Prettiest Mardi Gras-inspired salad

Well, the composed salad I was envisioning while shopping at the farmers market this past Sunday finally came to fruition tonight and did so beautifully! Young radicchio (Mardi Gras purple = justice), watercress (MG green = faith), shaved golden beets (MG gold = power), young chevre, and homemade croutons. I drizzled it gently with an orange-aged balsamic-olive oil dressing and jumped right in. I'm not usually patient enough to construct such purposeful salads, but they are a sight. Isn't this just gorgeous!?

Chai Tea Flan

This week's Food52 contest is Your Best Tea, and for whatever reason, I immediately thought of my mom's caramel custard. It has always been once of my favorites of her desserts, though I tend to prefer it without the caramelized sugar base which baffles her to no end. It is delightfully eggy, substantial yet light and open to interpretation. To replace the milk, I thought of using a homemade chai tea: scalded milk steeped with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and Earl Grey. That would then be mixed with the eggs and sugar before heading into ramekins carefully set in a warm water bath. Not only did these result in velvety, satiny, beautiful cups of flan, but also delicious ones. Easy, quick to prepare, and they can be made ahead! I will post the recipe under Desserts sometime today.