Goat Cheese & Green Onion Flan

by Michael Weller
Michael Weller is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, works in the SF Bay Area as a pastry chef and was a previous consulting chef to BARGETTO Winery.

Ingredients:
10 oz goat cheese
1 qt. heavy cream OR milk OR nonfat milk
7 eggs
2 bunches green onions, roots removed, white and half of green part chopped
butter

Procedure:
1. Decision time. Do you want to use cream, and just ingest the calories and the best flavor? Or do you want to be really good, and use the nonfat milk? If you cannot decide, go with the regular milk and split the difference. All three dairy products work, so choose what you will, and get on with the recipe.
2. Bring the cream to just below boil, then pour over the goat cheese in a heatproof bowl.
3. Stir until the goat cheese melts and blends with the cream.
4. Whisk the eggs together in a separate heatproof bowl.
5. Pour the hot cream mix, a little at a time, into the eggs, whisk constantly to avoid scrambling of the eggs.
6. Add the chopped green onions to the mix.
7. Pour the mix into buttered, ovenproof coffee mug or similar containers.
8. Put the cups into a larger container, like a roasting pan.
9. Then add boiling water around the cups to form a water bath (the water should come about two-thirds of the way up the sides of the coffee mugs.
10. Bake until set, about half an hour in a 350° oven. The tops should be just slightly golden, and the custard should wobble a little, but not be liquid.
11. Cool until warm, then unmold onto plates and serve with foccacia toast and tossed greens for a summertime first course, a light lunch or a great brunch entree.

Whatever the meal, serve the flans with Bargetto’s Pinot Grigio!

Yields 4 savory servings.