Parisian flan

Discover the history of Parisian Flan.

1. Croissant dough

   • 150 g butter
   • 125 g all purpose flour
   • 125 g strong or bread flour
   • 80 g water
   • 50 g whole milk
   • 30 g white sugar
   • 18 g fresh yeast
   • 5 g salt

   • Start by mixing the two types of flour, water, milk, sugar, fresh yeast and salt in the bowl of the mixer. Knead at medium speed for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and supple.
   • Then add 25 grams of cold butter in small pieces and knead at medium speed for another 5 minutes.
   • Keep in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, ideally overnight.
   • Meanwhile, on a sheet of baking paper, draw a square 16cm x 16cm and fold the paper over its edges to mark them.
   • Take the remaining 125 grams of butter out of the fridge and cut it into strips about 1 cm thick and place them on the surface of the square of paper. Fold the sheet of paper over the edges of the square, leaving the butter inside, and turn it over. With the help of a rolling pin, we shape the butter and spread it evenly until we get a homogeneous sheet. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
   • Once the time has elapsed, take the dough out of the fridge and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and deflate it. Roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle of 35cm x 16cm.
   • Next, place the butter sheet in the centre and fold the ends of the dough over the butter. Make two cuts in the two ends of the dough.
   • Press lightly with the rolling pin along the entire length of the dough to make it smoother and roll it out to a rectangle of 45 cm x 25 cm. Fold one third of the dough over itself and then the other part on top.
   • Set aside in the freezer for 30 minutes.
   • It is important that both the dough and the butter are at the same temperature, cold. We must work quickly to prevent the butter from softening and integrating into the dough. It is important to respect the times between doubling and doubling to allow the glutamic network of the dough to relax and thus be able to spread it properly.
   • Take the dough out of the freezer and turn it so that the folds are at the top and bottom and roll it out with a rolling pin to a rectangle of 45 cm x 25 cm. Fold one third of the dough over itself and then the other part on top.
   • Put back in the freezer for 30 minutes.
   • Repeat the same step of rolling out the dough. In total we have made 3 folds. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

2. Vanilla flan

   • 425 g whole milk
   • 200 g heavy cream (35% fat)
   • 200 g eggs (4)
   • 150 g white sugar
   • 60 g egg yolks (4)
   • 50 g corn flour
   • 2 high quality vanilla beans

   • Heat the milk, cream and vanilla pods in a saucepan over a medium heat. Open them in half and remove all the seeds with a knife. Heat until it comes to the boil.
   • Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the sugar, eggs, egg yolks and cornflour with a whisk until smooth and homogeneous.
   • When the milk mixture is hot, pour it over the egg mixture and mix with the whisk. Stir well and return the mixture to the heat.
   • Cook the mixture until it thickens slightly, but not as much as a normal custard.

3. Assembly

   • First, remove the mould with the croissant dough from the freezer and pour the still-warm vanilla cream into it, leaving a margin of about 3 cm over the edge of the dough.
   • Bake at 180º C for 30 minutes.
   • Cool to room temperature and brush the top of the flan, including the croissant border, with neutral gel or a little apricot jam reduced in lukewarm water.
   • Finally, put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
   • Store in the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

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