My, my, my…
Our recipe for today is none other than the wonderful strawberry-white chocolate flan, a modern Brazilian gluten-free dessert that it is elegant, easy and quick to make, yet full of flavor. It is a dessert that pleases both children and adults.

Strawberry is certainly not a native Brazilian fruit, as it was first bred in Brittany, France. Neither is Brazil the world’s largest producer of strawberries — the USA is. Yet it is a fruit very well esteemed in Brazil, which produces about 100 thousand tons of this fruit per year (yes, you read that correctly: 100,000 tons) — with Minas Gerais State being its largest producer. Most of it is consumed domestically within Brazil. Wow! That is a lot of strawberries to eat — and to cook with…

Brazilians love all sorts of fruit, and make great use of them in a wide variety of dishes and drinks, as you can see. The exclusive use of tropical fruits in modern Brazilian cuisine is a myth!

Well, let’s go to the kitchen and prepare this gorgeous treat…
xx

Strawberry-White Chocolate Flan
Serves 8
Segment: Brazilian cuisine

For the Flan:
Ingredients:

• 1 (6 oz/170 g) box of strawberry flavored gelatin powder
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 250 g white chocolate, chopped
• 1 (14 oz or 396 g) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1-1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 can of milk (use the empty can of condensed milk as a measure)

Directions:
1. Blend the gelatin in a blender with the hot water until dissolved. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler and whisk until smooth. Blend with the dissolved gelatin mixture. Add the condensed milk, cream and milk, and blend again until the mixture is homogeneous.

2. Pour this mixture into a round baking pan with a hole (9.5 in or 24 cm in diameter) moistened with water, and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until firm enough to be unmolded. Unmold and top with the strawberry sauce (recipe below) and garnish as desired.

For the Strawberry Sauce:

• 1 cup strawberry jam (use a sugar-free one for a less sweet dessert plus 1-2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice)
• 1/4 cup water
• Or berry coulis (top yours with the coulis if you prefer a less sweet, tangy dessert)

In a small saucepan, over low heat, mix the jam and the water and cook for about 2 minutes. Let cool and pour over the unmolded flan.

Note: Recipe adapted from the Guia de Receitas Pavês e Pudins, page 58.

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Receita em Português:

Flan de Morango com Chocolate Branco
Serve 8 pessoas

Para o Flan:

Ingredientes:

• 1 caixa (170 g) de gelatina em pó sabor morango
• 1/2 xícara de (chá) de água quente
• 250 g de chocolate branco picado
• 1 (395 g) lata de leite condensado
• 1 (300 g) lata de creme de leite
• 1 lata de leite (use a lata de leite condensado vazia como medida)

Modo de Preparo:

1. Bata no liquidificador a gelatina com a água quente até dissolver. Em um pirex, derreta o chocolate branco em banho-maria e mexa até que fique macio. Leve ao liquidificador e bata com a mistura dissolvida de gelatina. Junte o leite condensado, o creme de leite e o leite e bata novamente até obter uma mistura homogênea.

2. Despeje essa mistura em uma forma de buraco redonda (24 cm de diamêtro) umedecida com água e leve à geladeira por aproximadamente 2 horas ou até que esteja firme o suficiente para ser desenformado. Desenforme e cubra com a calda de morango (receita abaixo) e decore à gosto.

Para a Calda de Morango:

• 1 xícara de (chá) de geléia de morango
• 1/4 xícara de (chá) de água
• ou calda de frutas vermelhas (se você preferir o flan menos doce, regue com a calda de frutas vermelhas ao invés do molho de geléia)

Em uma panela pequena, sobre fogo baixo, misture a geléia com a água e deixe cozinhar por uns 2 minutos. Deixe esfriar e regue o flan desenformado.

OBS: Receita adaptada do Guia de Receitas Pavês e Pudins, pág. 58.

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