Tarte Au Flan Recipes

FRESH FRUIT FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 10-by-15 inch jelly roll pan.
• For the crust, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda into a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, cream together white and confectioners' sugars, butter, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Blend well. Spread the dough evenly on the bottom of the greased pan. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• For the filling, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread over the cooled crust. Arrange the fruit on the cream cheese filling and refrigerate.
• For the glaze, mix together the sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Whisk in the water, orange juice, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil gently for one minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
• Spoon or brush the glaze evenly over the fruit. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

FRENCH APPLE TART (TARTE DE POMMES A LA NORMANDE)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together 1 1/3 cups of flour and salt. Add the butter, 1 egg yolk and water, and stir until the mixture forms large crumbs. If it is too dry to press a handful together, stir in more water. Press the dough into a ball, and wrap in plastic wrap. Flatten slightly, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm. This part can be done up to three days in advance.
• To make the frangipane, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium bowl until light and soft. Gradually mix in the egg and the remaining egg yolk one at a time. Stir in the apple brandy. Stir 2 tablespoons of flour into the ground almonds, then mix into the batter. Set aside.
• Roll the pastry dough out to about a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fold loosely into quarters, and center the point in a 10 inch tart or pie pan. Unfold dough, and press into the bottom and up the sides. Prick with a fork all over, and flute the edges. Return pastry to the refrigerator to chill until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place a baking sheet inside the oven while it preheats.
• Spoon the frangipane into the chilled pastry, and spread into an even layer. Arrange the apple slices in an overlapping spiral pattern. Each slice should have one edge pressed into the frangipane until it touches the pastry base, and then overlap the previous slice. Start at the outside edge, and work towards the center.
• Place the pie plate on top of the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the filling begins to brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for another 10 minutes, then sprinkle sugar over the top of the tart. Return to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the sugar caramelizes slightly.
• Cool the tart on a wire rack. A short time before serving, warm the apricot jelly. Add some water if necessary to make it a liquid consistency. Brush onto the tart for a nice shine.

TARTE AU FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven at 180°C.
• In a pan, heat the milk with the split vanilla pod. Leave to boil at low heat.
• In a bowl beat the eggs with the sugar and the cornstarch.
• Add the milk, small bits at a time to the egg mixture, without stopping to beat.
• Remove the vanilla pod and scrape it out, add to the mixture.
• Pour the mixture in the pan, and let it thicken over low heat, do not stop beating.
• Put the pie crust in the buttered pie plate.
• Pour the egg mixture into it.
• Bake for 35 min or until the flan is lightly coloured.
• Leave to cool and decorate with pearled sugar.
• Enjoy!

LE TARTE AUX POIRES

Steps:

• Roll out pastry to fit greased and floured 8-inch flan ring. Store in refrigerator to keep cool. Cream together butter and sugar until light. Gradually beat in eggs, then flour. Fold in almonds and Kirsch, until well incorporated.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove pears from soaking liquid, and set aside. Brush base of pastry with 1 tablespoon apricot jam. Pour frangipane evenly into flan ring. Arrange pears in a circle on top of the filling. Bake for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, slowly heat together remaining jam, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil and reduce until thickened. Brush on hot tart. Serve once cooled.
• Place flour in medium bowl. Cut in butter and mix in sugar, until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Mix in egg, until pastry is just combined but still crumbly. Chill until ready to use.

FLAN PâTISSIER (FRENCH CUSTARD TART)

Steps:

