puffed. When you take them out of the oven, they will fall. This is exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Looking for a few more ‘different’ Thanksgiving sides? Here are a few suggestions:

SAVORY CARROT FLAN

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Author: Millie from Eats By The Beach
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 6
Category: Side Dish
Method: Puree and Bake
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

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4 tablespoons butter

8 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large shallot, finely minced

1 cup whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

10 sprigs cilantro, divided

4 large eggs

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a kettle of water to a full rolling boil. Keep at a low boil while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Grab a large, flat roasting pan and ensure that 6 ramekins fit inside of it. Set both aside.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.

Add the carrots, shallot, milk, heavy cream, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer for 20 – 25 minutes or until the carrots are very soft when pierced with the tip of a knife.

Meanwhile, use the remaining tablespoon of butter to grease the 6 ramekins.

Pour the cooked carrots and all of the liquid into a blender.

Add half of the cilantro and the eggs into the blender.

Blend thoroughly until smooth.

Carefully pour the mixture evenly into the 6 ramekins.

Place the ramekins into the roasting pan.

Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Don’t get the water in the ramekins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 – 45 minutes until the carrot flan is set.

Remove the ramekins from the oven and garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Serve hot.

Millie Johnson

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