Introducing the worlds greatest custard tart: Flan Patissier!
Also known asParisian Flan,this incredible French tart is like a gigantic Portuguese Tart.
To say this thing is magnificent would be the understatement of the year.
Creamy custard inside
Also known asParisian Flan,youll find it in every suburban bakery all across France.
To this Aussie lass, it is a big deal.It is phenomenally good.Indescribably great.
My dessert discovery of the year.
Given especially that its a rare find in Australia, I was determined to crack the recipe.
With the valuable help of a professional French pastry chefJennifer Pogmore, Im happy to report success!
Everyone who has tried the 20+ versions we churned out developing the recipe hasloved it.
Creamy custard inside
They cant get enough of it.
And Im thrilled to be sharing it with you!
I tried them all.
Crispy golden puff pastry base
But for me, I cant look past puff pastry.
And it LOOKS so good too!
Crispy base!!
Youll love how the base comes out perfectly crispy in this recipe.
Heres a couple of photos so you might inspect them closely and see for yourself!!
This is by design, because thats exactly how Flan Patissier is supposed to be eaten!
Heads up: This is a long post!
the devil is in the detail.
This especially applies to those who are not so confident at baking, or are custard first-timers.
While exact recipes for Creme Patissiere vary depending on the intended use (ie.
Cornflour/cornstarch For setting the custard and making it shiny (regular flour makes it dull).
Attention FRENCH READERS: Do not use yellow cornflour, use white cornstarch!
Vanilla beans For a beautiful vanilla flavour.
But not excessive sweetness!
Milk The liquid for custard.
Creme Patissiere custard filling
Some recipes also use cream, for added richness.
I prefer the mouthfeel of milk enriched with butter.
Butter As above, to enrich the custard.
Puff pastry crust for Flan Pâtissier
I tried quite a few combinations before landing on what I think is the perfect balance!
Bring it to just below a boil.
As soon as you see the milk starting to foam and rise, remove it straight from the stove.
The gorgeous finished product!
- Adding a bit of sugar in this step helps to ensure the milk doesnt scald on the base.
Slowly add half milk (tempering) While whisking, slowly pour in half the milk.
Just whisk until combined.
However we still temper the mixtures in this step as an extra layer of safety.
Such a satisfying moment!!
Pause stirring for a few seconds to test whether you have bubbles (see video).
Vanilla beans fromVanilla Bean House
Strain Pass the custard through a fine mesh strainer.
This is to remove any larger chunks of vanilla that were loosened from the beans.
Press throughall the custard and be sure to scrape the base of the strainer well.
How to scrap out vanilla bean seeds
Then lick that spatula clean.
Yes thats an instruction dont waste a drop of that precious custard!
Custard thickness This is what the custard should look like at this stage.
you’re free to tell by looking at the surface how the custard is thick and creamy.
as well as condensation, which will dilute the richness of the custard.
skip the fridge time.
To be honest, I dont think most people will be able to tell the difference.
But I wanted to share this recipe made the proper way!
Custard done, now its on to the pastry!
These days, store-bought puff pastry is actually quite good quality.
Even the standard brands we find at grocery stores here in Australia such as Pampas are perfectly acceptable.
Its absolutely worth the extra coin.
Note: Professional patissiers and pastry chefs use tall tart rings which are purpose-built rings without a base.
A springform pan ring works just as well for this recipe.
This is for ease of handling for this tart which has unusually high sides.
Cut baseusing the inside of the springform pan as a guide.
Remove excess pastry but SAVE IT in case we need to do emergency patch ups later!
Then place the base in the freezer until required.
Puff pastry lid
This will preserve the beautifully flaky layers on the rim of the crust, like pictured in this post.
Place the ring on a sheet of baking paper sitting a plate.
This is for ease of handling because we are not using the springform pan base.
Baking paperactually isnt essential, you could just butter or spray the sides with oil.
However, the puff pastry tends to look more rustic (ie.
flaky rather than neater) if you skip the baking paper.
You will need to trim the third strip so it fits.
Remember, work withstiff but just-pliable puff pastryelse the sides will flop!
Press seams At this stage, just press the seams; we will seal it properly later.
Right now, we want to work fast while the pastry is still as frozen as possible.
Base
Place base inby gathering it up slightly so it doesnt drag down the sides.
Adjust as needed to centre it as best you could.
Do this for the base and the sides.
Prick and freeze
Prick basewith a fork about 30 times.
This helps to stop the base from puffing up when we do the blind bake.
Nobody wants a soggy crust with their custard tart!!
Filling with baking beads Remove the fully frozen crust from the freezer.
This makes it easier to fit inside this taller than usual pastry.
Lay one sheet of paper on top of the other but perpendicular to it (ie.
in a X) inside the crust shell.
Then fill with baking beads or dried beans* right up to 1cm below the rim of the pastry.
No baking beads?Large dried beans work almost as well.
They do not conduct heat as well as purpose-made baking beads and they are a little lighter.
(A lesson I learned the hard way!)
Remove baking beads After 25 minutes, remove the crust from the oven.
Grip the paper overhangs and lift, taking the baking beads with the paper.
If they do, leave the baking beads in and bake for a further 5 minutes.
I pour the beads straight into a metal bowl to cool.
Cool 10 minutes Remove the crust from the oven.
You will see that the surface is dry but the pastry is still a bit undercooked.
Thats exactly what we want its partially cooked, ie.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Again, this is just an extra crispy-base insurance policy.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Baking the Flan Patissier
We are on the home stretch here!
So close are we to be able to taste the magic that is Flan Patissier!
Fill with custard Remove the chilled custard from the fridge and whisk to loosen.
Then fill the pastry crust.
Fill to 1cm / 0.4 below the rim else it will overflow when it bakes.
Smooth custard surfaceusing an offset spatula or spoon.
Egg yolk Brush the surface gently with egg yolk, taking care not to break the surface.
This is how we get that gorgeous, signature bronzing on the surface of the Flan Patissier.
The custard will still be VERY wobbly, borderline watery.
It will set when refrigerated.
And with that, WE ARE DONE!!
Time to devour this custardy masterpiece!!
I know this was a big knowledge dump.
Even lamentable pastry work can be salvaged from potential custard leakage issues by plugging holes with leftover pastry!
As for everything else, its a walk in the park.
OK sure, your pastry shell might look a little more rustic than mine.
I certainly had my fair share of more rustic-looking crusts on this journey!
But that doesnt affect flavour or the eating experience at all.
And that, my friends, is just about all I can think of that could possibly go wrong.
So really, dont let the length of the recipe card daunt you.
The detail is there to guide you through this.
It might take you longer than you expect.
But I promise, it really is not that hard.
And it is so, so worth it!
