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Flaó
Flaó eivissenc: Ibiza's Easter pie of fresh cheese, eggs and mint in an anise-scented crust
Flaó is what Ibiza and Formentera bake for Easter Sunday: a shallow pie whose filling of fresh sheep's or goat's cheese, eggs and sugar is perfumed with spearmint (hierbabuena), set in a crust flavoured with anise. Families still take theirs to the village baker to be fired, and it appears on café counters in Sant Antoni and Eivissa town through spring. Traditional island fresh cheese is made with animal rennet; look for a vegetarian fresh goat's cheese or use ricotta made with a vegetarian coagulant. Many cooks add a splash of anise liqueur to the dough; this version uses crushed anise seed and water, so it has no alcohol. Chef's tip: tear the mint leaves rather than chop them, and press half into the filling and lay half on top, so every bite gets it.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the crust
- 9 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp anise seedslightly crushed
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 ½ tbsp wateror 2 tbsp anise liqueur plus water to make 50 ml
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb fresh soft goat's or sheep's cheese (or ricotta)vegetarian, drained
- 5 eggs
- 7 oz sugar
- 1 lemonfinely grated zest
- ½ oz fresh spearmint leavestorn
To finish
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 9 oz plain flour, 1 tsp anise seeds, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 pinch salt. Add the 1 egg, ¼ cup olive oil and 3 ½ tbsp water and knead briefly into a soft, pliable dough. Wrap and rest for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F. Oil a 26 cm shallow pie or tart tin. Roll the dough 3 mm thick and line the tin, pressing it into the edge and trimming the excess.
8 minStep 3: Beat the 1 ⅛ lb fresh soft goat's or sheep's cheese (or ricotta) until smooth, then whisk in the 5 eggs one at a time, followed by the 7 oz sugar and 1 lemon. The mixture should be smooth and pourable, like thick cream.
6 minStep 4: Stir half the ¼ oz fresh spearmint leaves into the filling, pour it into the case and scatter the rest of the ¼ oz fresh spearmint leaves over the top.
2 minStep 5: Bake for 45–50 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling has puffed, is lightly golden on top and barely wobbles in the very centre when you nudge the tin. A common mistake is baking until it is rock firm; it sets more as it cools and overbaked flaó cracks and weeps.
50 minStep 6: Cool completely in the tin, then chill. Dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar before slicing.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does flaó take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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