What a treat I have for you today! If you’re wondering what to make for Shavuot — and want something visually and culinarily impressive, then you must try this Roasted Red Pepper Flan from May I Have That Recipe.
A huge thank you to you, Mara for inviting us to be a guest on your blog. It is truly an honor!
Anyone who knows us, knows that we absolutely love cheese. There is something very comforting about it. As far as we’re concerned, there’s nothing better than a plain piece of crunchy bread with a good piece of sharp cheese, some fresh tomato slices and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.
And with Shavuot right around the corner, we have already been thinking about all the great cheese creations that we will be serving for dinner!
Every year, our kids request Safta’s (our grandmother) cheese borekas, home made, buttery dough filled with cheese and egg. They are so amazingly delicious, we can never make enough of them!
Since they probably won’t make it the dinner table, we decided to come up with another appetizer. Something light and creamy, that would pair well with a fresh salad…. Like this roasted pepper and basil cream flan.
It’s light, it’s airy, it’s creamy and looks decadent and elegant, almost as if it was created at a fancy restaurant…
And the best part is, it can be made 1 -2 days ahead of time and served cold or warm. If you’ve never had a savory flan, go ahead, give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.
Roasted Red Pepper and Basil Cream Flan 
Equipment needed:
- Food processor
- 2 disposable aluminum muffin tins (hold 6 each)
- 2 baking dishes that can hold the muffin tins
Ingredients needed:
- 3 red bell peppers or 4-5 jarred roasted red peppers
- 1 1/2 cups 2% milk
- 3 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt
Basil Cream:
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup part skim ricotta
- 1/8 – 1/16 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Roast peppers on lined baking sheet at 375F for 30 minutes.
Remove peppers from oven and carefully transfer them to a bowl. Seal with plastic wrap and let them cool for about 15 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temperature to 325F. Coat muffin tins generously with cooking spray.
In the mean time, prepare the basil cream:
Combine basil leaves, 1/8 tsp salt and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth.
Transfer basil to a small bowl, add ricotta and black pepper and mix carefully by hand until smooth and creamy. Add 2 tsp grated parmesan cheese and mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
Once the roasted peppers have cooled, carefully remove the skin, stem and seeds.
Puree peppers in food processor until creamy (you should end up with 3/4 cup of pepper puree).
Transfer puree into a medium bowl. Add milk, beaten eggs, 1 cup grated Parmesan and 1/2 tsp salt and mix well. Pour mixture evenly into 2 disposable muffin tin pans (6 muffins per tin).
Carefully, add one teaspoon of basil cream in the center of each one.
Place each muffin tin inside a baking dish. Fill 3/4 way with boiling water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and carefully place the pans in the oven. Bake at 325F for 35 minutes.
Carefully remove from the oven. Let them cool for 15 -20 minutes and refrigerate until ready to serve
Before serving carefully run a butter knife around the edges of each red pepper flan. Place a flat plate or tray lined with paper towels over the muffin tin and flip them over. Gently tap the bottoms to release the flan. The paper towels will absorb any excess moisture from the flan.
Serve on a bed of greens for a beautiful, festive presentation.
We are two Sephardic sisters, Vicky and Ruth, raised in Barcelona, Spain with Middle Eastern roots. We grew up eating the best, most flavorful, comforting home-cooked meals prepared by our mom, who taught us everything we know about cooking. When we moved here to the U.S. we felt it was really important to keep our traditions and background alive, and we’ve done so by sharing it with everyone we’ve met throughout the years. After all, what better way to make new friends and share our love and culture than through food, right? Our friends have come to enjoy our food and gatherings so much that are always asking us for our recipes. That inspired us to start our cooking blog May I Have That Recipe, where we share recipes we’ve created through the inspiration of our multicultural background. Our cooking is seasonal, bold, full of flavor and mouth-watering. We feature classic Middle Eastern recipes with a twist, seasonal Mediterranean recipes and much more.
I am so excited about this dish!! It is exactly the type of food we love to eat and I know that my guests will be impressed! Thank you so much Vicky and Ruth!