Flan Pâtissier
Ingredients
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 75 g cold butter, cubed
- 35 g icing sugar
- 20 g ground almonds
- 1 egg yolk
- 700 ml whole milk
- 150 ml heavy cream (30% fat)
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 whole egg
- 3 egg yolks
- 120 g granulated sugar
- 75 g cornstarch
Every French bakery sells flan pâtissier by the slab, and it is nothing like a delicate tart: the shell is thin and the filling is deep, a whole litre of milk and cream thickened with cornstarch and egg into a pastry cream firm enough to hold a clean edge yet still creamy on the tongue. The custard is cooked on the stove first, so the oven only has to set it and scorch the surface into the dark, almost burnt-looking top that is the mark of a good flan. It needs a long cold rest — at least four hours, ideally overnight — before it will slice.
Method
Rub the flour, icing sugar, ground almonds and cold butter together until the mixture is sandy, then add the egg yolk and bring it together into a smooth dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the milk and cream with the scraped vanilla seeds and pod until hot but not boiling, then leave to infuse off the heat.
Whisk the whole egg, the 3 yolks and the sugar until pale, then whisk in the cornstarch.
Pour the hot milk gradually over the eggs while whisking, return everything to the pan and stir over medium heat until the cream is very thick. Strain it and leave to cool.
Roll the pastry out and line a 21 cm springform pan. Blind-bake at 180°C (356°F) for 12 minutes with baking weights.
Pour the cooled custard into the shell, level the top and bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes, until the surface is deep golden and the centre still moves slightly.
Cool completely to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours — overnight is better — before slicing.
