In the Kitchen – French Flan

One of the best things about living in France is trying all of the traditional foods from the many different regions of the country.  The patisserie is one of my favorite places to visit and choose a different treat each time.  My fiance, Thomas is the one who first introduced me to the French flan and ever since I was hooked.  It doesn’t look like much sitting alongside all the pretty colorful desserts in the window of the bakeries, but I think it is one of the best tasting pieces you could choose!  In fact, I liked it so much that I set out on a mission to try and bake my own!  After a few failed attempts, I have come up with, what I think is the ultimate fail proof recipe for the French Flan!

For the crust:

• 1 3/4 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of butter, room temperature

For the custard filling:

• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 tblsp vanilla sugar
• 2 cups of boiling milk
• 3 eggs

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F.
To make the crust:  Mix flour, sugar, butter and egg until it forms a sticky dough.  Use your fingers to spread it out into a 24 cm round cake tin pressing approx. 1/2 inch of dough up the sides **Make sure the tin is well buttered)**

For the filling: Beat the eggs in a pot. Add sugar, vanilla, and flour. Add the boiling milk last and turn on to a medium heat. Keep stirring until thick, but don’t let it boil.
Pour the filling on the dough and place in oven for 45 minutes. It should become golden brown on top and the filling should be firm. Allow the flan to cool down before taking it out of the tin. Enjoy!

French Flan