This beautiful flan can serve four people as a side vegetable or two for lunch with a side salad.
1 lb. baby spinach
1 clove new garlic chopped finely
2 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
¼ loaf stale French bread cut into ¼ inch dices
1 pinch nutmeg
2 T. butter
1 T. water
Preheat oven to 325º
Wash, spin-dry and de-stem the spinach. Heat a skillet large enough to hold the spinach, melt ½ tbs. of the butter in the skillet, add the water, the chopped garlic as well as the spinach. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook for 2 minutes so that the spinach just barely starts to fall. Remove immediately from skillet, spread onto a sheet pan and cool quickly. This will prevent the spinach from discoloring. You should also obtain ¼ cup of liquid from cooking the spinach, reserve this liquid
In a sauté-pan heat the remaining butter and fry the diced French bread to golden brown color.
In a mixing bowl beat the eggs with salt, pepper and the nutmeg. Add the heavy cream, the cooking liquid from the spinach and the spinach. Mix well and adjust seasoning. Pour into a baking dish (large soufflé mold or similar). Spread the fried croutons on top of the mixture. Place baking dish in a double boiler and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick. When done the toothpick should come out clean. To serve invert a plate over the top off the baking dish and unmold the flan onto the plate.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
