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    Home » Blog Post

    Lightened Maple Carrot Flan

    Modified: Nov 1, 2022 by Susan Pridmore · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

    Lightened Maple Carrot Flan

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    As we gallop towards Thanksgiving, food bloggers, magazines, grocery stores, and Martha all bubble over with ideas for the table you'll be setting on November 26th. And so are we at FN Dish, the Food Network's blog. For this week's #Fallfest, we're digging up carrots by the truckload to make dishes for you to share with your friends and family this year.

    I'll be honest, right up front. I don't eat a lot of carrots. Don't get me wrong -- I add them to lentils and other legume dishes, and throw them into soups and chili. Carrot cake is one of my all-time favorite desserts - seriously, I would choose carrot cake over chocolate any day of the week, especially if it's topped with a cloud of cream cheese frosting. But carrots straight up, a cappella? Not so much.

     Lightened Maple Carrot Flan
    Just turn them out onto a serving platter or a tray.

    In fact the last time I posted a carrot dish was for the Food Network folks LAST Thanksgiving. I need to change my ways, clearly, so I'm glad my blogger buddies have a bunch for us all to choose from.

    Maple Carrot Flan syrup
              Strictly optional: Light dust with nutmeg and drizzle maple syrup on top.

    As for me, I wanted to make some individual ramekins of savory carrot flan for you. You can use them as a sweetish side dish, or a not-so-sweet dessert. They're super easy, and can be made ahead. Once they cool from the oven, cover the ramekins with plastic and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Just rewarm at the last minute and flip out onto a serving plate.

    I should warn you, this is not your traditional custardy flan. I nixed ALL the heavy cream in favor of 2% low-fat Greek yogurt, low-fat ricotta cheese and a little Half and Half, which gives you more of a texture of a purée, than of custard. I added a flourish of nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom, but you can use whatever autumn-y spices you prefer. Cinnamon is another winner, obvi.

    Cook's Tips

    To ensure an easy flipping out of the flans from the ramekins, butter them and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Remember to butter the parchment paper too. Another approach that works: while the flans are still warm, run a sharp knife around the edges of the ramekins and gently jiggle them to loosen the bottoms. Flip out onto a plate.

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    Lightened Maple Carrot Flan
    5 from 2 votes

    Light Carrot Flan

    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe Add to Recipe Collection Go to Collections Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time55 minutes mins
    Course: Vegetable Side
    Servings: 5
    Author: Susan Pridmore
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    Ingredients

    • 14 ounces peeled and sliced carrots
    • 2 large eggs
    • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt I used Fage 2% fat
    • ¼ cup reduced fat ricotta cheese
    • 3 tablespoon Half & Half
    • 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
    • 3 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon maple syrup divided
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ⅜ teaspoon ground ginger
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg plus more for a final dusting
    • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
    • 1 tablespoon butter

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Simmer the carrots in water in a pot over medium-high heat until tender.
    • Whisk together the eggs, yogurt, ricotta cheese, Half & Half, Parmesan cheese, 1 ½ tablespoon maple syrup and the salt in a medium bowl. Pour into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade or a blender, add the carrots, and puree until very smooth.
    • Stir in the spices to taste.
    • Butter ½ cup ramekins, and spoon in the carrot batter. Place them in a large baking pan and fill the pan with water ⅔ of the way up the ramekins.
    • Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the water and sit on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a sharp knife around the edge, shake the ramekin a bit to loosen from the bottom, drizzle each ramekin with 1 teaspoon maple syrup, and flip out onto a plate.
    • Dust the tops with a very small pinch of nutmeg before serving.
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    About Susan Pridmore

    Susan Pridmore is an award-winning cookbook author and the owner of The Wimpy Vegetarian. She has been featured in Huffington Post, Healthline, BuzzFeed, and has written for and developed recipes for The Food Network and Parade Magazine. She is professionally trained and focuses on easy vegetarian recipes for busy lives, bread-baking, and tips for new vegetarians. Susan lives in the mountains in Lake Tahoe with her husband and mini-labradoodle.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. lizthechef

      November 12, 2015 at 10:58 am

      5 stars
      Looks fabulous - goes on my list for when I have 2 hands again and can chop.

      Reply
    2. mjskitchen

      December 01, 2015 at 8:05 pm

      My husband and I love eating flan and he loves making it. I'm passing this recipe on to him in hopes that he makes it for me soon.

      Reply
      • The Wimpy Vegetarian

        December 01, 2015 at 8:25 pm

        If he makes it for you guys, I'd love to hear what you think. It's definitely not your typical flan since the cream is all gone. We loved it - hope you guys do too.

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    about the author:

    Susan Pridmore

    Hi there! I'm an award-winning cookbook author, culinary school graduate, professional photographer and recipe developer. My cookbook Simply Vegetarian was named #1 best cookbook for new vegetarians, and I want to make it easier for you to cook fabulous vegetarian meals. Come join me in the kitchen!

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