Almond Orange Flan For Passover Food

ORANGE-ALMOND FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water. Stir until completely dissolved. Place pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until syrup begins to bubble. Stop stirring and allow pan to sit until syrup begins to turn golden at edges, brushing down any sugar crystals with a brush dipped in cold water. Occasionally rotate pan to mix syrup without stirring it, then replace over heat. Continue doing this until syrup is evenly golden brown. Pour caramel into an 8-inch round flan mold or cake pan, or 10 to 12 3-inch fluted molds, tilting to spread caramel evenly along bottom. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, mix together remaining 2 cups sugar with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool until lukewarm.
• Whisk together yolks and whole eggs until blended, then pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add orange zest, orange juice and ground almonds. Whisk in sugar syrup. Pour into caramel-lined mold or molds, filling to just below rim. Cover mold or molds tightly with foil.
• Place mold or molds into a larger pan. Pour enough hot water into large pan to reach halfway up side of flan mold. Bake until a knife inserted halfway into flan comes out clean, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on type of pan and oven used.
• Allow flan to cool, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, warm base of pan by dipping it briefly in a pan of hot water. Invert onto a plate, and serve immediately.

SEVEN LAYER CAKE FOR PASSOVER

Steps:

• To make the sponge:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by greasing them and lining with parchment.
• Sift the matzo cake meal, potato starch and salt together, set aside. In a mixer whip the eggs and sugar, for about 8 minutes.
• The eggs should be very light in color and a thick foam. At the very end, add the vanilla and zest.
• Sift the dry ingredients over the egg foam.
• Very gently, but thoroughly, fold the dry ingredients into the egg foam.
• Pour the batter into one of the prepared pans and spread evenly with a spatula.
• Bake the cake for about 18 minutes or until golden and dry when poked with a cake tester. Repeat with the second cake layer.
• To make the buttercream:
• In a small pot, fitted with a candy thermometer, heat 2 cups sugar, water and cream of tartar to 242 degrees F. This will take several minutes, so get your eggs started.
• Whisk together the eggs, yolks and 1/3 cup sugar. Beat the eggs on medium high speed until light in color and thick.
• Once the sugar has reached 242 degrees F, add it very carefully and slowly to the eggs, while the beater is going on slow speed. Be sure to pour the syrup along the edge of the bowl, not directly onto the beater or it will splatter. Continue beating the egg mixture on medium-high speed until the eggs have cooled, about 8 minutes.
• Once the eggs are cooled, add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time. The mixture will go through a stage when it looks soupy and curdled, but keep adding the butter and it will come together. After all the butter is added, mix in the vanilla.
• The buttercream will be smooth and glossy.
• Divide 1/3 of the buttercream into a separate bowl and add the poppy seed paste.
• To the remaining buttercream, add the melted chocolate.
• If you are not going to use the buttercream right away, cover it and leave it at room temperature for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to use it, give it a good stirring or put it back in the mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until smooth.
• To make the soaking syrup:
• In a small saucepan heat the sugar, water and zest over medium heat until the sugar has fully dissolved.
• Cut each sheet of cake into 4 equal pieces (they will be about 4 inches wide and 12 inches long).
• Lay the first layer of cake on the serving platter and brush with the soaking syrup. You want to dab the syrup on, but don't overly saturate the cake or it will be soggy.
• Spread a thin layer of the poppy seed buttercream over the soaked layer.
• Repeat with 5 more layers and then finish with the 7th layer of cake. This will leave you with one extra. Since my cake is not traditional anyway, you should feel free to use up that last layer. If you want to keep it to seven layers, then I suggest you use that lonely extra layer as a snack.
• If your layers need squaring up, just trim them with a sharp serrated bread knife.
• Stir the chocolate buttercream to make sure it is smooth and cover the entire cake in a nice even layer.
• It is okay if it isn't perfectly smooth, because we're going to add some rough stripes to the outside.
• Take a small blob of buttercream on the end of your spatula,
• and starting at the end of the cake, on the bottom, spread that blob in a stripe along the cake. Repeat over and over again, but alternate which side you start on. Repeat this on the top as well.
• You will end up with rough stripes all over the cake, which gives the cake some texture.
• Using a sharp chef's knife, scrape the smooth side of a bar of chocolate with the blade, so that the chocolate curls up. If the chocolate is very cold and brittle, try sitting it in the sun for a few minutes and the curls will come more easily. Cover the top with the chocolate shavings.

