Cream & Summer Strawberry Flan

Method

Add the dice strawberries into a small saucepan along with the caster sugar, fresh sprigs of mint and elderflower cordial. Place over a gentle heat and allow sugar to dissolve stirring from time to time. Ones fruit has soften remove from the heat, discard the used sprigs of mint. Bilaze with a stick blender until smooth & pour into a jar, cover and allow to cool. This will store well in the fridge for up to a week.

For The Flan

Preheat fan oven to 180oC.  Grease 26cm flan tins well

Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl. Beat for 1 minute on full speed before adding all the sugar.  Continue beating  for 6-8 minutes or until the beater leaves its track just as you have switched off the machine.

Sieve half of the flour over the egg mixture at first and gently fold in with a spatula. Once almost incorporated fold in the remaining flour and pour into your prepared flan tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven 18 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Carefully turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

To decorate the Flan

Spoon the strawberry jam into the well of the flan. Spread evenly on the base.

Fold the icing sugar into the lightly whipped cream.

Roughly fold 5 tablespoons of the strawberry & elderflower sauce into the cream, leaving a marbled affect if you can. Next dollop and spread the cream mixture into the flan well.

Hull the strawberries and slice. Reserve 6-8 full strawberries for decorating. Arrange on top of the flan starting from the edge and working your way in to the centre. Cut the remaining strawberries in half through the stems and decorate randomly on top.

Using a pastry brush, lightly glace the top of the fruit with the sauce just before serving and decorate with a few sprigs of mint.

Slice at the table and serve with the remaining sauce. Best eaten on the day.