Saturday, 31 July 2010

Verdict: Apple and blackberry flan

Sadly, it looks better than it tastes. On the plus side though, that's more because it looks amazing, rather than it not tasting good. And it does taste good... but I don't think it's better than (or even quite as good as) a tarte tatin. The sweetness is absolutely perfect - and there's a lovely gradation from the sweet pastry through the medium apple to the sharp blackberries. There's a nice soft texture to the apples; the texture of the blackberries is not so nice (but exactly as you'd expect from blackberries). But the problem I have with this one is that there's something missing in terms of flavour - it's all perfectly pleasant, but it needs just that little bit more zing. Perhaps it needs some citrus - maybe some orange zest or a squeeze of lime; I'm not convinced that this is actually what it needs, but it's just a little boring in its current form. Perfectly pleasant, but unexciting. Oh dear, I think I've just baked the Hardys wine of the flan world...Incidentally, if anyone's wondering why the first two photos in this post are so much better than the others from today, it's because those two are courtesy of Kenny!

3 comments:

  1. The flan looks absolutely gorgeous, especially the top picture. I would recommend lemon juice and orange/lemon rind. Don't think it is the missing ingredient to make it fantastic, but it might help balance off the flavours - just noticed that the closest you had to any sour flavour was the blackberries, especially as Braeburns are comparatively sweet.

    Very impressed by how pretty the flan is - now to work on making it taste amazing too and making it the complete product!

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  2. Just realised what the missing ingredient is... Bacon!

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  3. How about on a more serious level, rosemary or lavender? A perfumed floral scent.

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