Buffalo Rising Online

Nov 20th 2006, 12:58am By Christa Glennie Seychew

Mary Tomaselli, owner of La Tee Da, is kindly furnishing us, dear BRO readers, with her lovely squash flan recipe,AePjust in time for Thanksgiving.

Her restaurant is a family affair. Recipes handed down to her by her mother are prepared in a kitchen staffed by Mary, her daughter Sherry Nugent, her granddaughter Lindsay Nugent, and her devoted employees.

La Tee Da is a warm and friendly place, guests feel like family from the moment they call to make reservations. The glow of the room is a delight in and of itself, and the food is old world Italian, made from scratch and from the heart.

As a signature side dish, her guests enjoy her flan as an accompaniment to their entrees. This Thanksgiving, allow your guests to enjoy it as an accompaniment to theirs. If using individual ramekins isn't your style, Mary assures me that the flan can be made in a large casserole dish if the cook keeps his or her eye on the oven.

An assortment of squash is used here, with the addition of sweet potatoes. You can use any squash that you,Aeod like; pumpkin would make a nice addition. As with most people that have been cooking their whole life, Mary's recipes aren't particularly exact. You must taste as you go and use your best judgment when it comes to measurements. Here Mary has given us the closest approximation that she can.

La Tee Da's Squash Flan

1 sweet potato 1 acorn squash 1 butternut squash 1 cup of heavy cream, half and half or milk- your choice 4 eggs dash of cinnamon 1/4 cup of maple syrup salt and pepper to taste

Bake the squash and sweet potato whole on a roasting sheet at 400 degrees until it is fork tender. Mary inserts metal pins to help conduct the heat and speed the cooking time, but this isn't required. She also told me that a farmer advised her a long time ago that cooking the squash whole gives it better flavor and is easier than cutting the squash into pieces when it's raw.

Once it is cooked and cooled, cut the squash in half. Remove the seeds and scoop the pulp out into a bowl, discarding the rind. Similarly cut the sweet potato in half, scoop out its flesh and discard the skin.

Mix 2 cups of cooked squash/sweet potato in the food processor with the heavy cream/half and half/milk, eggs, cinnamon and maple syrup. Once you,Aeove achieved a smooth mixture, add salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the flan into ramekins and bake in a bain marie at 325 degrees.

Now, don't panic- a bain marie is only a water bath and is really no big deal. Water baths are what give cheesecake, souffl/(c), custard and flan their unbelievable texture.

To make a bain marie, simply place your ramekins or other ceramic baking dish, inside a larger baking pan with sides. Make sure that the ramekins do not touch one another or the sides of the bain marie. Fill the larger, exterior dish with warm water so that it reaches at least two thirds of the way up the sides of the ramekins (or casserole). Place the entire unit- bain marie filled with water and the ramekins or casserole- into the oven.

When the flan is fluffy and golden, remove from the bain marie and cool on a cooling rack. At La Tee Da, they top the flan with an apple cider reduction and a pecan. A little brown sugar and butter will also do the trick.

Serve warm.

Lindsay Nugent and Mary Tomaselli

From Mary's family to yours, a thank you for all of the support and encouragement they,Aeove received during La Tee Da's first fantastic year.

Happy Thanksgiving

La Tee Da 206 Allen Street 881-4500