Just served this dish for a ‘pre Easter Sunday Buffet’ dinner at our house.  It got great reviews.  It served 13 with some leftovers.  There were several other side dishes, but I think this would have been enough to serve 10 easily.  I used 4 cups of frozen spinach, thawed with the moisture squeezed out.  I used a dish towel to do this—did not cook the spinach.  It didn’t come out of the ring mold easily and had to be pieced together. I put it on an oven proof dish and baked it about 30 minutes more.  After reading this, if you still want to try this dish, read on.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Milk, Scalded
• 4 1/2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Minced Onion
• 1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 4 1/2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
• 3/4  Teaspoon Nutmeg
• 3 Eggs, Well Beaten
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 3 3/4 Cups Well Drained  Spinach

Butter a 2 quart ring mold generously. Bring the milk to a boil with the butter.  Sauté the onions with a small amount of butter until transparent.  Scrape onions into a mixing bowl and add the parmesan cheese, flour, salt and nutmeg.  Mix well and add the beaten eggs.  In a thin stream, add the hot milk and the butter mixture, beating constantly.  Add the lemon juice and spinach, mix well.  Turn into the prepared mold and set in a pan of boiling water.  Place in lower third of preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 1 hour or until firm.  Remove from water and let set for 5 minutes.  Run knife around edge and reverse on a  warm platter.  Fill center with sautéed cherry tomatoes.  Serve immediately.

I made this early in the day and reheated before adding the cherry tomatoes.  See separate recipe for Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes.

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Thank you Katie from Hana Hou for this recipe.  I believe it to be one of the best crème brulee anywhere.  Maybe that’s because she uses fresh laid eggs from her own chickens. For now, you’ll have to decide whether or not to strain the vanilla been seeds out of the cream.  I’ve actually never worked with vanilla beans—but I will ask Katie next time we see her. If I use this recipe before I ask Katie, I would strain the cream to get the seeds out.

Hint:  put a dish towel on the bottom of the roasting pan to keep bowls from sliding around.

Serves 6

• 1  vanilla bean
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup super fine sugar
• 2 tbsp. almond or orange liqueur (optional)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Place six bowls in a roasting pan.  Set aside.  Split vanilla bean with knife lengthwise and scrape seeds into medium sauce pan. Add cream over medium heat, stir til just to a boil.  Remove from heat and set aside for 15 or 20 minutes.  In medium mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, fine sugar and liqueur until blended.  Whisk in hot cream.  Pour mix into six bowls equally.  Pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come 1/2 way up sides of bowls.

Bake for about 30 minutes or till center is jello- like when juggled.  Remove from pan and let cool.

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over surface of crème.  Use torch to  caramelize sugar  —or use oven broiler  for 30-60 seconds.

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