Maple Ricotta Flans Recipes

Steps:

• Place syrup in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; cool completely., In a small heavy skillet, cook and stir pecans over medium heat, about 3 minutes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon cooked syrup; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Spread on foil to cool., In a small bowl, beat cream until soft peaks form. In a large bowl, beat ricotta and mascarpone cheeses until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1/3 cup cooled syrup; gently fold in whipped cream., To serve, spoon mousse into dessert dishes. Drizzle with remaining cooled syrup; top with candied pecans.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325. Divide the 1/4 cup maple syrup among six 6 ounce custard cups to coat bottoms evenly.
• In a bowl combine eggs, cheese, sugar, vanilla and remaining teaspoon maple syrup. Mix until well combined but not foamy. Place the custard cups in a 3 quart rectangular baking dish. Divide egg mixture among custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. Place the baking dish on an oven rack. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around custard cups to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the centers comes out clean.
• Remove cups from water. Cool completly in custard cups. Cover and chill until serving time. To unmold flans, loosen edges with a knife, slipping point of knife down sides to let air inches Invert a desert plate over each flan, turn custard cup and plate over together.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325*. Divide 1/4 cup maple syrup among six 6oz custard cups; tilt custard cups to coat evenly.
• In a bowl combine eggs, cheese, sugar, vanilla, and remaining tsp of maple syrup. Mix until well combined but not foamy.
• Place the custard cups in a 9x13 dish. Divide egg mixture among custard cups. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Place the baking dish on an oven rack. Pour boiling water into the baking dish around custard cups to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for 40-45 mins or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean.
• Remove cups from water. Cool completely in custard cups. Cover and chill until serving time.
• To unmold flans, loosen edges with a knife, slipping point of knife down sides to let air inches Invert a dessert plate over each flan; turn custard cup and plate over together.

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Stir in the almonds and saute, tossing frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the almonds are a golden brown. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel, add the maple syrup and keep warm.
• Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, honey and vanilla and divide it among breakfast plates. Surround the ricotta with the berries and spoon the almond and maple syrup mixture over the ricotta. Place a slice of toasted brioche on each plate and serve warm.
• Set a medium-meshed sieve over a deep bowl. Line the sieve with two double layers of cheesecloth and dampen the cheesecloth.
• Pour the milk and cream into a large stainless steel or enameled pot such as Le Creuset and stir in the salt. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally (a full rolling boil means that the bubbles have expanded in the pot). Turn off the heat and stir in the vinegar. Allow the mixture to stand for one minute until it curdles.
• Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined sieve and allow it to drain into the bowl, discarding the liquid as it collects in the bowl. Allow it to drain at room temperature for 20 to 25 minutes. The longer you let the mixture drain, the thicker it will be. Transfer the ricotta to another bowl, discarding the cheesecloth and any remaining liquid. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Yield: about 2 cups

Steps:

• 1. To prepare the flan, place the maple syrup in a large, heavy saucepan. Set it over low heat and let simmer until the syrup is reduced by a quarter (to 3/4 cup), 15 to 20 minutes.
• 2. Add the cream to the syrup and stir until mixture is smooth and comes back to a simmer.
• 3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Add a little of the hot maple cream into the eggs to warm them, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from curdling. Pour the mixture into the saucepan, whisking the cream constantly. Strain the mixture into a bowl, stir in the salt, and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
• 4. Preheat oven to 300°F. Place 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat, then add the sugar and corn syrup. Raise the heat to high and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture becomes a dark amber caramel, 7 to 10 minutes. Immediately pour the caramel into an 8-inch round nonstick cake pan, tilting to make sure the sides are well coated. Work quickly so the caramel doesn't harden. If it does, rewarm it over low heat.
• 5. Pour the maple custard into the caramel-coated cake pan. Place it in a baking pan and carefully move it to the oven rack. Pour enough very hot water into the baking pan to reach two thirds of the way up the side of the cake pan. Cover the baking pan with foil and prick all over with a fork. Bake the flan for about 1 hour, then lift off a corner of the foil to vent the steam. Re-cover the pan and continue to bake until the flan is set around the edges but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 45 minutes longer. Remove the flan from the baking pan and transfer to a rack. Let cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
• 6. To prepare the walnut crust, preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts out on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven, stirring once or twice, until they smell nutty, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.
• 7. Using a food processor, pulse the walnuts until they are finely ground, then reserve. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Beat in the egg. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, walnuts, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2 batches, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Mix until the dough just holds together. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Wrap it and chill for at least 1 hour, until firm.
• 8. Preheat oven to 325°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick into a 12-inch round. Fit the dough into a 9-inch quiche pan. Trim away any excess dough, then use a fork to prick the crust all over. Bake the tart crust until it's pale golden, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. (The tart shell can be made 8 hours ahead and kept at room temperature or frozen.)
• 9. To unmold the flan, run a small knife around the sides of the cake pan, then invert the flan into the baked tart shell. Serve with whipped crème fraîche, if desired.
• Variation
• For individual flans without crust, divide the caramel and then the maple custard evenly among eight 4-ounce glass or ceramic ramekins. Bake as directed for 1 hour and 30 minutes, venting the steam after 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring 1 cup maple syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool just until foam subsides. Pour into an 8-inch round cake pan, tilting pan to evenly coat bottom and sides to rim. Place cake pan in center of a roasting pan.
• Gently whisk together eggs, egg yolks, half-and-half, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup syrup in a bowl. Skim off and discard any foam from surface. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into cake pan. Pour enough scalding-hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.
• Bake until flan is set along edges but still very wobbly in center, 50 to 60 minutes. (Flan will continue to set as it cools.) Carefully remove pan from hot-water bath and place on a wire rack; let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours.
• When ready to serve, run a thin-bladed knife between flan and sides of pan to loosen. Place a rimmed plate or platter upside down over pan, then hold onto pan and plate and quickly invert together. Carefully lift pan, tapping on bottom if necessary to release flan. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.