Flan Pâtissier (French Custard Tart)

Cooling custard
How to make Flan Patissier
Cover – Smooth the surface of the custard (I use a small offset spatula) then cover with cling wrap contacting the surface. Doing this prevents a skin from forming on the custard (nobody wants wisps of skin in their otherwise silky smooth custard!) as well as condensation, which will dilute the richness of the custard.

Cool – Let the custard cool on the counter (about 3 to 4 hours) before putting it in the fridge to fully chill.

12 – 24 hours in fridge recommended – Refrigerating the custard overnight will allow for optimal flavour development (a pro tip from professional French pastry chef!). But if you are in a hurry, you can proceed with the recipe as soon as the custard has cooled to room temperature, ie. skip the fridge time. To be honest, I don’t think most people will be able to tell the difference. But I wanted to share this recipe made the proper way!

Custard done, now it’s on to the pastry!

2. Flan Pâtissier puff pastry crust
As noted at the beginning, there’s no hard and fast rule about what crust should be used for a traditional Flan Pâtissier, though Pâte Sucrée (French sweet tart crust) and puff pastry seem to be the most common. For me, I can’t go past puff pastry for the delicious contrast of buttery, flaky pastry and the creamy, silky custard.

These days, store-bought puff pastry is actually quite good quality. Even the standard brands we find at grocery stores here in Australia such as Pampas are perfectly acceptable.

My only rule however is it must be butter puff pastry. Butter has much better flavour and puffs up better than the cheaper margarine/oil-based puff pastry! It’s absolutely worth the extra coin.

Butter puff pastry
Puff pastry lid
Best pan: Springform cake pan with no base
The best way to make the crust for Flan Pâtissier using puff pastry is to use a springform pan WITHOUT the base. We’re going to bake it directly on the tray which is the trick that ensures the base is 100% crispy once filled with custard – this is a big part of the awesomeness that is Flan Pâtissier!

Note: Professional pâtissiers and pastry chefs use tall tart rings which are purpose-built rings without a base. A springform pan ring works just as well for this recipe. 🙂

Cut base and sides

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