Recipe for Cold Red Pepper Flan
Creamy cold red pepper flan, a perfect Italian gourmet appetizer to start dinner. The peppers are cooked and blended with cream, vinegar, and gelatin, then chilled until set. Serve with a fresh tomato salsa. Add grated lemon zest for a fresh twist.
Instructions
- Start by sautéing the chopped onion in a pan with a mix of olive oil and butter until it becomes translucent and soft.
- Add the chopped red peppers and cook for about 15 minutes, until they are tender but still vibrant in color.
- Let the cooked red peppers cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, soften the gelatin sheets in hot water for a few minutes until they become flexible.
- Puree the red peppers in a blender until smooth and homogeneous.
- Dissolve the squeezed gelatin in a bit of the warm liquid from the pureed peppers to incorporate it without lumps.
- Whip the cream until firm but still soft, and gently fold it into the red pepper mixture along with the vinegar previously reduced over heat, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Carefully mix to maintain a soft and homogeneous consistency of the mixture.
- Pour the flan into a mold lightly greased with olive oil and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, until it has set completely.
- At serving time, unmold the flan and slice it thinly, accompanying it with a fresh sauce prepared with diced tomatoes seasoned with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
Notes
To add an original touch to the traditional recipe of chilled red pepper flan, I suggest adding a citrus note; you can add the grated zest of an organic lemon to the pepper cream before adding the whipped cream. This will give the dish a surprising freshness that will balance the sweetness of the red peppers.