Parisian Custard

I love making sweet preparations, whether they are cakes, desserts, etc. I like them all, with fruit, with cream, with or without pastry. But above all I like them not to be excessively sweet, that is, I don't like them to be able to enjoy all their nuances because the excess sugar covers them up.

The preparations that I like the most are those that have cream, pastry cream, made with love. They result in that silky and creamy texture, and that is why we cannot lose sight of this recipe that I bring you today, the Parisian flan or flan pâtissier . A traditional French recipe that I use so often.

And you might ask, what does custard and pastry have to do with flan? Well, this typical French flan is nothing more than a baked custard tart , a recipe to always keep in mind and to be able to prepare in advance if you have a celebration coming up. Believe me, everyone will like it.

Kitchen Craft 23cm Quiche Mold

Ingredients (for 6 people)

For the shortcrust pastry*:

• 100 g butter, chopped
• 200 g flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 35 g sugar
• 75 ml cold water (approximately)

For the vanilla pastry cream:

• 550 ml whole milk
• 200 ml whipping cream
• 150 g sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 vanilla pod
• 70 g cornstarch
• Butter to grease the mold

*If you don't feel like preparing the dough, don't hesitate to buy a quality shortcrust pastry or even a good butter puff pastry, it will work very well to get by.

Le Creuset wooden rolling pin , Kitchen Craft ceramic balls and Le Creuset spoon spatula

Preparation

1. We begin by preparing the dough. To do this, in our food processor with the paddle attachment, add all the ingredients except the water, and mix at high speed until you get a sand-like texture.
2. Next, add the water little by little until it is completely incorporated. Work it with your hands until you get a ball, cover it with cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
3. While the dough rests, prepare the pastry cream. To do this, mix the eggs with half of the sugar and the cornstarch in a bowl. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan, heat the milk and cream together with the remaining sugar and the vanilla pod, which we will split lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
5. Once hot, pour it into the bowl and mix well until you get a homogeneous mixture. Pour it back into the saucepan and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens.
6. Once it has thickened, remove from the heat, pour into a clean container, cover tightly with cling film and allow to cool.
7. After 2 hours of resting the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and roll it out, using our Le Creuset rolling pin , on a lightly floured surface.
8. We cover the 23 cm Kitchen Craft quiche mould , a mould that we have previously buttered, although it is a fantastic non-stick mould it never hurts. With the help of a we have, we prick the bottom.
9. We cover the mould with greaseproof paper and cover it with Kitchen Craft ceramic balls , so that the dough has weight and can be cooked quickly.
10. If you are too lazy, you can skip this step, but I always like to cook the dough white to prevent it from being raw. So, we bake for 15 minutes in the oven preheated to 200º. After the time has elapsed, we remove it from the oven, carefully remove the baking paper with the ceramic balls and cover the dough with the pastry cream, from which we have to remove the vanilla pod. We smooth the surface and put it back in the oven, where we will have lowered the temperature to 175ºC.
11. Bake for 45 minutes or until the surface of the custard has turned golden.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool. You will see that the cream will have swollen and that if you move the mould it will not be compact, this will change when it cools.

Kitchen Craft 23cm Quiche Pan and Le Creuset Spoon Spatula

The typical recipe is prepared with vanilla but if you prefer other flavors such as lemon, orange, or even cinnamon, don't hesitate to use them, they will be great!

Don't tell me this isn't a delicious and easy cake! Will you make it and tell me about it?

Loreto