Christophe Felder’s Parisian flan recipe is truly a must, so I simply had to share this lovely discovery with you.
You should know that flan and I have quite a history. I had my addict phase where I needed a slice of flan now, right away, and never mind if I had to go to 2 shops to get hold of the Holy Grail. And then I also went through a dry spell during my pregnancy (yuck, pastries!).
But the strangest thing of all is that my favourite flan, the one that can make me travel a few kilometres in the event of a serious craving, isn’t a pastry chef’s dessert, no. It’s the flan you can find at La Croissanterie (or at Flunch, take your pick, same supplier surely). I’m ashamed… out with homemade and in with industrial frozen. Ouch! What can I say! It’s not for lack of having tasted tons of them, in bakeries or at renowned pastry chefs. I never found my happiness.
With the possible exception of Cyril Lignac’s flan, which I found particularly creamy. And strangely too, I’ve never managed to make a flan that suited me. The irony!
And then, I came across this flan recipe by Christophe Felder, whose merits were being praised on many blogs. I was so motivated that I also made the pastry (it’s simple, it has to be said). If you don’t like the pastry, you can very well try Christophe Michalak’s crustless version.
I wasn’t disappointed by Christophe Felder’s flan. I loved the texture, nice and creamy, even though I think it could have been even more so with a little less baking. Having tested Pierre Hermé’s and Christophe Michalak’s recipes, it’s definitely Monsieur Felder’s recipe that I’m keeping and that I’ll make again without hesitation. Well… I’m not far from having found the Holy Grail…
Ingredients & preparation
2 components · Complete recipe
Pastry
Ingredients
- 125 g (4.4 oz) butter
- 125 g (4.4 oz) sugar
- 250 g (8.8 oz) flour
- 1 egg
- 1 pinch of baking powder
Preparation
1
In a bowl, mix the soft butter, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Rub all the ingredients together between your hands until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
2
Add the egg and knead quickly (do not overwork the dough).
3
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4
Roll out the dough to 3 mm thickness and line your pan. For a neat finish, I first cut a circle of dough the size of the pan bottom, then cut 2 or 3 strips to line the sides. Keep the lined pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the flan filling.
Flan Filling
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 300 g (10.6 oz) sugar
- 140 g (4.9 oz) cornstarch
- 300 g (10.6 oz) heavy cream
- 1,200 ml (0 fl oz) milk
- 2 tablespoons liquid vanilla extract (I recommend using 1 or 2 good vanilla beans instead)
Preparation
1
Break the eggs into a bowl, add half the sugar, the cornstarch, and the vanilla extract, and whisk vigorously without letting the mixture turn pale.
2
Add the heavy cream and mix again.
3
Place the milk and remaining sugar in a saucepan, stir, and bring to a boil.
4
Pour the hot milk into the previous mixture while stirring continuously.
5
Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens.
6
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool. The cream should have the consistency of a thick béchamel sauce.
7
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. Pour the cooled cream into the pastry-lined pan and smooth the surface with a spatula.
8
Bake for about 50 minutes. If the surface is not golden enough, finish under the broiler for a few minutes (be careful — stay in front of the oven!).
9
Let cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve. For a beautiful finish, I prepare a simple sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water, brought to a boil for a few seconds) and brush it over the flan. It makes it even more appetizing!
10
If I were to make this again, I think I would reduce the baking time by 5 minutes for an even creamier, melt-in-your-mouth texture (that’s how I like it). But it really depends on each oven — you’ll need to test and adjust as needed.
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