A few months ago, I felt like continuing my quest for the perfect vanilla flan. I’d already been able to try the flan by Christophe Felder and the one by Quentin Lechat (recipes I can recommend with my eyes closed).
For the record, I came across the flan recipe by The French Pâtissier after watching a report devoted to this legendary dessert on 66 minutes. And then, I came back from the countryside with my arms full of lovely farm produce (eggs, milk, cream), just what I needed to set about making their flan.
Unfortunately for me, it was a failure (not only did the flan overflow like never before, but the custard also curdled during baking). I’ll let you imagine my disappointment, especially with all those lovely farm products I’d used…
It was while chatting on Instagram with Juchamalo, the king of flans, that I felt like getting back in the kitchen (I had a small pastry-lined ring left). But this time, I tried his recipe (by the way, if you’re a fan of flans, you’ll find his recipes on his Instagram account: vanilla, pistachio, chocolate, coconut, pecan… there’s something for everyone). Personally, I adore vanilla flan and I keep trying recipes to try to find the one that suits ME.
Verdict? This recipe is very good; you get a creamy flan with a lovely vanilla taste. Unfortunately for me (once again), I baked my flan a few minutes too long; I’d have liked it much creamier. That said, it’s a very simple recipe to make and really very good. Flan has that little je-ne-sais-quoi that takes us back to childhood, a real delight, don’t you think? 🙂
Ingredients & Method
2 components · Full recipe
Pastry
Ingredients
- 225 g (7.9 oz) flour
- 90 g (3.2 oz) butter
- 90 g (3.2 oz) icing sugar
- 45 g (1.6 oz) egg
- a pinch of salt
Method
1
Mix the flour, icing sugar and salt together. Add the cold butter cut into cubes and rub in until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
2
Add the egg and bring the dough together quickly without overworking it. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3
Roll the dough out thinly and line a 20 cm (7.9 in) tart ring. Trim the edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Vanilla flan filling
Ingredients
- 450 g (15.9 oz) whole milk
- 450 g (15.9 oz) whole whipping cream
- 2 vanilla pods
- 6 eggs
- 180 g (6.3 oz) caster sugar
- 75 g (2.6 oz) cornflour
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Split the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Place them in a saucepan with the milk and cream. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.
3
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and cornflour until pale and smooth.
4
Pour the hot vanilla-infused milk over the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens.
5
Pour the hot filling into the pastry shell. Bake for 45 minutes until deeply golden on top. Leave to cool completely before unmoulding. Refrigerate before serving.
6
Once completely cold, unmould the flan and serve chilled.
7
The flan keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
8
Slice and enjoy — the flan should be creamy, dense and intensely vanilla-flavoured.
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