Friday, April 20, 2012

sweet pea flan


We don't really get fresh peas in Florida. I knew that. So I needed to grow them if I wanted them. I knew that, too. Well, I knew I had to try.

Peas were one of the first things I tried to grow when I started this project. It was too late in the year to get peas in Florida. Truth is, it never really is early enough to grow peas in Florida. They like mild temperatures, much like I do, and Florida doesn't really have those. Ever. Well, OK, a few days a year, but not long enough for the peas. Or me. But for the purposes of this dish, the peas.


I tried again in the fall, and I got … some peas? A few. They were viable, there just weren't a lot of them. So I cheated. I used frozen peas to make the flan and I used my peas for the garnish.

Mainly I needed to grow the peas for this dish because it required pea tendrils as a sort of salad on top. I knew I had zero chance of getting tendrils.

The vinaigrette for this is made with carrot juice. So it's peas and carrots. Genius.

 
Mint is the dominant flavor. I grew that, too. Mint is pretty easy to grow. When we sold the house, it was all over the backyard. Hope the new owners like mint.

All in all, it was worth the wait.

Up next: espresso torrone

2 comments:

betty said...

not true, Costco and Fresh Market have fresh peas. Even Sam's Club.

jim webster said...

hmmm, i never saw fresh peas at those places, but suspect it's possible they have them now. but tendrils?