Cheese flan is a dish that originated in the local mountains, employing an expression we locals use to refer to the villages of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines.
The dish is part of the culinary traditions of the Romagna Toscana area and the Bolognese Apennines. From there, the recipe spread to the city of Bologna and the surrounding plains.
In the past, the recipe called for only grated Parmigiano. The inclusion of other cheeses is a more recent development. Maddalena, my paternal grandmother, who was born and raised in the mountains between Romagna and Tuscany, used only grated Parmigiano. My mother-in-law, who is from Bologna, even though her father was from Rimini, uses only Emmental, and it’s equally delicious.
It was a dish reserved for the most important holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. In my childhood home, I remember it was mainly served at Easter, whereas at my husband’s house, it’s part of the Christmas menu.
In both cases, the flan was baked, and I still make it this way, in a ring mold with a hole in the center. My grandmothers and my mother-in-law would serve it with small meatballs arranged in the middle of the flan. Again, like them, I make small meatballs that cook separately with the peas. I always use Grandma Sara’s recipe, which calls for a pinch of Italian sausage. A flavor that pairs well with the cheeses.
Before the flan recipe, you’ll find the link to the meatball recipe.
Flan cheese
If we go back a few decades, those who could afford it would serve the flan with meatballs; for everyone else, the majority, it was chicken liver pâté, which, like all offal, was more affordable. And then, of course, there were the sides of vegetables, such as baked potatoes, friggione Bolognese, sweet-and-sour onions, and cardoons with béchamel sauce.
The flan should be served hot or warm with a warm side and warm meatballs.
Today, cheese flan is a somewhat forgotten dish. You can find the recipe online, but it lacks history and identity. It belongs everywhere and yet nowhere. And even though this is the fate of many local Italian recipes, I like to think of this blog as a place that offers shelter and care to recipes battered by the loss of memory and flavor.
Here’s my recipe.
After making the béchamel sauce, I add the eggs, then mix in grated Parmesan, Pecorino, and Emmental. You can use just one type of cheese, or even add some Gruyère for a four-cheese flan.
That’s where the innovation ends. The method, mixing and baking in a water bath in the oven, is traditional, just as the women in my family used to do.
Recipes to serve with the casserole
On the blog, you’ll find Grandma Sara’s recipe for savory meatballs. For a vegetarian option, I recommend the Bolognese friggione.
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Cheese flan. Tastes of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines
Equipment
- 1 1-liter baking pan: you can use a round pan with or without a hole in the center, or a square or rectangular pan
Ingredients
- 100 g of butter
- 100 g of all-purpose flour
- 1 g of salt
- 1 g of nutmeg optional
- 500 ml of milk (whole, low-fat, or lactose-free) at room temperature
- 4 eggs (about 220 g)
- 100 g of grated Parmigiano
- 100 g of grated Pecorino
- 100 g of grated Emmental (since it’s a semi-hard cheese, to make it easier, place the cheese in the freezer for 10 minutes before grating it)
- butter and breadcrumbs for greasing the mold
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt the butter. Turn off the heat, add the flour, salt, and nutmeg, and stir with a whisk.
- Add the milk a little at a time, stirring with the whisk.
- Place the saucepan over the heat and, stirring constantly, thicken the béchamel sauce.
- When the spoon or whisk meets resistance, the béchamel sauce is ready.
- If lumps have formed, use an immersion blender to smooth them out.
- Let the sauce cool for 10–15 minutes.
- When the sauce is lukewarm, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) on the conventional setting.
- Now add the eggs, one at a time, to the béchamel, stirring to incorporate each before adding the next.
- In a bowl, mix the cheeses, then pour them into the pan and stir to incorporate them into the béchamel.
- Generously grease the baking dish with butter, then sprinkle the bottom and sides with breadcrumbs. Tap the dish gently upside down to remove any excess.
- Pour the cheese flan into the mold, place the dish in a water bath, and cook for about 45 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Test with a toothpick; the flan is ready when it comes out clean.
- Let it cool slightly or completely before turning the cheese flan out onto a serving plate.
- Serve the flan warm or at room temperature, with meatballs and warm peas, or as a warm side dish.
Tips
- If you prepare the flan in advance, reheat it in the oven covered with aluminum foil.
- The flan is excellent both warm and at room temperature. I prefer it warm.
- You can use just Parmigiano (300 g) or a mix of two grated hard cheeses.
