Parisian Flan French Custard Tart

See a video of me making the rich shortcrust pastry

Cream butter and sugar for just a minute until well combined

Add the vanilla, salt and egg yolk – combine well.

Lastly, fold the flour and almond meal – fold until combined.

Make a disc and wrap in plastic/cling wrap

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours, preferably overnight.

Roll about 2 inches larger than the circumference of the tart pan.

Line the tart and trim excess dough at the edges

Use the trimming to patch any cracks or gaps that may be in the dough.

Chill for a minimum of 15 minutes

In a heavy-bottom saucepan combine egg yolks and sugar.

Add the cornstarch – combine well with a whisk

Then add the salt, vanilla

Followed by the cream and milk

Place it on medium heat and stir continuously until thick and creamy

Strain in a bowl through a sieve and cover with plastic wrap making sure the plastic touches the top surface of the cream

Let cool completely, then place in the fridge to chill.

Preheat the oven at 190 C/ 375F

Line the chilled dough with parchment paper or foil

Tip – to ensure the parchment paper or foil conform to the shape of the pan – just crumple the paper into a ball with your hands. Open it up and the scrunched paper will behave itself.

Fill the inside of the shell with pie weights (over the parchment paper)

Bake for 15 minutes until the edges are lightly starting to brown.

Remove the pie weights and parchment paper

Reduce the oven temperature to 180 C / 360

Fill the tart with pastry cream filling, use a spatula to smooth the top.

Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes. Then cover the edges with a pie shield or foil to prevent the crust from getting too dark.

Continue to bake for 10 to 15 minutes more until blistered on the top.

Remove from the oven, let cool

Then place in the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours.

This is a rich dessert and can be served on its’ own.