EGGPLANT PARM—LACTOSE FREE

 

Layers of fried eggplant, tomato sauce, and two kinds of no-lactose cheese.

Gorgeous late season eggplants entice me to make a bubbly, gooey, cheesy casserole, my version of eggplant Parmesan. Do I dare? I am still cheese-averse, avoiding most dairy (see my post about alternative milk) because maybe I am lactose intolerant. I’ve started eating some dairy yogurt again, but in reduced quantities. But cheese?

Lactose is a natural component of dairy milk, a sugar that is broken down in digestion to its simpler elements (glucose and galactose).  Lactose intolerance, with digestive symptoms such as bloating, occurs when the body lacks the enzyme lactase, making it difficult to digest lactose.

Selection of lactose-free cheese and milk.

I’ve discovered that many cafés now offer lactose-free milk for the standard café con leche. Milk can be made lactose-free either by a filtration process or by the addition of an enzyme, lactase, which pre-digests the lactose. Now it’s time to try lactose-free cheese.   

Hard cheeses such as Parmesan, Gouda, and Manchego are fairly low in lactose as some of it is converted to lactic acid in the aging process. Goat milk cheeses are naturally lower in lactose than cow’s milk cheeses. 

I quite like queso tierno de cabra sin lactosa, a white uncured goat’s milk cheese, firmer than queso fresco. A non-melting cheese, I use it for breakfast and to dice into salads. I found lactose-free mozzarella at a big hipermercado. In the pueblo store I’ve got no- lactose sliced Gouda, great for snacks and sandwiches. And eggplant parm! 

Nicely gooey with lactose-free mozarella, savory with Gouda and sauce.

Eggplant Baked with Lactose-Free Cheeses

Berenjena al Horno sin Lactosa

I used store bought canned tomato sauce for this recipe. The sautéd onions, peppers, and garlic give it extra flavor. Use any no-lactose hard cheese such as Parmesan, Manchego or Gouda, grated, shredded, chopped, or sliced. 

Serves 4,

2 medium eggplants (1 ½-2 pounds)

2 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil + more for frying and greasing baking dish

¾ cup finely chopped onion

¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper

1 clove chopped garlic

1 cup tomato sauce (store bought or homemade)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch dried oregano

4 ½ ounces fresh lactose-free mozzarella

2 ounces lactose-free firm cheese, such as Parmesan, Gouda, or Manchego

½ cup lactose-free milk (or non-dairy milk)

Fresh basil 

Fry eggplant slices.

Cut ends off the eggplants and slice them lengthwise ¼ inch thick. Beat 1 of the eggs with 1 teaspoon of water. Place it in a shallow bowl. Heat a skillet on medium-high with enough oil to cover the bottom. Dip slices of eggplant in the beaten egg and fry them in batches until browned on both sides and somewhat softened. Remove the eggplant slices to absorbent paper. Reserve any remaining beaten egg.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a small pan on medium heat and sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, salt to taste, pepper, and oregano. Cook until sauce is thickened, 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Oil a baking dish.

Layer eggplant, cheese.

Spread a spoonful of the tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Place a layer of eggplant in the dish. Cut sliced cheese, if using, into strips and scatter half of it (or grated cheese) on top of the layer of eggplant. Add another layer of eggplant. Spread half of the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant with a few basil leaves. Slice the mozzarella and place it on top of the eggplant. Place remaining eggplant slices over the mozzarella, spread with remaining tomato sauce, and scatter remaining sliced or grated cheese on top.

Beat remaining egg with any egg left from dipping the eggplant slices. Add the milk. Season with salt. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the eggplant. Top with a few basil leaves.

Bake 10 minutes. Lower oven to 350ºF and bake until egg is set, 15 minutes. Garnish with additional sprigs of basil. Let the eggplant sit 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

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Are you looking for more eggplant recipes? Check out my new cookbook, FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS, The Culinary Legacy of Spain. 

Eggplant was the emblematic vegetable of Moorish cooking. In Flavors of al-Andalus, you’ll find recipes for Pickled Eggplants, Almagro Style; Roasted Eggplant Salad with Chickpeas (pictured at left); Eggplants Stuffed with Cheese; Eggplant Croquettes; Slow-Fried Eggplant and Vegetables (Alboronía); and Eggplant Timbale.

