Flan Parisien Recipe

Make dough

In a bowl or food processor, pulse together flour, icing sugar and a pinch of salt. Add cold cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter. Add egg yolk and cold water and pulse just until dough comes together.

Chill and roll

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, press into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (up to 24 hours). When chilled, roll dough to about 3 mm (1/8 in) thickness and use to line a 23–24 cm (9-inch) tart pan with removable bottom, trimming excess. Chill lined pan 15 minutes before blind baking.

Blind bake

Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F). Line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 12–15 minutes until edges set. Remove weights and parchment and bake 5–7 minutes more until golden. Let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 160°C (320°F) for the custard bake.

Infuse milk and cream with vanilla

Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds. Combine whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla seeds and scraped pod in a medium saucepan. Warm over medium heat until it just reaches a gentle simmer (small bubbles at the edge). Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 15–20 minutes to infuse flavor.

Mix eggs and sugar

While the dairy is infusing, in a large bowl whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar and 1 tsp fine sea salt until sugar has started to dissolve and mixture is homogenous but not frothy (about 30–45 seconds).

Temper eggs with warm milk

Remove the vanilla pod from the infused milk. Slowly pour about one-third of the warm milk into the egg-sugar mixture in a thin steady stream while whisking continuously to temper the eggs and avoid curdling. Once combined, slowly whisk in the remaining milk until smooth.

Strain custard

Pass the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring pitcher or bowl to remove any coagulated bits and any remaining vanilla pod fragments. This yields a silky custard.

Assemble and bake in a water bath (bain-marie)

If using the pre-baked crust: brush the tart pan lightly with 1 tbs melted butter before pouring. If making a crustless flan, butter the pan well. Place the tart pan (or a 23–24 cm flan dish) on a roasting pan. Pour the strained custard into the prepared pan(s), leaving a little headspace. Pour hot (not boiling) water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the tart pan to create a water bath. Carefully transfer to the oven preheated to 160°C (320°F). Bake 35–45 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center still slightly wobbles when gently shaken. The surface should be pale gold — avoid deep browning.

Cool and chill

Remove the flan from the water bath and carefully remove from the roasting pan. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack for about 30 minutes, then chill uncovered in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or overnight to fully set and develop flavor.

Serve

Run a thin knife around the tart ring to loosen. If using a removable-bottom pan, release and transfer to a serving plate. Dust lightly with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and serve chilled or slightly cool. The flan will have a smooth, creamy texture with a pronounced vanilla flavor.

Store any leftover flan covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For best texture, serve within 48 hours. If the custard weeps slightly after slicing, blot gently with a paper towel.