Prawns and porcini flan
- 1 lb scampi , peeled
- 1 lb Porcini Mushrooms
- 2 oz butter
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup white wine
- 2 ½ tablespoons Cognac liqueur
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 oz parsley
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 oz heavy cream
- 3 ½ oz grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- nutmeg
- salt and pepper
To make the sauce:in a pan over medium heat, stir the flour into the butter and, before it browns, add the warm milk.
Bring to the boil, whisking. Season with salt and pepper.
After boiling for 30 minutes, pass mixture through a strainer to remove any lumps. Off the heat, add the grated Parmesan cheese and mix well.
To prepare the prawns:Peel the prawns. SautƩ garlic in butter and remove it once golden.
Ā SautĆ© prawns in the garlic-flavored butter, add the wine and a pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Also add the Congnac, but be sure to remove then pan from the heat before doing so.
To prepare the mushrooms, sautƩ the sliced mushrooms in oil with a garlic clove, salt and pepper. Remove the garlic clove when golden-brown.
Away from the heat, add the parsley to the mushrooms.
Mix together the prawns, mushrooms, sauce, the egg yolk, cream and grated Parmesan cheese. Divide the mixture between individual ramekins or small molds, lined with parchment paper. Place in the oven and broil for 10 minutes.
Food History
In ancient times, eggs were considered extremely precious because they important symbol of life and an excellent source of energy. In ancient Egypt, for example, eggs were only to be eaten by pharaohs and priests, while in ancient Greece, Galen, a Roman physician, prescribed a diet rich in eggs to his elderly patients to keep them strong. In Rome, eggs were eaten only by the nobles and were often served with bread, olives and wine as a sort of appetizer.Ā Various egg-based recipes have been passed down from the Romans by Apicius in his book De re coquinaria. It is also known that important historical figures like Juvenal and Martial were particularly fond of these recipes. Even in the Middle Ages, eggs continued to be considered extremely precious to the point that Charlemagne demanded that at least one hundred hens were producing eggs on each of his farms. During the same period, feudal land owners you accept eggs as a tax payment. Later in the 15th century, even the philosopher Erasmus of Rotterdam was a huge egg-fan and, in one of his written works, suggested soaking up any leftover eggĆ la coquewith a piece of bread rather than oneās finger.
Did you know that…
According to legend, eggs were Danteās favorite food? A famous anecdote suggests that, due to the Florentine poetās incredible memory, one day he was stopped in a piazza in Florence and asked what the most delicious food was in the world. His answer was the egg. A year later, the unknown man bumped into Dante on the street again and asked āprepared in which way? Remembering his first encounter with this stranger, Dante responded āwith salt.ā
Other suggested recipes
This dish is part of our Valentineās Day menu.
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