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FLAVORS OF AL-ANDALUS 

The Culinary Legacy of Spain

This new cookbook has menus and recipes for Tapas Party, Brunch, Summer Barbecue, Family Dinners (including vegetarian), Sunday Lunch, Dinner Party, Spring Holiday Meal, and Autumn/Winter Holiday Meal. From your favorite bookseller or click below to order. 

This cookbook explores the fascinating story of the deep and lasting influences that Islamic culture has left on modern Spanish cooking. 

Author and Spanish cooking expert Janet Mendel tells the story of the Moorish influence on Spanish cooking through 120 recipes and photographs for modern-day dishes, from salads and vegetables to fish, poultry and meat to sweets and pastries, that trace their heritage to foods served in medieval times. Dishes from this era include exotic spices such as saffron, the use of fruits and almonds with savory dishes, and honeyed sweets and pastries. The flavors of al-Andalus live on in modern Spanish cooking and are what makes Spain’s cuisine distinctive from the rest of Europe. (Hippocrene Books)    

 Order on IndiePubs

Use PROMO CODE HIPPOCRENE40 for 40% off on all Hippocrene titles at IndiePubs online bookstore.

***

Order on amazon

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EGGPLANT DOES DOUBLE-DUTY

Eggplant (also known as aubergine) may be my favorite summer vegetable. It’s so incredibly versatile—fry it, roast it, stew it, pickle it. Eggplant pleases me, too, because it has a meaty umami-ness that makes it a good main ingredient for meatless meals. Think eggplant parm or eggplant stuffed with rice and pine nuts.

Sometimes I just want an easy side dish to go with roast chicken or grilled meat. This roasted eggplant with cheese does double-duty—as a side, it bakes alongside a roast and, for another day, becomes the main attraction, accompanied by rice or cous cous, for a vegetarian meal.

The blend of spices gives the eggplant a subtle, exotic flavor. Known as Mudéjar style, for the Moors who opted to stay in Spain under Christian dominion after the Reconquest in 1085, the spice blend includes cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg and coriander.

A blend of spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander and pepper seasons the eggplant.

Melted cheese tops the slow-roasted eggplant.

Serve the eggplant as a side ---

--or as the main dish for a vegetarian meal. Don't those look like cutlets?

Roasted Eggplant with Cheese
Berenjenas con Queso al Horno

Serve eggplant hot or keep it for another day and serve it room temperature.

The spices and wine make candy of the slow-roasted eggplant. The eggplant skins are like a terrine, with roasting they become tough and are not meant to be eaten. While authentic Manchego cheese (a sheeps’ milk cheese) is best, you could substitute Parmesan, Gruyere, or pecorino.

I’m thinking the eggplant would work on a grill, too. Spread the halves with spices and oil and wrap them in foil. Once they are tender, unwrap and cover with cheese. Let it melt on the grill.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side; 3 or 4 as a main.

4 medium eggplant (2 ½ pounds)
Salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch cloves
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground coriander
Grating of fresh nutmeg
Pinch dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
6 ounces aged Manchego cheese, grated (2 cups)

Cut off and discard stems and leaves. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. With a sharp knife, make deep cuts in the flesh lengthwise and crosswise. Salt the eggplant and leave them, cut side down, to drain for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Score eggplant and sprinkle with spices.

Rinse the eggplant in water, drain well and pat dry with paper towel. Place the eggplant halves, cut side up, in a single layer in a baking pan. Drizzle with the olive oil. Combine the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, oregano, and pepper. Sprinkle the spices over the eggplant. Bake 15 minutes.

Pour the wine over the eggplant. Return to oven for 15 minutes. Turn the eggplant cut-side down and bake 30 minutes longer, or until they are fork tender.

Spread grated cheese on top, return to the oven to brown.

Turn cut side up again and spoon pan juices over the eggplant. (If pan is dry, add about ¼ cup of water.) Spread the grated cheese on top of the eggplant halves. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 12-15 minutes.  Serve hot or room temperature.

