Parisian flan

Parisian flan is a delicious and fresh dessert, it requires attention in the preparation of the cream, but it is within anyone's reach.

Flan parisien is a French dessert, but of Portuguese inspiration. A base of shortcrust pastry welcomes an egg-based cream and the result is a cake with a flavor that you have never encountered before! Although puff pastry is often used today, the original recipe calls for the use of shortcrust pastry: compared to puff pastry keeps its properties better over time , an important factor especially if the dessert is to be kept for a few days or prepared well in advance.

To be quicker, we offer you the version with ready-made shortcrust pastry , but if you want you can make it very simply by combining 100 grams of butter, 200 g of flour, ice water to taste (about 50 ml) and 1 pinch of salt.

How to make Parisian flan with the French recipe

1. First, prepare the shortcrust pastry or puff pastry and put it to rest in the fridge. Alternatively you can buy a pre-made roll at the supermarket.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C .
3. Pour the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl, whisk them well until the mixture is light and fluffy, then add the sifted cornflour and 1 pinch of salt.
4. Separately, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan, with the vanilla pod cut lengthwise so that the seeds come out.
5. When the milk and cream come to the boil, turn off the heat, remove the vanilla pod and add the liquid several times to the mixture with the eggs, filtering it through a sieve and continuing to mix with a whisk so that the egg yolks do not tear.
6. Put everything back on the stove and, over a very low heat and continuing to stir, cook everything until the cream has thickened .
7. At this point, turn off the heat, pour the cream into a bowl, cover it with cling film and let it cool.
8. Take the shortcrust pastry (or puff pastry) and, if you have made it at home, roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured work surface or on a sheet of baking paper , until it is about 6-7 mm thick.
9. Take a springform cake mold of approximately 20-22 cm in diameter and line it with the roll of shortcrust pastry (or butter it) and then put everything back in the fridge for another 20-30 minutes . The shortcrust pastry must also go on the walls to form the outer edge of the cake.
10. Take the base of the cake, pour the cream evenly into the mold and place in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes .
11. Once this time has passed, turn off the oven and open it slightly, then leave the cake to rest inside for another 5-10 minutes, then remove it and leave it to cool.
12. Once cold, cover the flan with a sheet of cling film and place it in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours , even better overnight, and serve it at the table, taking care to take it out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before serving.

If you liked this French recipe, try the pain au chocolat too!

storage

You can keep the dessert in the fridge for 3-4 days , well covered with a sheet of film or, even better, inside a special dessert container with a lid. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.