Home Sweet Parisian flan

Parisian flan

Difficulté : Easy
Catégorie : Sweet
Cout : Low cost
I’ve been looking for a recipe for Parisian flan for so long! I’ve tried several (without putting them on the blog and even before creating this blog!) without finding the true taste of this delicious dessert that reminds us of childhood. Everything changed with my internship at Le Valentin. Bruno then gave me his recipe which I found perfect. A fresh, crispy dough and a dense, soft interior. But there was of course a little something that professionals know well and that makes all the difference, an ingredient that I knew by name that appeared a little obscure, the one that gives the custard its particular consistency and without it, my custards were certainly good, but not perfect. Come and discover the recipe!

But what is it about? What is that pro ingredient? It’s simply the cream powder! What is it? Simply vanilla cornstarch. It is in fact a pastry cream powder. I was quite skeptical with this powder but it actually retains moisture perfectly and that’s why the custard has that consistency. Where can we find it? At G.Detou as usual, on the internet too. But also at the local supermarket! After researching, it is the same as the “ready to use” pastry cream bags in the “pastry products” aisle and I know that the Ancel brand sells them. And it is one of the brands used by the pros in pastry making. I’ve always made my custard “at home”, but with a little of this extra “cream powder”, the cream takes on a wonderful consistency! And it is this ingredient that gives the flan its texture! 
Recipe for a 24cm flan:
Starch” paste:
-250g of flour
-50g of potato starch
-225g of butter
-55g of milk
-15g of egg yolk
-3g of salt
-30g of sugar

Custard:
-500ml of semi-skimmed milk
-50g unsalted butter
-45g of cream powder
-a pinch of vanilla powder
-100g of egg yolk
-125g of sugar

Flan cream:
-500g of softened pastry cream
-1 liter of semi-skimmed milk + 100g of sugar
-160g of egg
-100g of cream powder
-140g of sugar
Start by preparing the pastry cream:
Put the 100g of egg yolks in a bowl with the vanilla powder, half the sugar and the cream powder. 


Mix well with a whisk. 



Boil the milk with the other half of the sugar and the butter. 




When the milk is boiling, pour a small amount over the yolk-cream powder mixture. 



Mix well. 



And pour this mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the hot milk. 



Return to simmer over low heat. Boil for three to four minutes while whisking. 



Pour the pastry cream into a dish.



And cover with stretch film directly in contact with the cream. Let cool  completely  then store cool. 



Prepare the starch paste:
Put the cold butter cut into pieces, flour, cornstarch, salt and sugar in a food processor.



Mix with the sheet until you get a sandy powder. 



Mix in a small bowl the milk and the egg yolk   . 



Pour over the sandy mixture and mix until the paste is homogeneous. As usual, we must not insist. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill for 30 minutes if the weather is warm. Otherwise we can spread right away! 
Note from Bernard: Following the comments of some readers, I have reduced the amount of salt in the dough. Moreover the dough does not need more flour. If it is too malleable, put it in a cool place under cling film. Then spread it between two pieces of parchment paper. 



If the weather is cool, roll out the dough directly to a thickness of 2mm.



Line a 24cm diameter circle. Prick the bottom of the dough and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.


Finally prepare the custard! Put the 140g of sugar and the cream powder in a container.



Add the weighed eggs (just beat them together and then weigh this mixture!).



Boil the milk with the 100g of sugar.



And proceed as for the pastry cream. Pour a small amount of the boiling liquid over the egg mixture. 



Mix well and then pour back into the pan. 



Let boil for 3 to 4 minutes while still stirring. 



Weigh 500g of pastry cream. The cream is a little firm and unappetizing. 



Simply whip it vigorously to smooth it out and make it soft. 



Add the softened custard to the pan off the heat and stir well to incorporate.




Pour all the cream into the dark circle (dark = filled with dough).


Then smooth the surface with a spatula. You can scrape the cream even on the starch paste, it doesn’t matter.


Bake at 190°C for 40-50 minutes, keeping an eye on it. The flan should come out plump and colorful. 



Let cool, the flan will then fall. 



Carefully unclamp and chill for at least three hours before eating!

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The end of year festivities are coming up, Christmas is almost here! I offer you a selection of festive recipes to delight your taste buds and your guests. Tarama, foie gras, logs, I give you all my secrets. There are in this selection, recent recipes and others that I have published for nearly 12 years, so the photos are not all equal! Just click on the recipes to access them!

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