More recipes with eggplant:

Pickled Eggplant.
Eggplant Tortilla.
Aubergine (Eggplant) Terrine.
http://mykitcheninspain.blogspot.com.es/2015/09/recovering-summer.html
Eggplant Timbale.
Fried Eggplant and Cheese Stacks.
Grilled Eggplant and Peppers (Escalivada).
Eggplant Pisto with Mackerel.
Microwave Baba Ghanoush.
Eggplant-Vegetable Medley (Pisto).

EGGPLANT IN A PICKLE

It´s an eggplant sort of summer. After tomatoes, eggplant are my go-to fruit/vegetable, day-in and day-out. I’ve prepared them grilled on a wood fire and on a plancha, stewed with other vegetables and chicken in pisto, sandwiched with cheese and fried, stuffed with meat, in a smooth timbale  pudding. Even layered with cheese for a microwave eggplant parm.

Pickled eggplant fill clay orzas at a market in La Mancha.

Picking some very small eggplant in my garden, I suddenly remembered the pickled eggplant that I tasted in La Mancha. Known as Berenjena de Almagro, they are a very small variety native to the region that are pickled and conserved in big clay orzas, vats. Grown in and around the town of Almagro, in the Campo de Calatrava (Ciudad Real province, La Mancha, central Spain), the eggplant have their own Indicación Geografica Protegida. Almagro is a gem of town, with a Plaza Mayor enclosed by graceful old buildings, one of which houses the Corral de Comedias, a 16th century theater.

Almagro eggplant are small, egg-shaped and mostly green in color.

The famous pickled eggplant are made with tiny (2-3 inch-) round green eggplant. Speared on short lengths of wild fennel, they are prepared whole, with stem and some of calyx attached, or split and stuffed with roasted red pepper.

I’ve made this pickle before using wedges of regular eggplant, but decided to try using small, whole ones this time. Mine are not quite as small as the Manchego ones, and definitely purple, not green. They came out just fine.

"Official" Almagro eggplant from a can.

For comparison, I’ve also got a can of the real deal, pickled eggplant from Almagro. (In the US, you can order them from La Tienda.)

Pickled eggplant from Almagro (La Mancha). Fennel flowers are an optional garnish.

Bite the eggplant nubbin.

The eggplant are served, like olives, as a tapa. You pick them up by the stem and eat the eggplant nubbin. Due to the vinegar content, they go better with beer than with wine. They also make a good relish with grilled or roasted meat and fried foods. I’m going to serve them with a mess of pan-grilled lamb chops.

Serve pickled eggplant as a tapa with beer.

Pickled eggplant embuchadas, stuffed with red pepper and speared with fennel stems.

Eggplant from my garden are larger than the ones from Almagro.

Pickled Eggplant, Almagro Style
Berenjenas de Almagro

If you can get it, use the stems of wild fennel to skewer the eggplant. The fennel adds a subtle flavor to the marinade. Otherwise, use short wooden or bamboo skewers. For the roasted red pepper, you can use canned pimiento.

Mine are purple, not green.

6-8 very small eggplant (2 pounds)
Salt
8 cloves garlic, not peeled
2 tablespoons sweet pimentón (paprika)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon fennel seed, optional
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Roasted red pepper strips
1 ½ cups white wine vinegar
2 cups water
Skewers

Wash the eggplant well. Trim the stems. Snip off the spiny tips of the leaves, but don’t remove them. Slice the eggplant lengthwise, without cutting all the way through, leaving the two halves attached at the stem end.

Put the eggplant in a pan of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook the eggplant 10-12 minutes, or until they are just tender when tested with a skewer. Drain and rinse them in cold water.

Lightly crush the cloves of garlic, but do not peel them. Place them in a bowl with the pimentón, cumin, fennel seed, if using, oil and 1 tablespoon salt. Add the strips of roasted red pepper and mix.

Stuff one or two strips of red pepper into the slits of the eggplant and skewer them closed. Place them in a non-reactive bowl or jar (ceramic or glass). Add the vinegar and water to the remaining garlic-pimentón blend. Pour the marinade over the eggplant. Cover and leave in a cool place for 3 days. They are ready to eat. The eggplant keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 weeks.

