Parisian flan

Prepare the shortcrust pastry

It can be made without any pastry base, filling the pan directly with the cream.

1. Place the butter in pieces at room temperature, the water, salt, sugar, and egg yolks in the bowl of a mixer, and mix with the “K” paddle until the mixture is homogeneous.
2. If making it by hand, work the dough by pinching it, without kneading it.
3. When the mixture is homogeneous, add the flour.
4. Mix again and stop as soon as a ball forms.
5. Lightly fraisage the dough: stretch it in three different directions with the palm of your hand, fold the dough over itself to form a ball, and repeat the operation 3 or 4 times.
6. Finally, form a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap.
7. Set aside for 2 to 3 hours.
8. Line the pan with baking paper.
9. Butter the pan.
10. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour beforehand.
11. After the hour has passed, roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin until it is 3 mm thick.
12. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and transfer it to the pan so that the pastry covers the bottom and sides.
13. Remove any excess dough overhanging the edges.
14. Set the pan aside in the freezer.

Prepare the cream

1. Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape out the seeds.
2. Place the seeds in a saucepan with the filtered water and milk, and bring to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat and let it infuse for a while, until the milk is lukewarm.
4. In a bowl, place the eggs, sugar, and cornstarch, and whisk until the mixture is homogeneous.
5. Pour half the milk into the bowl of yolks while stirring.
6. Finish pouring in the rest of the milk without stopping stirring.
7. Strain through a chinois to remove any possible lumps.
8. Return it to the saucepan and heat over high heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens and reaches a consistency between crème anglaise and pastry cream.
9. Boil for, at most, about 30 seconds.
10. Remove the cream from the heat and transfer it to a clean bowl to cool slightly.
11. Cover the cream with plastic wrap directly on the surface so that a skin does not form.
12. When it has cooled slightly, refrigerate for 1 hour.
13. Preheat the oven to 170 ºC (th. 6), with fan.
14. Pour the filling over the frozen shortcrust pastry.
15. Bake at 170 ºC for 1 hour.
16. Allow to cool in the pan and refrigerate.
17. Eat cold, preferably the next day.
18. To turn it into a Catalan burnt-cream tart, sprinkle it with a layer of white sugar before serving and caramelize it with a kitchen blowtorch.