RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : BGL Flan: Caramel-Coated Orange - pareve
Recipe By : Boston GLobe Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :1:00 Categories : Passover Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- Caramel coating for the mold: 1/2 cup sugar 3 tablespoons water Orange custard: 5 large eggs 1/3 cup sugar 2 cups orange juice -- heated until lukewarm Boiling water Finely grated zest of an orange for garnish (optional) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Have nearby an ungreased 1-quart ovenproof casserole or souffle dish and potholders. Put 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons of water for the caramel into a small heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to a light boil, swirling the saucepan gently to help dissolve the sugar. When the syrup is clear, boil it rapidly, swirling the saucepan occasionally, until the syrup thickens and turns a light golden-brown color. Watch carefully and do not let it get dark brown, or it may have a burnt taste. This will take 4-6 minutes. Immediately pour the syrup, which is extremely hot, in the casserole. Quickly pick up the casserole with the potholders, and carefully tilt it in all directions, letting the syrup coat the bottom and sides, until the syrup solidifies, in about 30 seconds. Set aside. For the custard mixture, use a fork to beat the eggs in a medium-size bowl until they are well blended; then beat in 1/3 cup sugar with a fork. Beat for a minute or 2 to make sure the mixture is well combined, but not frothy. Slowly add the warm orange juice to the eggs, beating constantly. Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-coated casserole. Set the casserole into a larger pan; then add enough boiling water to the larger pan so that it comes about halfway up the outside of the casserole with the custard in it. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a small knife inserted near the center of the custard comes out clean. Remove the casserole from the water and cool the custard at room temperature for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate it for at least several hours and up to 2 days. Shortly before serving the flan, unmold it onto a serving platter that has a raised rim to hold the caramel syrup. To unmold, carefully run a knife around the top edge of the custard to loosen it from the casserole. Invert the serving platter over the casserole and then invert the two together. Lift off the casserole. If desired, sprinkle zest over the flan. Use a cake server or a very large spoon to dish out portions of the flan. Makes 6 servings. Adapted from ''The Jewish Holiday Cookbook,'' by Gloria Kaufer Greene (Random House, 1985). Sweet endings By Lise Stern, Globe Correspondent, 03/31/99 Passover is a holiday of celebration, and a holiday of shared festive meals - most notably the Seder, where friends and family gather to tell the story of the Jews' exodus from slavery in Egypt. Dessert is always part of a festive meal. Unfortunately, Passover desserts have a bad rep - often justifiably. This is due, in part, to the culinary restrictions of Passover. Five grains are biblically forbidden for consumption on Passover, or Pesach, except in the form of matzo: wheat, rye, oats, barley, and spelt. Over the years, the list of forbidden items has grown to include other grains such as corn and millet. Desserts must therefore be made without flour, although they can be made with ground matzo - matzo meal - or potato starch. I have found the results, however, to be less than tasty. Gloria Kaufer Greene, author of ''The Jewish Holiday Cookbook'' (Random House, 1985), says, ''I grew up with a mom who could cook well, except Passover dessert. Everything tasted like matzo cake meal.'' For observant Jews, all prepared ingredients used during Passover, such as spices and chocolate, must bear a ''kosher for Passover'' stamp - insurance that no leavening could have inadvertently gotten into the food used. There is another restriction. Traditionally, the Seder meals are meat meals, and the Jewish laws of kashrut forbid mixing meat and dairy. Therefore, dessert must be nondairy. This means no butter. Joan Nathan, author of several books on Jewish cooking, says, ''Most of the good Passover desserts are European nut tortes,'' cakes that use ground nuts rather than flour, and often no butter and lots of eggs. Nuts are also used frequently with egg whites for cookies. When developing dessert recipes for the holiday, Greene says, ''I wanted to find something everyone would like but would not say, `It's good for Passover.''' Green is fond of chocolate, but developed an orange flan thinking of her husband, who can't eat chocolate. She likes to bring it when she is a guest at other Seders. '' It's different. It's never something someone else has.'' This story ran on page E01 of the Boston Globe on 03/31/99. © Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Per serving: 197 Calories; 4g Fat (17% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 151mg Cholesterol; 46mg Sodium NOTES : ''The Jewish Holiday Cookbook,'' by Gloria Kaufer Greene
