Parsnip Flan

From Quiches & Flans, Janet Hunt, Thorsons Publishers, 1982.

I saw some nice fresh parsnips at the store so thought they would be good for this parsnip flan. From the publishing date of the recipe book and the tattered condition of it you can see it's had it s fair share of use.

The base of the flan was quite unusual. It was made from 100g rolled oats and 50g plain flour mixed together. Two tablespoons vegetable oil were now added, salt and pepper and enough water to make a dough. This was pressed into the flan case. It was thick and firm and stuck quite well to the base and sides.

Now 450g parsnips were peeled and cut into slices and then steamed until soft. They were then mashed and mixed with 50g cheddar cheese, 2 beaten eggs, a little freshly grated nutmeg and seasonings. This went into the flan case, pumpkin seeds were sprinkled over and it was baked in a 200ºC oven for 30 minutes.

The flan was quite delicately flavoured. The parsnip flavour was not at all strong but came through gently. The rolled oats case worked rather well and added another crunch to that of the pumpkin seeds. What went against the flan though was the fact that it quite thick and heavy in texture.

Taste: ✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔✔