Photo: ricette.giallozafferano.it

Presentation

Appetizer consisting of a flan prepared with broccoli, pepper, salt, eggs, Grana Padano PDO and butter, with milk, butter, flour, nutmeg and salt for the béchamel sauce, and goat’s cheese, milk, salt and pepper for the accompanying sauce.

Ingredients

for 10 people

for 10 flans

Broccoli – 1.5 kg (52.9 oz / ≈ 10–12 cups chopped)

White pepper, freshly ground – to taste

Fine salt – to taste

Eggs – 2 eggs

Grana Padano, grated – 40 g (1.4 oz / ≈ ⅓ cup)

Butter, for greasing molds – as needed

Ingredients for Béchamel Sauce

Whole milk – 250 ml (8.5 fl oz / ≈ 1 cup)

Butter – 30 g (1 oz / ≈ 2 tablespoons)

All-purpose flour (type 00) – 25 g (0.9 oz / ≈ 2 tablespoons)

Nutmeg, a pinch – to taste

Fine salt – to taste

Ingredients for Goat Cheese Sauce

Goat cheese – 250 g (8.8 oz / ≈ 1 cup)

Whole milk – as needed

Fine salt – to taste

White pepper, freshly ground – to taste

Method

Separate the broccoli florets from their stem, then wash them and set them aside. Peel the broccoli stems and cut them into pieces.

Boil the broccoli in plenty of boiling water

Drain the vegetables and leave them in a colander, so that all the excess water disappears.

Pass the broccoli through a vegetable mill (except for a few florets that you will keep aside to decorate the dishes), collecting the puree in a bowl.

In the meantime, prepare the béchamel sauce by melting the butter in a pan, adding the flour, which you will leave to brown over medium heat for a few moments

Add the milk and stir over low heat until the sauce thickens

Add salt and grated nutmeg

Turn off the heat.

Add the béchamel sauce, grated cheese and two egg yolks to the broccoli puree, keeping the egg whites aside

Mix the ingredients then season with salt and pepper.

Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently incorporate them into the broccoli mixture

Grease the molds and fill them with the mixture obtained

Place a baking sheet on the stove that can hold the molds and fill it with water for a third of its height

When the water boils, turn off the heat, immerse the molds in the bain-marie and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes.

Ten minutes before the end of cooking, prepare the goat cheese sauce: put the cheese in small pieces in a pan over very low heat

Add a little milk, just enough to dissolve the goat cheese and form a more or less thick cream, depending on taste.

Add salt, add freshly ground white pepper and mix until you get a smooth cream.

Take the molds out of the oven and, taking them with tongs or pot holders, immerse them in a bain-marie of cold water for a few seconds, to cool them quickly.

Turn the molds upside down on serving plates, so as to remove the small flans.

Sprinkle the broccoli flan with the goat cheese sauce and garnish the plates with the small boiled florets kept aside.

Serve immediately.

Allergens

• Broccoli: possible individual intolerance
• Butter: milk allergens (except in clarified butter) if not clarified
• Flour: contains gluten from cereals included in EU Regulation 1169/2011
• Goat cheese: milk allergens
• Grana Padano PDO: milk allergens
• Milk: included among the allergens in EU Regulation 1169/2011
• Nutmeg: possible reaction in case of intolerance to spices
• Pepper: possible cross-reactivity in case of intolerance to spices
• Egg: included among the allergens in EU Regulation 1169/2011

Notes

• To be prepared and handled under strict hygienic conditions.

The ingredients of the dish bring the following benefits:

• Broccoli: rich in carotenoids that support the immune system and act to protect the cardiovascular system,
• Wholemeal flours: providing zinc, an element favorable to the proper functioning of the immune system; also suitable for nephropathic patients
• Goat’s cheese: useful for the functioning of the liver for the supply of vitamins, mineral salts and antioxidants
• Grana Padano PDO: useful for the proper functioning of the liver
• Nutmeg: source of vitamin A, carotenoids and manganese with antioxidant properties favorable to the proper functioning of the immune system
• Pepper: contains piperine, a powerful antioxidant;  It improves insulin sensitivity by reducing cholesterol levels and activating metabolism. Recommended for people with cardiovascular problems.
• Eggs: source of Vitamin E that protects the immune system from harmful fatty acids

Composition

Safety / Intended use

Product also intended for subjects with:

• Anorexia -Weight Loss
• Mucositis – Inflammation and injury of the oral cavity
• Xerostomia (dry mouth)
• Dysphagia (Problems chewing – swallowing)

Not recommended in case of:

• Diarrhea