In a vinegar marinade, the tiny eggplant keep for weeks.

Other recipes with eggplant:

Fried eggplant.

Roasted eggplant (escalivada).

Fried Eggplant and Cheese Stacks.

Eggplant Timbale.

Meat-Stuffed Eggplant.

SPANISH VILLAGE COOKING

During my first year living in a small village in southern Spain,  shopping and cooking were a daily adventure. I hung out in the kitchens of local tapa bars. I  collected recipes from Spanish neighbors. In search of recipes, I would be sent off to talk to someone’s grandmother in the barrio at the end of the village, or to a tia way out in the country.

I scribbled notes, filling many notebooks with recipes—I’ve lost count of how many versions of gazpacho I gathered! I borrowed recipe notebooks from friends and transcribed their family dishes, handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter, to try in my own kitchen. 

Through the cooking, I learned much about the people, culture and way of life of my adopted village. I made lifelong friends. My cooking articles, cookbooks and, now, this blog have all grown from those early forays into the village kitchen. (Read about my experiences in My Kitchen in Spain, the cookbook.)

Cookbook by Debbie Jenkins. The dish pictured on the cover is Gachasmigas, fried bread crumbs with sausage.

So, it was with much interest that I opened SPANISH VILLAGE COOKING—Over 150 simple, family recipes from a rural village in Spain, by Debbie Jenkins and the Chefs of La Murta (NativeSpain; Great Britain, 2014).  Debbie, who is from Birmingham, England, moved to Spain with husband, Marcus, in 2005.

“We wanted to find a place to live away from the touristy areas, with some land and close to a Spanish village - that's how we found La Murta,” says Debbie. La Murta is a village in the province of Murcia, south-eastern Spain, about halfway between the city of Murcia, to the north, and the seaport, Cartagena, to the south. The village has just slightly more than 100 inhabitants. Debbie and Marcus live on 6 ½ acres of land outside of the village,  in the campo, countryside.

“One of our main plans when moving to Spain was to properly integrate, not to live in an urbanization and converse only with English speakers. So we offered to be on the village fiesta committee.

”Being part of the fiesta organizing gang means you get intimately involved in village life - we cook for a village fund raiser every month and have bigger parties a couple of times a year. We quickly realized that our village likes their food! It's probably the most important part of our village identity. We have three bakeries that supply restaurants in the city. To put that into perspective, 100 people in the village, 3 bakeries producing 600kg of bread per day that gets driven into the city every day by 3 bread vans. That's 200 tonnes per year! We also have our own sausage-making shop, a cake-making shop and our own wine!”

Just as I did all those years ago, Debbie gathered traditional recipes from her neighbors in La Murta. In spite of the words “chefs” in the book’s title, none of the collaborators is a professional cook. Most of the recipes, which are published in both Spanish and English, are extremely local.

In fact, it seemed to me that I could “read” the region’s geography in the recipes. So many called for pine nuts. Yes, confirmed Debbie, there are pine forests in the Sierra de Carrascoy. Almond and olive trees grow on surrounding hills. Huertas—Murcia is known for its market gardens—lead down across the Campo de Cartagena to the sea.  The locals also farm sheep, goats and pigs.

The book opens with a recipe for Michirones—no translation provided! This is a rustic dish peculiar to the Murcia region, made with dried fava beans stewed with ham, pork fat, chorizo and sobrasada, a soft sausage. I think I’ll save that one for cold weather.

The book has a good selection of arroces—rice dishes, not called paella—many with the local vegetables. Rice with rabbit; rice with snails, artichokes and peas; rice with beans, sweet potatoes, artichokes and peas; rice with spare ribs and pork; rice with market garden vegetables; rice with fish and seafood; rice with cod.

Recipes for fish croquettes, meatballs, stuffed squid, rabbit, lamb stew, roast lamb and cabrito, kid-goat, all call for pine nuts. All sound delicious.

The cooks of La Murta seem to be specialists in all types of sweets—puddings, desserts, cookies and cakes—for this section of the book is the longest of all.

There are photos of many of the recipes by Marcus Jenkins. These are especially helpful in picturing how a dish should appear.

