Broccoli Flans with Goat Cheese Sauce

To prepare the broccoli flans, start by cleaning the broccoli: separate the florets from the stalk 1, then wash them and set aside. Peel the broccoli stalks 2 and cut them into small pieces 3.

Submerge the broccoli in plenty of salted boiling water 4 and cook for about 15 minutes 5. When they are tender, transfer the broccoli to a colander and let them drain well 6.

Meanwhile, prepare the béchamel sauce: in a small saucepan put butter, salt, and pepper 7. Flavor with grated nutmeg 8 and let it melt completely. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and quickly stir with a whisk 9.

Cook for a few seconds until you have obtained a golden roux. At this point, pour the milk all at once and continue to cook, stirring continuously until you reach the desired consistency 11. Let the béchamel cool slightly. Meanwhile, pass the broccoli through a food mill 12 (except for a few florets which you will set aside for garnish), collecting the puree in a bowl.

Add the grated cheese 13, egg yolks 14 (set the egg whites aside), salt 15, and pepper to the broccoli puree.

Add the béchamel sauce 16 and mix the mixture thoroughly 17. Now beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form 18.

Gently fold them into the broccoli mixture with a spatula or spoon 19, being careful not to deflate the batter. Once smooth, transfer the mixture into a piping bag for convenience. Butter and coat 10 molds with breadcrumbs, each with a capacity of 4 oz 21.

Place the molds in a baking pan and fill them with the mixture, leaving about 1/2 inch from the top 22, then level the surface with the back of a teaspoon 23. Pour preheated water into the pan until it reaches a third of the height of the molds 24. Proceed with a bain-marie cooking method, preheating the oven to 356°F and baking for about 40 minutes.

10 minutes before the end of cooking, prepare the goat cheese sauce: place the cheese pieces in a saucepan 25 and turn on the very low heat. Add the milk 26, stirring with a whisk 27 just enough to melt the goat cheese and obtain a cream more or less dense, according to taste.

Salt 28, pepper, and stir 29 until you obtain a smooth and lump-free cream. After the cooking time, check the consistency of the flans and remove the molds from the oven 30.

You are ready to serve: spread the goat cheese sauce at the base of the plate 31, then gently invert the molds to center the flans on the plate. Garnish with the boiled broccoli florets set aside 32 and finish with additional goat cheese sauce to taste. Your broccoli flans with goat cheese sauce are ready to be served 33!