This pastry chef is very clear: you absolutely must not let the cream cool down when preparing a flan
Tired of failing at making homemade flans? Matthieu Carlin, the pastry chef at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, gives five tips for making this popular dessert, which is more difficult to master than it looks.
Who told you that this beloved French dessert was too "popular" to be on the menu of luxury hotels? Whoever it was, it's nonsense! Matthieu Carlin, the pastry chef at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, has made this creamy and melt-in-your-mouth cake a flagship pastry of the establishment.
Interviewed on France Inter radio, the chef shared his passion for this pastry, which is both simple and complex. "Eggs, whole milk, cream, sugar and Tahitian vanilla, all cooked in an ultra-crispy puff pastry because I find it more indulgent," he explained.
Want to impress your guests with a flan worthy of a five-star restaurant? Matthieu Carlin gives five tips for making this pastry at home.
Rule #1: Cook your dough
The pastry must always be blind-baked, that is, baked on its own. "It's like a quiche Lorraine; you can't bake the pastry with the filling inside because the pastry won't cook. The pastry needs to be baked on its own, whether it's puff pastry or shortcrust pastry."
Rule #2: Waterproof your dough
"You need to waterproof your dough with a little egg yolk or a beaten egg so that it doesn't get soggy again during baking."
Rule #3: Do not let the cream cool down
"Regarding the flan custard, it's cooked first on the stovetop and then in the oven. Once you've cooked your custard on the stovetop, you must immediately pour it over the pastry so it goes in the oven. Don't wait and let your custard cool down: pour it in immediately and put it in the oven!"
Rule #4: Be careful when cooking
"Regarding oven cooking, it shouldn't be too seared, because otherwise a thick skin will form on top, which will turn black, and then you'll get a bitter taste, and that's not what we want! So, it needs to be cooked gently and a little longer!"
Rule #5: Flan is chilled
"Freshness is paramount! You can't make a flan three days in advance. Even though flan keeps well, when it's fresh, it's incomparable. Flan doesn't freeze, just like pastry cream; these are products that don't freeze well, or if they do, they'll become grainy or release water upon defrosting. But in this case, you're completely disrupting your cake's structure, so the flan's freshness is crucial!"