I chose two recipes from the book to try out in my kitchen, both using seasonal vegetables.  I’ve left the recipes in metric measures that Debbie uses in the book, but added helpful conversions in parentheses.

Zarangollo
Scrambled Eggs & Vegetables

Zarangollo, a Murcia dish of eggs scrambled with vegetables.

I love this typical Murcian dish. Debbie says that in La Murta it is usually served as a light supper. “We also eat it as a side dish at fiesta lunches - but it's more usual for supper. They put all sorts of vegetables in the dish - basically whatever is in season or left over!”

My kitchen notes: I used 4 tablespoons of olive oil to fry 1 ¼ pounds chopped potatoes, 1 cup chopped onion, 4 cups chopped zucchini (1 pound) and 1 teaspoon salt. I couldn’t resist adding a little chopped red bell pepper, definitely a seasonal addition.

Serves 4.

3 potatoes, sliced thinly
1 onion, finely chopped
1 courgette (zucchini), finely chopped
2 eggs
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Slowly fry the potatoes, onion and courgette in olive oil. When softened add the eggs and mix well. Continue cooking until the eggs are firm. Add a little salt to taste.

Pastel de Berenjena
Aubergine (Eggplant) Terrine 

Fried eggplant, ground pork and cheese--a delicious casserole.

My kitchen notes: Use 4 good-sized eggplants, about 3 ½ pounds. You will need quite a lot of olive oil to fry this quantity of sliced eggplant. I tried the recipe both with fried eggplant and with slices that were brushed with oil and baked until soft. The authentic version really is better--frying makes for a juicy and delicious final dish. You will also need about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to make the frito of onion, pork and tomatoes. I used 6 slices of cheese (about 4 ounces) between the layers.

Serves 4-6.

2 kg aubergines (eggplants)
500 g (1 ¼ pounds) minced (ground) pork
1 large onion
500 g (1 ¼ pounds) tomatoes
Slices of cheese
100 g (4 oz) grated cheese
1 egg
Knob of butter
Pinch of salt

Cut the aubergines into finger-thick slices. Fry them in olive oil and set aside. Make a frito by frying the minced pork, finely chopped onion and chopped tomatoes until they are softened and reduced, about 20 minutes.

Now make the terrine: place a layer of aubergines(half of them) in a deep oven pan, followed by a layer of the frito (about half of it) and the slices of cheese. On top of that the rest of the aubergines followed by the rest of the frito.

Mix the egg and grated cheese and pour on top with a knob of butter. Cook in the oven for about 30 minutes at 180ºC (350ºF).

A satisfying dish.

Debbie blogs about life in Spain at http://nativespain.com/http://nativespain.com/  The cookbook, Spanish Village Cooking, is available from Amazon.

Murcia is known for its market gardens.

HOW TO LOWER YOUR CHOLESTEROL WITHOUT MEDICATION

Eggplant Pâté

 When my cholesterol level hit 300, my doctor shook his head and  handed me a prescription for a new medication. I had already been through three different statin drugs—and suffered bad side effects. After a trial year with no medication, it appeared that diet alone wasn’t going to lower those numbers.

Just for the record—I use olive oil exclusively in my kitchen. I don’t eat a lot of red meat, but, I have to confess, I probably eat too much cheese, which seems like such a perfect snack food. I take regular doses of red wine, said to help control cholesterol levels. I do aerobics three times a week and do my shopping rounds in the village on foot. Not exactly a lot of exercise, but neither am I totally a couch-potato.

After suffering from previous meds, I resisted starting a new one. So when friend, Gill, told me about an alternative treatment using eggplant, I thought, “hey, worth a try.”

Gill’s prescription, as follows: have handy a heat proof litre container.  boil litre of drinking water, pour into container, drop in two or three fat slices of raw aubergine, skin and all, leave for few minutes - water goes a pale green colour, lift and either throw out or ice box store the slices, strain into lidded container for fridge storage and drink over two or three days.  repeat as often as liked. no rigidity about doses, just when ever.... (Aubergine = eggplant; litre = 4 cups, approx.)

