Valentine recipe Flan with rose syrup

Flan with rose syrup

Roses for Valentine's Day! Don't buy them for decoration only, eat them! Rosana's stunning recipe will impress your loved one at the end of a romantic meal.

Flowers are applied in cooking in different parts of the world, in sweet and savoury dishes. Rose petals can be used to make tea, as well as in recipes. Avoid those that have black spots. Look for green leaves, sturdy stems and bright blooms.  For a nice brew, use fresh rose petals or dried just as you would ordinary tea.

Nothing beats having a meal specially cooked for you on the most romantic day of the year. Red roses are the epitome of a romantic Valentine's gift. This sweet and easy recipe can be made in advance to impress your Valentine. It is an ideal finish to a Valentine's Day meal: light, creamy and fragrant!

Flan with Rose syrup

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Flan
500ml whole milk
125g sugar
4 large organic eggs
2 tablespoons of rose water

For the Caramel
125g of caster sugar and 1 tablespoon of water

For the Rose Syrup
125g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon rose water + 1 tablespoon of spring water
1 tablespoon of rose petals, either dried or fresh*
2 dried hibiscus flowers, for colour

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C (Fan) , 200C (conventional).

Place all the flan ingredients in a blender, mix well for 5 minutes, then reserve.

For the caramel: in a medium pan, add 125g of caster sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Dissolve the sugar until it reaches a very light caramel colour. Place the caramel onto a heatproof dish (750ml capacity).

Add the milk and egg mixture to the dish. Cover with a piece of aluminium foil, to avoid burning. Place the dish onto a deep tray and add warm water to half way up the dish (you're creating a bain-marie). Cook in the oven for about 1 hour and a half.  It should be done when a toothpick comes out clean.

Let the flan cool completely. Place the dish in the fridge to chill, at least 6 hours, before unmolding the flan onto a plate with a lip. There will be quite a bit of sauce.
  
For the rose syrup:

In a medium pan, warm the sugar, spring water, rose petals and 2 dry hibiscus flowers and let it simmer for 5 minutes until the mixture reaches a syrupy consistency. Sieve the mixture.

Add the rose water and mix well.  Let it cool completely before pouring over the flan.

For decoration: sprinke with real rose petals and pistachio nibs.

*Do not use roses from a florist because they have almost certainly have been sprayed with chemicals. Dry petals can be found in food halls of department stores or online.