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Egg and caramel flan with González Byass Nectar Pedro Ximenez

On the plate is a flan of egg yolk and cream, turned out of its mould, with the dark caramel running over it. The Pedro Ximenez sets against it an almost black, syrupy wine that comes from the same corner: caramelised sweetness with a bitter edge.

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From the shelf

The bottle

Nectar Pedro Ximenez comes from González Byass in Jerez and is made from one hundred percent pedro ximenez. The grapes are harvested late and laid out to dry for two weeks on esparto mats in the vineyard, the asoleo the Consejo Regulador speaks of; in the process they lose about forty percent of their volume. The pressed must begins to ferment to about 7 percent alcohol and is then fortified to 15 percent, after which the wine matures for an average of eight years in the Nectar solera. For Pedro Ximenez the Consejo requires more than 212 grams of residual sugar per litre. The bottle is at 15 percent alcohol and comes in 75 centilitres.

González Byass Nectar Pedro Ximenez

The combination

Why this works together

A flan is sweet with a bitter edge: the caramel is cooked until dark and thereby brings the slightly burnt tone that sets the dish apart from ordinary custard. A Pedro Ximenez is built on exactly those same two registers. The sweetness comes from sun-drying the grape, which concentrates the sugars to above 212 grams per litre; the dark, almost toasted side comes from eight years in the solera and from the same reactions that take place in the caramel pan. Wine and dish thus mirror each other, and with a dessert that is a requirement: if the wine is less sweet than the plate, it tastes sour. In addition, the egg and cream bring fat and protein that make the syrupy feel of the wine lighter in the mouth. The Consejo expressly mentions, for Pedro Ximenez, desserts that are not overly sweet.

At the table

The dish

  • For 4 people
  • Ready in 1 hour, plus cooling
  • Type dessert

What you need

  • 200 ml full-fat milk
  • 200 ml whipping cream
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 90 g icing sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 60 g granulated sugar for the caramel

How to make it

  1. Heat the milk with the whipping cream until it just boils and then let the mixture cool to lukewarm.
  2. Beat the egg yolks with the icing sugar and the vanilla for three minutes, until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Pour in the lukewarm milk mixture, pour everything into a pan and heat it over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spatula, until it thickens. Do not let it boil.
  4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve.
  5. Heat the granulated sugar in a dry pan until a dark caramel forms. Divide it over four moulds and swirl them around so the caramel also runs up the sides.
  6. Pour the strained mixture into the moulds and place them in an ovenproof dish. Pour hot water into the dish until it comes halfway up the moulds.
  7. Bake the flans for 30 to 35 minutes at 200 degrees in a bain-marie, until just set.
  8. Let them cool completely in the moulds, then put them in the fridge. Turn them out only just before serving.

In the glass

Serving

Serve this Pedro Ximenez at 12 to 14 degrees, the temperature the Consejo Regulador keeps for this style, in a catavinos or a white wine glass. Keep the portion small; a third of a glass is ample alongside a dessert for a wine with more than 212 grams of residual sugar per litre. An opened Pedro Ximenez keeps for a long time: the Consejo reckons on about two months for oxidatively aged sherry with the bottle closed and stored cool, and because of the high sugar content this style is in practice even more patient.

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