Flan

Continuing with yesterday's culinary theme, here is the finished dessert which incorporates the peaches from Haymarket -- it's called Almond Flan with Summer Fruit, and here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

     1 3/4 cup sugar
     3 cups milk
     1 cup heavy cream
     5 large whole eggs
     5 large egg yolks
     1 tsp. vanilla
     3/4 tsp. almond extract
     1/2 pint strawberries
     1/2 pint blueberries
     1/2 pint blackberries
     2 peaches, cut lengthwise into sixths and sliced crosswise
     mint sprigs for garnish

Preparation:

    1. In a small heavy saucepan, dissolve 3/4 C. sugar in 1/4 C water over moderate heat, stirring and boil uncovered and undisturbed until it begins to turn golden. Boil the syrup swirling the pan until it is deep caramel, pour immediately into a loaf pan 9 X 5 X 3 inches. Swirl the pan to coat the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides. Let caramel harden.
    2. Scald milk and cream together in saucepan. Whisk together the eggs, yolks and remaining 1 C sugar. Add scalded milk mixture in a stream, whisking, and add vanilla and almond extracts. Pour custard through a fine sieve into the loaf pan, set pan in baking dish and add hot water to the dish to reach halfway up the sides of the pan.
    3. Bake custard, covered with a double layer of foil, in the middle of a preheated 325 oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Flan will continue to set as it cools. Remove flan from oven, remove foil, and cool on a rack. Chill covered for 3 hours at least. Run thin knife around sides of pan, invert flan onto platter set over the pan. Arrange fruit around it and garnish with mint sprigs.