Title: Flan Maraichin (Custard Tart)
Categories: Dessert Tart
Yield: 8 Servings

450	g	Sweet short pastry ( 1 lb)
1	pn	Flour
30	g	Butter, for greasing (1 oz)
1		Egg yolk, mixed with 1 ts - milk
FILLING
6		Eggs
300	g	Sugar (11 oz)
1	l	Milk ( 1 3/4 pint)
1		Vanilla pod,split lengthways
1		Cinnamon stick
EQUIPMENT
1		22 cm/9 in flan ring, about - 4 cm/1 1/2 in deep
		Baking or dried beans

The pastry case

Roll out the pasry to a thickness of about 2-3 mm / 1/8 in. Grease the flan ring and line it with the pastry, pulling the edges up gently with your fingertips to make a frill. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220 oC / 425 oF.

Prick the bottom of the pastry case with a fork, line it with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind for 15-20 minutes. Leave to cool slightly, then lift out the beans and remove the paper.

With a pastry brush, brush all over the inside with the egg yolk - milk mixture, then return the case to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the glaze is lightly coloured. Leave in the flan ring and keep at room temperature.

Reduce the oven temperature to 150 oC / 300 oF.

The filling

Put the eggs in a mixing bowl with about half the sugar and beat until pale and of a ribbon consistency.

In a saucepan, bring the milk to the boil with the split vanilla pod, cinnamon stick and the rest of the sugar. As soon as it boils, pour it on to the egg mixture in the bowl, WHISKING CONTINUOUSLY. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla pod into the mixture, then discard the pod and cinnamon stick. Pass the custard through a sieve, pour into the pastry case and cook immediately for about 45 minutes, until the filling is just set. The top should be an attractive nutty brown.

Serving

When the flan is almost cold, lift off the ring, carefully slide the flan on to a serving plate and serve immediately at room temperature.

(Albert and Michel Roux, The Roux Brothers, French country cooking, M Papermac, 1992, ISBN 0-333-57670-5)

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