The pumpkin flans with parmesan fondue and crispy bacon are a simple yet impressive single-serving appetizer, perfect for an elegant occasion that will surely occur during the upcoming holiday season. Soft and velvety, these pumpkin soufflés visually look almost like desserts but will win you over with their robust pumpkin flavor, well contrasted by the savory taste of parmesan fondue and crispy bacon.
With a soft and velvety texture, the pumpkin flans with parmesan fondue are a very chic dish, which might suggest a lengthy and laborious preparation. Not at all! You just have to cook the pumpkin in a pan – choose a variety with little water content like Delica, Mantovana, or Okkaido – and blend it with a hand blender together with the other ingredients. The pumpkin flans are baked in a water bath, ensuring they have the right moisture, giving you time to prepare a quick parmesan fondue. The pumpkin flans are prepared without flour: they are therefore perfect for celiac guests!
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 436.89 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 7.03 (g) of which sugars 4.26 (g)
- Proteins 15.37 (g)
- Fat 39.24 (g) of which saturated 8.69 (g)of which unsaturated 5.46 (g)
- Fibers 0.39 (g)
- Sodium 366.16 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 110 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for 4 single-serving pumpkin flans
If you are celiac, make sure the bacon is labeled “gluten-free!
- 8.5 oz Delica pumpkin (net of skin and seeds)
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 0.35 oz onion
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 3.5 oz milk
- 3.5 oz fresh liquid cream (unsweetened)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 knob butter (for the ramekins)
- 3.5 oz fresh liquid cream (unsweetened)
- 2.8 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 3 slices bacon
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pan non-stick with lid
- 1 Immersion blender
- 1 Tall glass tall, for the immersion blender
- 4 Ramekins single-serving 125 ml
- 1 Baking dish with high edges
- 1 Kettle
How to prepare pumpkin flans with parmesan fondue and crispy bacon
For the English version of this recipe click here!
To prepare the pumpkin flans with parmesan fondue, start by removing the pumpkin skin (1). Remove the seeds and fibers and cut it into cubes (2). Weigh the pumpkin pulp, which should be 8.5 oz.
In a non-stick pan pour three tablespoons of oil and add a small slice of onion (3). Do not exaggerate with the onion so as not to cover the pumpkin’s flavor.
Briefly sauté it on low heat, then add the pumpkin (4) and a pinch of salt. Let it flavor for about ten seconds, then sprinkle with half a glass of hot water (5).
Cover the pan with a lid (6) and cook the pumpkin for 10-15 minutes over high heat until it is tender.
Then remove the lid and let the cooking bottom dry, then turn off the heat (7). Let the pumpkin cool slightly, then pour it into the tall glass of the immersion blender and add the milk (8).
Carefully blend until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture. Also add the cream, a pinch of salt, nutmeg, parmesan, and eggs (9).
Blend again for a few seconds until you get a smooth, homogeneous, and rather liquid mixture (10). Grease the single-serving molds (11) and pour the mixture, filling to the edge. Place the molds in a baking dish with high edges (12).
Bring plenty of water to a boil and pour it into the bottom of the baking dish, being careful not to wet the flans, filling it to about 2/3 of the height of the molds (13). To avoid having to boil a lot of water, it’s better to use a not too large baking dish.
Bake the pumpkin flans in the preheated oven at 320°F (static mode) for 35-40 minutes without ever opening the oven. After 35 minutes, you can quickly check if the flans are ready by inserting a toothpick: if the batter is still liquid, continue cooking.
When they are cooked, remove the pumpkin flans from the oven (14) and immediately remove the molds from the water bath baking dish. Do not unmold them immediately or they will break; you need to let them cool for about ten minutes.
While the pumpkin soufflés are baking, you can prepare the parmesan fondue: pour the cream into a milk boiler and place it over low heat. When hot, add the parmesan one tablespoon at a time, stirring well to dissolve it.
After incorporating all the parmesan, you can turn off the heat even if your fondue seems a bit liquid (15). It will thicken slightly as it cools (16).
Finally, take care of the bacon: heat a non-stick pan on the stove without additional seasonings and place the bacon slices in it (17).
Cook them for about 1 minute on each side, until golden, then let them dry on a paper towel (18).
Now you just need to plate your pumpkin flans: with the help of a knife, detach the batter from the edges of the molds, then flip each mold onto a plate (19). Garnish with plenty of parmesan fondue and finish with crumbled bacon (20).
Serve the pumpkin flans with parmesan fondue and crispy bacon immediately, as an appetizer that goes well with an elegant meat-based menu.
How to store the flans
The already cooked pumpkin flans can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days or can be frozen. In both cases, they should be reheated in the oven or microwave.
Tips and variations
If you don’t like onion or want a lighter cooking method, you can steam the pumpkin or cook it in the microwave as indicated here.
Instead of parmesan fondue, you can prepare a gorgonzola fondue using this recipe.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use milk instead of cream?
For this recipe, cream is essential, both for the flan batter, which otherwise will not have the right consistency, and for the fondue, which would be too liquid with milk.
