If you want to experience a true taste of France right from your own kitchen, this flan de carottes is exactly what your palate needs. Delicately sweet and savory, it combines the smooth richness of crème fraîche and gruyère cheese with the gentle sweetness of carrots and a hint of nutmeg.
The French adore their cream, and I’ve often marveled at how they manage to enjoy it so freely while staying effortlessly trim. When I visited Paris a few years ago, I actually lost ten pounds—despite eating three full meals a day and snacking in between! Of course, all that walking helped, but I also think their smaller portions make a big difference.
That’s why I love this recipe. The flan isn’t huge—it’s a modest serving—but it’s perfectly satisfying. Trust me, you won’t need more.
Serve it with a crisp side salad, a piece of chicken (try it with my chicken piccata recipe), or simply enjoy it on its own. However you serve it, just make it—and let your kitchen transport you to France for a little while.
Bon appétit!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup hand grated gruyere
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup crème fraiche
- ½ teaspoon Maldon salt
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” coins
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ tsp Maldon salt
- 1-2 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 tsp Chicken Boullion if you don’t have chicken stock
- ¼ tsp Maldon salt
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp softened butter or oil
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the crème fraiche, gruyère cheese, eggs, salt and nutmeg. Beat until everything is mixed. It will be lumpy because of the grated cheese.
- Sauté the carrots in a large frying pan with butter and salt. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Then add chicken bouillon and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then as the water evaporates, add one additional cup of water.
- Once carrots are soft, use an immersion blender to blend the carrots into a puree.
- After letting sit for 5 minutes, mix the puree in the egg mixture bowl.
- Pour into buttered ramekins and place into a water bath.
- Cook in the oven on convection mode at 325 ° F for 30-35 minutes. Once the tops brown and the flan separates from the side of the ramekin, it’s done.
- This is important – let cool for a minimum of 5 minutes – longer if possible, up to 20 minutes so you can flip it onto a plate.
Then simply enjoy your trip overseas with the very first bite!
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