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Parisian Flan (French Custard Pie)
Parisian Flan (French Custard Pie)
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Parisian Flan (French Custard Pie)

5 stars (36) Rate this recipe
Preparation
30 MIN
Cooking
55 MIN
Chilling
6 H
Freezing
15 MIN
Makes
10 to 12 servings
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Ingredients

Flan

Crust

Preparation

Flan

  1. In a saucepan, bring milk, sugar, vanilla bean and seeds to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.
  2. In a bowl, dissolve cornstarch in cream with a whisk. Add egg yolks and whole egg. Slowly incorporate into infused milk. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan, until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and strain. Cover with plastic wrap directly on cream and let cool in the refrigerator or over an ice water bath. Set aside.

Crust

  1. In a food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse a few seconds at a time until it is the size of peas. Add milk and egg yolk and pulse until a ball begins to form. Shape into a disc with your hands.
  2. On a floured work surface, roll out pastry and line a 20 cm (8 inch) in diameter and 6-cm (2 ½-inch) deep springform pan. Press firmly. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes or 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  3. With the rack in the lowest position, preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F).
  4. Pour cooled custard into crust. Cut off excess dough to ½ cm (¼ inch) of the custard level. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until custard is only slightly wobbly. Set the oven to broil and caramelize for about 5 minutes or until surface of custard is partially burnt. Remove from oven. Let cool and refrigerate for 6 hours. Unmould.

Note

Keep flan in the refrigerator, but let it temper before serving.

Comments

  1. Great recipe, clear instruction. It is exactly what I had in Paris. Don't doubt 6 Tbs cornflour. I was concerned that it was too much but it turned out to be the wonderful and silky texture that I remembered. Thank you!

  2. I am afraid to say that I don't know why you make two crusts. Do you just have excess so you make a small one for the next time?

  3. Stunning..... lost for time, cheated and used puff pastry and still was yummy

  4. This is a fantastic recipe! Easy to follow instructions that make something truely delicious. Sharon D, you overlooked the custard; You are supposed to stop cooking the custard when it coats the back of a spoon, not cook it all the way. If it starts to boil, you have gone way too far.

  5. Exactly what I eat in Paris. Absolutely delicious and foolproof to make.

  6. I made this flan yesterday and also thought that 6 tablespoons of cornstarch was quite a lot, so I cut my quantity down to 4 tablespoons and it was perfect. Love this recipe, it's a keeper.

  7. This looks and tastes precisely like the ones found in Parisian patisseries. My favorite French pastry. Very clear instructions. Easy to make. Wonderful.

  8. My husband's favorite and we don't have to go to Paris for him to have it. Wonderful. Not complicated, and it tastes exactly like the Paris patisserie flan we love so much.

  9. I wanted to love this recipe. The patisserie flans in France were my favorite. I'm an accomplished baker but this recipe didn't look anything like the picture. I think the problem is the amount of cornstarch. I was shocked it called for 6 tablespoons. It makes the custard way too thick and the recipe only says it should coat the back of a spoon and there is no way you can strain it. Could someone let me know what the correct amount should be?

  10. It tasted exactly like my favorite Parisian treat. Excellent recipe.

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Recipes with the "Healthy Pick" stamp have been evaluated by a registered dietitian member of the Ordre professionnel des diététistes du Québec.