Flan di Zucca (Pumpkin Flan)

This Pumpkin Flan is creamy and delicious, one of the best pumpkin appetizer recipes you should try this fall, perfect even for your Thanksgiving meal! Actually, it is good as a side dish as well, with some chicken or turkey meat, for example. My favorite is with bechamel sauce topped off with truffle paste. If you don’t like truffle, you can add some Gorgonzola cheese or any other topping with piquant flavor to highlight the sweetness of pumpkin.

Flan is a beautiful custard recipe you can find in so many cuisines across the world. From Europe to Asia and all the way to South America. The signature of pretty much every flan recipe is a delicious topping.

I grew up with my mom loving pumpkin recipes and making it for any occasion possible. I can still remember the smell of fresh pumpkin cake coming from the oven, and no matter how big it was going to be, it was never big enough for me!

If you love flans as much as I do, you should check out this delicious and easy recipe.

Pumpkin is a nutritious, versatile and delicious vegetable. Pumpkin is, this time of year, the queen of the table. I love it and use it for many recipes and, to be honest, am happy to eat it also simply roasted plain. My favorite variety is the zucca di Mantova (from the city of Mantua), cucurbita maxima, which I use in most of my recipes because it is very tasty and contains little water. If you cannot find it you can substitute it with butternut squash, which has a similar texture.

FLAN DI ZUCCA (PUMPKIN FLAN)

Total preparation time: 1 hour             Baking: 30-35 minutes                              Servings:8

INGREDIENTS

750- 800 g (1-3/4 lbs) fresh pumpkin, about 600 g (about 1-1/4 lb) cooked and mashed pumpkin
5 medium eggs
500 g (2 cups) bechamel (see recipe light bechamel)
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
4-5 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Topping
400 ml (2 scarce cups) light bechamel
Black truffle paste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven 180°C (350°F) and set the oven rack to middle position
2. Cut and clean the pumpkin, removing the seeds and filaments. Steam in a pressure cooker for about 8-10 minutes (according to the size of the peices). Remove the skin and mix in a food processor. Add the bechamel, eggs, Parmesan, sage, salt and pepper to taste
3. Bake “bain-marie” in 8 silicon molds (about 5 cm, 2.5 inch diameter) pan with 2/3 of water for about 30-35 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and leave to rest until warm
5. Remove from the molds and serve with warm bechamel sauce (1-2 tablespoons each) and truffle paste on top. – Paola