Chive Flan with Carrot Emulsion by Martha

I won't tell you how many times I tested the flan recipe (okay .... three times). First time I covered the muffin tin in the water bath, but didn't cover it tightly enough, so water condensed on the foil and dripped back into the flan, leaving me with a mixture that wouldn't congeal. Off to Harris Teeter for more chives. Great, none in the store. I had some left from the first try, so I thought I'd just supplement them with some wild chives from the garden. Winter herbs have no taste ... so the mixture was b.l.a.n.d. Off to Giant at 6 AM and eurica chives! Third time is a charm. (I baked it this time with no cover.) This flan is a nice counterpoint to serve with spicy food.

Chive Flan

1/2 cup finely chopped chives plus more for garnish
2 cups half-and-half
3 whole large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks


Equipment: flexible silicone small-size muffin pan. I buttered the pan for safety sake.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Simmer (do not boil) chives and half-and-half in a small heavy saucepan 5 minutes, then let stand, covered, 15 minutes.

Whisk together egg and yolk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. I used a 4-cup measuring cup, which made pouring the hot liquid into the molds fairly easy. Whisk in chive mixture until blended. Put mold on a rack in a roasting pan and fill each cup about 3/4 full.

Bake in a water bath until flan is just set, 15 - 20 minutes. Carefully remove mold from water bath. Cool flans at room temperature, then chill until cold, at least 1 hour.

To serve: Run a thin knife around flans to loosen. Invert mold onto a baking sheet and, pressing gently, pop out flans (or lift out of muffin pans with a small offset spatula). Either decorate the plate with the following carrot emulsion or serve it on the side. I did both.

Carrot Emulsion

1-1/3 cup fresh carrot juice
1/4 tsp. ground cardamon
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. honey
Salt to taste
4 Tbsp. butter cut into small pieces

Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until reduced by 1/3. Whisk in butter to finish the sauce.

Here's a hint when reducing liquid that I picked up from one of Alton Brown's shows. When you pour all of the ingredients into the saucepan, stand a toothpick up in the center. Remove the toothpick and mark the "high-water line" with a marker. As the liquid reduces, do the same with another toothpick and by comparing the "high-water lines" you'll be able to easily judge how much of the liquid has condensed.