Leek & Pine Nut Savory Flan in Radicchio Wrapper


These little packages of deliciousness need to be unwrapped to be eaten. The exterior is a little bit bitter, the interior is creamy and salty with little leek and pine nut surprises every bite and then.

Pressure Cooker Leek and Pine Nut Savory Flan in Radicchio Wrapper
Ingredients:
1 Head of Radicchio (long red cabbage)
1 Leek, sliced and lightly sauteed
6 eggs
1 cup or 250ml Milk
1 lb or 500g ricotta
1/2 cup or 60g Grana padana
Nutmeg
1/2 cup or 50 g. Pine nuts
generous sallt and pepper
Olive Oil (not the good stuff)		 Equipment:
Tongs
Strainer
Scissors
Forms or Ramekins
Aluminum Foil
Steamer Basket or Rack
Soup Ladle

In your pressure cooker, with the top off, boil some water and quickly shock the radicchio leaves to soften.  Just dip them in, and pull them out quickly with tongs and place them in a strainer over your sink to dry.  Slice your leek into thin disks  and sautee – reserve some of the green leaves to cut and use as ties. With a mixer, or a very fast fork, blend the ricotta, eggs and cheese.  Then, with a fork fold in the pine nuts, leeks salt and abundant pepper – a little more seasoning than you would usually use because the ricotta really needs it!

You can re-use the liquid in which you shocked the radichhio leaves in the pressure cooker to steam the flans, if you like. In the pressure cooker, add the steamer basket or rack and set aside.

Prepare the forms, by rubbing them with olive oil.  Then, artistically arrange the leaves inside.  You can use scissors to trim the edges of the leaves to get a perfect fit! Then, with a soup ladle (to keep things from getting messy) pour the mixture in the forms.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place inside the pressure cooker.

Close and lock the pressure cooker top, turn the heat to high and when it reaches pressure, turn the flame down to minimum. Count 10 minutes cooking time under pressure (cook for 15 minutes if you are using one large form). When time is up, turn off the heat and remove the pressure cooker from the burner. Let the pressure come down naturally for about 5 minutes. If after 5 minutes your pan is still under pressure, you can let the rest of the pressure out by releasing it through the valve.

Serve warm or chilled. To serve warm, let the forms cool (the flan is still cooking in it) for about 20 minutes before serving. To serve chilled, let the forms cool for about an hour before putting them in the refrigerator.

To unmold, simply turn the form upside-down onto each dish. If the flan does not come down on it’s own, insert a flat knife and run it delicately along the sides. Then, on one side pull the knife a little towards the center to break the suction. Place the plate on top of the form and flip it around quickly.

With the green parts of the leek, cut thin strips and tie decoratively around the flan before serving.

Serves 6-8.