ORANGE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together, then add zest, orange juice, heavy cream, and salt, and whisk to combine. Strain the mixture and fill caramelized lined ramekins. Put ramekins in hot water bath and bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes or until firm.
• Allow to cool to room temperature then refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
• Caramel:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• Put the sugar and water in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer without stirring. Cover the saucepan with a lid for 2 minutes, them remove and simmer until mixture is an amber color. Pour caramel into ramekins to cover the bottom, and swirl to coat 1/3 up the sides of ramekins.
• Yield: enough to coat 4 to 6 ramekins

FLAN DE NARANJA: ORANGE-FLAVORED FLAN

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan, mix together the sugar and water, bring it to boil at high heat. When it reaches a deep-golden brown color, after about 8 minutes, pour into 6 (8-ounce) ramekins. Let cool.
• In a medium sauce pan mix the whole milk, half-and-half, sugar, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• In a medium-size bowl whisk the eggs. Return the milk mixture to a boil and then remove from heat. Slowly pour 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the eggs, whisking briskly to temper the eggs. Then add the egg mixture to the milk mixture, mixing thoroughly. Strain the custard into a spouted measuring cup.
• Pour mixture into the ramekins with the caramel. Bake in a water bath, covered with foil, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool at room temperature.
• Remove the flan from the molds by gently loosening the sides with a small knife. Garnish with orange segments and mint leaves.

CHAROSET

Steps:

• In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients. Serve.

ALMOND FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place oven rack in middle position. Put sugar in a round 9-by-3-inch cake pan. Using a heavy oven mitt or tongs, place the pan directly over medium heat to caramelize the sugar. Heat until the sugar liquefies, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Do not touch the melted sugar - it will cause serious burns. When the hot liquid in the pan is a golden brown color, remove from heat and set aside on a rack to cool and harden.
• In a blender, combine the almonds, condensed milk, whole milk, eggs, yolks, and vanilla. Process on medium speed until well blended. Pour custard mixture over the prepared caramel. Place the cake pan in a larger, deeper pan and pour about an inch of hot water around the cake pan to make a water bath. Cover the flan loosely with a foil tent and place the larger pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until flan is set in the center (it will no longer jiggle). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack at room temperature. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
• To serve, run a knife or thin spatula around the edge of the flan to release it from the sides of the pan. Place a 10-inch (or larger) serving platter on top of the pan. Turn the platter over and gently remove the cake pan, leaving flan on the serving platter. Using a flexible spatula, scrape up as much of the caramel as possible from the bottom of the pan and pour over the flan. Cut into triangular wedges and serve.

ORANGE-ALMOND FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a small heavy skillet (preferably non-stick) without stirring, heat 1 cup of the sugar over medium heat until it begins to melt. Cook and stir for 4 or 5 minutes or until the sugar turns a rich brown. Be careful not to burn. Remove skillet from heat and immediately pour caramelized sugar into an 8-inch round flan mold, cake pan, or casserole dish. Holding dish with pot holders, quickly rotate dish so that the sugar coats the bottom and sides evenly. Set aside to cool.
• In a medium saucepan, mix together remaining 2 cups sugar with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool until lukewarm.
• Whisk together yolks and whole eggs until blended, then pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Add orange zest, orange juice and ground almonds. Whisk in sugar syrup. Pour into caramel-lined mold, filling to just below rim. Cover mold tightly with foil.
• Place mold into a larger pan. Pour enough hot water into large pan to reach halfway up side of flan mold. Bake until a knife inserted halfway into flan comes out clean, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on type of pan and oven used. Do not over bake.
• Allow flan to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, warm base of pan by dipping it briefly in a pan of hot water. Invert onto a plate, and serve immediately.

ORANGE FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle.
• Bring water and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, then wash down any sugar crystals from side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Boil, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally so caramel colors evenly, until dark amber. Immediately pour caramel into baking dish and tilt to coat bottom (dish will be hot). Cool until hardened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk together remaining ingredients, including remaining 3/4 cup sugar (or blend in a blender). Pour custard over caramel.
• Bake in a water bath until custard is set 3 inches from edge but still wobbly in center, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer flan in dish to a rack to cool completely, about 40 minutes (flan will continue to set as it cools). Chill until cold, at least 8 hours.
• To unmold flan, run a thin knife around edge of dish, then dip dish briefly (about 20 seconds) in a pan of very warm water. Invert a large platter with a rim over baking dish, then quickly invert to turn out flan onto platter (caramel will pour out over and around flan). Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving.