Flan Patissier

It's no wonder that I am a big fan of all things sweet, all things French and I pretty much bake every - rare - day that I have some spare time. But for some weird reason I had never before baked a flan patissier before and, shockingly, have never eaten one before either.

I remember that while living in Paris, I'd go almost every morning to the bakery next to the metro station close to my house to buy myself some breakfast but would often opt for an apple turnover or a plain croissant. But almost every time I went there, they also had flan patissier as an option but I'd just never take it. I don't know if it's because I was scared of the amount of cream that it has or the supposed calories (like an apple turnover is a light snack...) but I'd always pass it. Time passed, I left Paris, morning walks to the bakery weren't a thing anymore and you just can't find these things as easily here around Toronto.

So the other day, I was flipping around one of the books I've brought from France in search for inspiration and it kinda struck me. I've never had a flan patissier before. Reading through the recipe - which is as easy as making sweet tart dough and a lightly cooked pastry cream - I kept wondering why I've never tried it before and decided it was time to change it.

Off to the kitchen I went and made it for my parents while they were here visiting myself and Ben and everybody loved it.

It's pretty easy to make, but keep an eye on your oven and turn the pan quite often to make sure it gets browned evenly through the whole surface. In this recipe I've used a tall pastry ring of about 7 x 3 inches, but you can use a regular cheesecake pan just fine. Just make sure it's tall enough for the amount of cream you'll be making. Other than that, just enjoy it!