She said that she got the treatment from a friend who got it from her Jamaican boyfriend. And that it really worked for her. An on-line web page called for the same ingredients, plus a thick slice of lemon, all placed into cold water and the eggplant left in the water.

My version of “eggplant tea”: Slice half a raw eggplant (about 5 ounces), and place in a heatproof jar or pitcher with a thick slice of lemon. Pour over 4 cups boiling water. Allow to steep until cool. Cover and refrigerate. Strain and drink about 1 cup per day.

 The lemon makes it palatable. I drink it in the morning as a wake-up juice.

After four weeks of regularly taking eggplant tea, I had my cholesterol tested again. Remember, it was 300. The new number: 210. A drop of 90 points!! This was so amazing that I didn’t believe it! But I kept up the treatment and retested again in four weeks. The numbers had gone up somewhat, to 225. But still way lower than my initial reading. I’ll test again in a few weeks.

A friend said, but now you’re stuck drinking eggplant tea for the rest of your life. OK, but that’s way better than taking cholesterol medications for the rest of my life. And, in this case, the worst side-effect is a surfeit of waterlogged eggplant. 

Has anybody else tried the eggplant remedy for lowering cholesterol? Tell me how it worked. 

DISCLAIMER: Nine months after I started this eggplant treatment, my cholesterol numbers had returned to what they were. I'm now taking medication and have discontinued the eggplant infusion. Anecdotal evidence (from other people I know) suggests that using the eggplant tea occasionally does help to moderate cholesterol. I welcome your comments.

Post script: four months later, after a third test--my numbers have gone up--though they are still not as high as they were before I started the "eggplant cure." Not sure if I will take the meds or stick with the eggplant infusion. Also, after using the soaked eggplant in this pâté and several other recipes, I've decided it's not so good. I throw out the eggplant after soaking and drinking the tea. However, this pâté is sensational made with fresh eggplant, so it's a keeper.

But, this is a blog about cooking, not alternative health remedies. So you can be sure that, in my kitchen, all that eggplant eventually ends up in a more delicious incarnation. After straining, I stash the eggplant in the freezer and when there’s a bagful, I use it in pisto, a splendid vegetable dish (recipe here, )somewhat like ratatouille, or in this vegetarian pâté. It’s rich with cheese and eggs, so it’s a good thing my cholesterol numbers are almost normal.

Cuajado de Berenjena
Eggplant Pâté

Spanish cooking has a number of variations on cuajado, a sort of timbale with vegetables, eggs, and cheese. Somewhat like Italian frittata, cuajado comes from Spain’s medieval Sephardic Jewish culture, where an all-dairy meal (no flesh) was served on some holidays. In fact, modern-day Sephardim call these meatless meals by the Spanish word, desayuno, or break-fast—meaning a substantial brunch or lunch.

My original recipe for this eggplant cuajado (it appears in COOKING FROM THE HEART OF SPAIN—FOOD OF LA MANCHA) calls for a smooth puree made from roasted eggplant. This version I invented to use up the chunks of soaked eggplant stored in the freezer. The uncooked eggplant, preferably peeled, is chopped in a food processor. The result is like meatloaf or pâté in texture. Slice it and serve as a starter or luncheon dish. A tangy tomato sauce makes a good contrast.

Serves 6 to 8 as a starter.

2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut in chunks
½ small onion
1 clove garlic
3 eggs
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs, preferably whole-wheat
2 cups grated cheese (such as semi-cured Manchego)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Grated fresh nutmeg
Olive oil to grease the pan
Tomato sauce to accompany

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Finely chop the eggplant, onion and garlic in a food processor. Beat in the eggs.

Place the chopped eggplant in a bowl and fold in the breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Oil the bottom and sides of a 6-cup loaf pan or ovenproof casserole. Pour the eggplant and cheese mixture into the pan, smoothing the top. Cover with a lid or foil. Place the pan in a larger container and add boiling water to half its depth. Carefully place in preheated oven.

Bake 55 minutes. Remove the lid or foil and bake 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow to set for 10 minutes.

Loosen the sides of the timbale. Place a serving plate on top and carefully invert the timbale onto the plate. Serve warm or cold.