Some desserts take us instantly back to childhood, with their sweet aroma and melting texture. Ju Chamalo’s vanilla rice pudding flan, taken from his book “Mes flans pâtissiers, tomes 1 et 2” and featured in the book “Le riz au lait, c’est mon dessert préféré” by Philippe Toinard, is one of those comforting little marvels. This hybrid dessert, halfway between a flan and a rice pudding, combines the best of both worlds: the creamy softness of a perfectly cooked rice pudding and the smooth hold of a flan delicately flavoured with vanilla.
The principle is simple: a crunchy pâte sucrée, a nicely vanilla-flavoured flan, and inside, rice pudding. The result? A dessert that’s at once melting, creamy and a little nostalgic. It smells of vanilla, it’s reminiscent of childhood snacks, but with a well-thought-out pastry touch.
I love this recipe because it remains accessible, even if it looks a little technical. First you make the rice pudding, then the flan mixture, you assemble everything on a golden pastry base, and you let the oven do the rest. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool before diving in with a spoon.
This rice pudding flan is the kind of dessert you make at the weekend, share with the family, or keep in the fridge to enjoy all week long. No need to overdo it: it’s good, it’s simple, it brings joy. And that’s exactly what we love, isn’t it?
Ingredients & method
4 components · Full recipe
Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
Ingredients
- 115 g (4.1 oz) T55 flour
- 15 g (0.5 oz) Pariani almond powder
- 45 g (1.6 oz) dark brown sugar (vergeoise)
- 45 g (1.6 oz) butter
- 1 pinch of fleur de sel
- 25 g (0.9 oz) whole egg
Method
1
Place the softened butter and icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater and mix on low speed. Add the almond powder and fleur de sel and mix again.
2
Add the beaten egg and mix with a spatula this time (it will be easier than with the mixer).
3
Finish with the flour and mix with the mixer until a homogeneous dough forms. Do not overwork the dough. Gather it into a ball without pressing too hard.
4
Wrap the dough in cling film, shaping it into a flattened rectangle. Refrigerate overnight.
Rice Pudding
Ingredients
- 60 g (2.1 oz) short-grain rice
- 400 g (14.1 oz) whole milk
- 30 g (1.1 oz) heavy cream
- 1 Norohy Madagascar vanilla pod
- 40 g (1.4 oz) sugar
Method
1
In a saucepan, cook the rice with the milk, cream, the vanilla pod split in half and scraped, and the vanilla seeds for 20 minutes, stirring constantly so the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
2
Add the sugar and continue cooking for 25 minutes over low heat, still stirring constantly.
Flan Custard
Ingredients
- 45 g (1.6 oz) egg yolks (about 2 yolks)
- 30 g (1.1 oz) whole eggs
- 65 g (2.3 oz) sugar
- 35 g (1.2 oz) cornstarch
- 400 g (14.1 oz) whole milk
- 1/2 Norohy Madagascar vanilla pod
- 100 g (3.5 oz) heavy cream
Method
1
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar. Add the cornstarch and whisk again.
2
In a saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat with the vanilla pod split in half and scraped, until the first boil.
3
Remove the vanilla pod and pour over the previous mixture. Mix well. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the cream thickens.
Assembly
Ingredients
- None
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F.
2
Grease a 16 cm (6.3 in) diameter, 4.5 cm (1.8 in) high ring and line with the pastry, making sure to create a right angle at the base.
3
Pour the flan custard on top. Smooth the surface with a spatula.
Gallery