• Infuse milk: Place milk, vanilla seeds, used beans and 50g (1/4 cup) sugar in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to just before boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat, place lid on and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
• Yolk mixture: Meanwhile, place egg yolks, egg and remaining sugar in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add cornflour and whisk until smooth.
• Temper eggs: While whisking the eggs, slowly pour in about half the milk in a thin stream. Whisk until combined.
• Thicken custard: Pour the egg-milk mixture back into the saucepan then whisk to combine. Place over medium low heat, stirring constantly so the base doesn't catch, until it starts to thicken (you will feel it). It should happen within 3 to 5 minutes. If it gets lumpy, remove off heat, whisk vigorously - will become smooth.
• Stir 20 seconds after bubbles appear: When the custard is thickened and hot and you see the first big lazy bubbles appear on the base, whisk constantly on the stove for a further 20 seconds then remove from stove. (To check for bubbles, pause stirring for a few seconds)
• Butter: Whisk butter in until fully incorporated.
• Strain & cool: Immediately strain into a bowl through a fine mesh strainer. Discard vanilla bean. Cover with cling wrap touching the surface. Cool on counter (3 hrs+) then refrigerate 12 - 24 hours. (Note 5)
• Work with pastry as frozen as possible - it's easier. (Note 4)
• Cut base and sides: Cut base out using the inside of the pan as a guide on one sheet of puff pastry. Cut three 25 x 5.5cm (2.15 x 10″) wide strips on the other sheet of puff pastry. Place base and sides back in freezer. RESERVE offcuts (for emergency patching).
• Line pan: Butter and line the sides of a 20cm/8" springform pan with a 5.5cm / 2.2" strip of baking paper. We are not using the pan base. (Note 6)
• Line sides: Place cake pan on a square sheet of baking paper on a plate. (Note 6) Remove cut puff pastry from freezer. Working quickly, when sides have JUST thawed enough to bend, line sides of cake pan with puff pastry, overlapping by 1cm / 0.4", using water to seal - just press down for now (will seal properly later).
• Base: Brush base of sides with water. Fit base into cake pan (see video at 2 min 50 sec for technique).
• Seal pastry: Use the back of a teaspoon to press base into the corner. Then smear the now-thawing puff pastry to full seal.
• Prick base: Prick base 30 times with fork. (I always forget!!)
• Freeze: Cover with cling wrap, freeze 4 - 24 hours. (Note 4)
• Preheat oven to 220°C/430°F (200°C fan) for 30 minutes.
• Line & fill with beads: Pick up crust using paper and place on tray (on the paper). Crumple 2 x 60cm / 2 feet long sheets of baking paper (Note 7) then fit into crust arranged in X. Fill with baking beads 1cm / 0.4" below rim (Note 8). Press to push paper into corners.
• Blind bake 25 min + 5 min: Bake 25 minutes, then use overhang paper to remove beads carefully (if sides look like they will cave in, return to oven with beads for 5 min). Bake 5 minutes then cool 10 minutes. (Seal any visible cracks with puff pastry scraps)
• Turn oven down to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
• Fill with custard: Remove Creme Patissiere from fridge. Whisk to loosen, scrape into crust - fill to 1cm/0.4" below rim. (Leftover custard Note 7) Smooth surface, brush custard surface with egg yolk (use it all).
• Bake 65 minutes, rotating tray 180° at 45 minutes. It will puff up in the last 15 ninutes like a souffle. Remove from oven - it will still be very wobbly, have faith! It will set when cool!Golden surface - If the top is not golden like pictured, switch on broiler to caramelise surface. Watch carefully - takes minutes!
• Cool on counter for 4 hours (in pan). Transfer to plate (still in pan), cover loosely with cling wrap, then refrigerate 12+ hours.
• Serve: Remove from fridge 1 hour prior to serving to bring to room temperature. Cut into slices like cake! The pastry is crispy & flaky. The custard will cut neatly (it will not ooze) but when you bite into it, the custard is beautifully soft and creamy. Traditionally eaten as a hand held bakery treat in France but you can use a plate if you're feeling civilised!
• Shelf life: Flan Pâtissier is at its best in the first 24 hours after it is put in the fridge after baking as this is when the pastry is still beautifully crisp. Beyond this the pastry starts to soften which no one has pointed out yet because everyone is besotted by the custard! But I notice. :)

TARTE AUX FRAISES

Steps:

• In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, scald the milk with half the vanilla bean over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, cover the pan and let infuse 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together 2 of the egg yolks with the sugar. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons of flour. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and slowly whisk the milk into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the pan and bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Lower the heat and continue to cook, whisking, for about 2 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.
• Pour into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the mixture. Let cool.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, process the 1 1/4 cups flour, butter and 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar until combined. Add the remaining egg yolk and, with the processor still running, add the water slowly until the dough begins to hold together and pull away from the sides of the processor bowl. Form the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.
• Place the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap to facilitate the rolling and roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Line 16 3-inch tartlet molds with the pastry. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Place the molds on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until slightly browned. Remove the shells from the molds and allow to cool completely.
• To assemble the tartlets, fill each shell with a heaping teaspoon of the pastry cream, top with the sliced strawberries and dust generously with confectioners' sugar.