I am so deeply sorry to rain on the parade, but I have always struggled to enjoy Thanksgiving pies. Unless my little brother Nico is making one — Coco, I bow down to your pies every single year. But pumpkin pie? It lacks flavor. Apple pie? Too mushy. And sweet potato pie… please don’t even utter those words in my presence.
Okay, venting aside.
One of the most brilliant creations to ever come out of French pâtisserie is the Parisian flan. It’s simple. It’s perfect. It leans on subtlety rather than spectacle; a dessert that’s somehow both deeply nostalgic and distinctly grown-up.
So I decided to turn the dial just a touch. A splash of good Virginia whiskey to warm it from the inside out. A little orange zest to brighten and lift. And in a dessert that lives and dies by nuance, those small shifts transform it into something entirely new; familiar in spirit, but unmistakably its own being.
Ingredients and Sourcing: Carolina Gound Shirley Soft Red Winter Wheat
Shirley Red Wheat:
A soft, red, winter wheat with a sweet, yet slightly nutty, brassy flavor and a delicate texture. Developed by Virginia Tech for its adaptability and high yield
I am so deeply sorry to rain on the parade, but I have always struggled to enjoy Thanksgiving pies. Unless my little brother Nico is making one — Coco, I bow down to your pies every single year. But pumpkin pie? It lacks flavor. Apple pie? Too mushy. And sweet potato pie… please don’t even utter those words in my presence.
Okay, venting aside.
One of the most brilliant creations to ever come out of French pâtisserie is the Parisian flan. It’s simple. It’s perfect. It leans on subtlety rather than spectacle; a dessert that’s somehow both deeply nostalgic and distinctly grown-up.
So I decided to turn the dial just a touch. A splash of good Virginia whiskey to warm it from the inside out. A little orange zest to brighten and lift. And in a dessert that lives and dies by nuance, those small shifts transform it into something entirely new; familiar in spirit, but unmistakably its own being.
Ingredients and Sourcing: Carolina Gound Shirley Soft Red Winter Wheat
Shirley Red Wheat:
A soft, red, winter wheat with a sweet, yet slightly nutty, brassy flavor and a delicate texture. Developed by Virginia Tech for its adaptability and high yield