Description
Flan Pâtissier, also known as French Custard Tart, is a classic French dessert featuring a crisp, buttery puff pastry crust filled with a rich, creamy vanilla custard. This recipe uses homemade crème pâtissière infused with real vanilla beans and baked to a golden perfection, resulting in a soft, yet firm custard with a slightly caramelized top. Served at room temperature, it is a beloved bakery-style treat that balances flaky pastry and velvety custard in every bite.
Ingredients
Creme Pâtissière
- 1 litre / 1 quart full fat milk
- 2 vanilla beans, seeds scraped, beans reserved
- 1 cup caster sugar, separated
- 120g / 4.2 oz egg yolks (approximately 6 to 7 large eggs, 100 ml)
- 1 large egg (55 – 60g / 2 oz)
- 7 tbsp (70g) cornflour/cornstarch (scoop and level)
- 50g (5 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 1cm cubes (cold)
Pastry
- 2 sheets butter puff pastry, frozen (25cm / 10″ squares, 185g/6oz each)
- 1 egg yolk, whisked
- Butter, for greasing
For Baking
- Baking paper
- Baking beads or dried beans for blind baking
- Water (for sealing pastry)
Instructions
- Infuse milk: Place milk, vanilla seeds, reserved vanilla beans, and 50g (1/4 cup) caster sugar in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring to just before boiling. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes to infuse the flavor.
- Prepare egg yolk mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, and the remaining caster sugar until combined. Add cornflour and whisk until smooth without lumps.
- Temper eggs: Slowly pour about half of the warm infused milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously to prevent curdling.
- Thicken custard: Pour the tempered egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and stir constantly to avoid lumps or burning. Within 3 to 5 minutes, the mixture will start to thicken. If lumpy, remove from heat and whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Cook custard further: Once thickened and when big lazy bubbles first appear on the base, continue whisking constantly for 20 seconds then remove from heat.
- Incorporate butter & strain: Whisk in the cold butter cubes until fully melted and incorporated. Strain the custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl to remove beans and any lumps. Cover the custard surface with cling wrap to prevent a skin forming.
- Cool custard: Allow the custard to cool on the counter for at least 3 hours, then refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours to let it fully set and develop flavors.
- Prepare pastry: Keep puff pastry as frozen as possible for easier handling. Cut one sheet to fit the base of a 20cm/8″ springform pan by tracing the inside of the pan. From the other sheet, cut three strips measuring approximately 25 x 5.5cm (10 x 2.15 inches) for the sides. Keep any offcuts to seal cracks later.
- Line pan: Butter the sides of the springform pan and line with a 5.5cm / 2.2″ strip of baking paper. Do not use the pan base. Place the pan on a square sheet of baking paper on a plate to facilitate removal later.
- Assemble pastry sides: Quickly remove the puff pastry strips from the freezer and, when they have just thawed enough to bend without tearing, line the sides of the pan, overlapping the strips by about 1cm. Use a little water to press and seal the seams temporarily.
- Fit base and seal: Brush the base edges of the sides with water and fit the base puff pastry into the pan. Use the back of a teaspoon to press and seal the base into the corners. Seal any visible gaps by smoothing the slightly thawed pastry. Prick the base 30 times with a fork to prevent puffing during blind baking.
- Freeze crust: Cover the lined pan with cling wrap and freeze for 4 to 24 hours to ensure it remains crisp during baking.
- Preheat oven: Heat the oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan) for at least 30 minutes so it is fully hot for baking.
- Blind bake crust: Lift the crust using the baking paper and place on a baking tray. Crumple two sheets of baking paper into an X shape inside the crust and fill with baking beads to 1cm below the rim. Bake for 25 minutes. Carefully remove beads using the overhanging paper; if sides collapse slightly, return beads and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Then bake another 5 minutes without beads to set the crust. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Fill with custard: Reduce oven temperature to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan). Whisk the chilled custard to loosen and pour into the baked pastry shell, filling to 1cm below the rim. Smooth the surface and brush the entire surface of the custard with the reserved egg yolk.
- Bake custard tart: Bake for 65 minutes, rotating the tray 180° at the 45-minute mark. The custard will puff up like a soufflé in the final 15 minutes. Remove when the top is golden and the filling is still slightly wobbly. To achieve a caramelized golden surface, use the broiler briefly if needed, watching carefully to avoid burning.
- Cool and refrigerate: Let the tart cool on the counter in the pan for 4 hours. Transfer to a plate while still in the pan, loosely cover with cling wrap, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours to allow custard to fully set.
- Serve: Remove from fridge 1 hour before serving to bring to room temperature. Cut into slices like a cake. Enjoy the crisp flaky pastry with creamy custard inside.
Notes
- Puff pastry sides may cave in if the crust is not properly set; ensure thorough blind baking and reinstall baking beads for extra time if sides flop.
- Make sure to measure cornflour accurately to ensure custard sets firmly; cook the custard 20 seconds after bubbles appear as explained.
- Seal any cracks in the pastry with reserved puff pastry scraps to prevent custard leakage.
- Baking directly on a baking tray without the springform base keeps the crust crisp.
- The tart is best eaten within 24 hours of baking for optimum crispness; after that, the pastry softens while custard remains delicious.
- Work quickly with frozen puff pastry to make shaping easier and avoid tearing.
- This flan traditionally is rustic in appearance; minor imperfections do not affect flavor.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
