Turkey Flan with Leeks & Cheese

Almost every year we eat this flan a day or two after Christmas.  It is an excellent way to use up left over Turkey and is even tastier if you can add a little leftover ham or bacon as well.  As it is a dish for using up leftovers the proportions of meat will depend on what you have left in your fridge. The original instructions call for cheese pastry, however if it is for a family meal I usually simplify it by using ordinary shortcrust pastry.  There is still cheese in the sauce and sprinkled on the surface.  If I was making the recipe for guests I would probably use cheese pastry for a richer result.  You can find the recipes for cheese pastry and shortcrust pastry in a previous post.  This recipe could be made in advance and reheated as needed and would be ideal to take to a shared supper where it could be eaten hot or cold.

Margo, a friend in our last church in Ipswich, Suffolk, was a domestic science teacher.  She found the original recipe in the book Delia Smith’s Christmas (1990 edition) and shared it with us one Christmas when she gave a cookery demonstration.

'Meanderings through my Cookbook' http://www.hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com

Turkey Flan with Leeks & Cheese
(Serves 4-6)

One quantity cheese or shortcrust pastry
For the filling:
1tsp butter (for cooking the leeks)
1lb/450g leeks, washed thoroughly and sliced
10-12oz/275-350g cooked turkey, chicken or ham (or a mixture), thinly sliced
3oz/75g cheese, grated
1½oz/40g butter
15fl oz/425ml milk or a mixture of milk and cream
1oz/25g plain flour
a little freshly grated nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten
cayenne pepper
salt and freshly milled black pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5 and pop in a heavy baking sheet to pre-heat. Grease and flour a 10inch/25cm quiche tin.

2. Make up a quantity of either cheese or shortcrust pastry

3. Melt the teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and cook the leeks over a low heat for about 6 minutes until they begin to exude some of their juice. If necessary, place the leeks in a sieve to strain off any juices into a bowl and set aside.

4.  Roll out the pastry and line the prepared quiche tin. Place some beans in the flan dish on top of the pastry to prevent it from rising and pre-bake in the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

5.  Blend 1½ oz (40 g) butter with the milk and flour in a saucepan, Bring up to the boil, whisking constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Leave the sauce to simmer very gently for 5 minutes.

6.  Remove the pastry case from the oven and arrange the leeks over the base, followed by the slices of turkey, chicken or ham.  

7.  Pour the reserved leek juice into the sauce, add three-quarters of the grated cheese and the beaten egg and mix well. Pour the sauce evenly over the flan sprinkling the remaining cheese on top along with a dusting of cayenne.

8.  Bake the flan at the same temperature as above on the baking sheet for 25-30 minutes or until the flan is well browned.

9.  Serve with a jacket potato and either salad or a simply cooked green vegetable.