Today is the eighth anniversary of my severe bike accident without permanent damage. For me this day is like a second birthday, each year I like to celebrate it with a decadent cake. This time I made French flan with pistachio and raspberry flavor. Flan originated in Spain, spread during colonization and became very popular in Latin America. I have quite a few recipes on the blog: classic flan, pineapple flan coconut flan, chocoflan, flan with coffee flavor and quesillo from Venezuela, I hope this proves how popular flan has become. Obviously the French also took their take. Instead of simply mixing eggs with some dairy products and have this mixture bake in a waterbath, they decided to make a pudding first. This means that the French version tempers the eggs and then is cooked on medium heat until it thickens. I may be wrong, but I believe that the final result is even creamier this way. Additionally, this could also be described as a custard pie as a pie crust is added. Obviously by adding all these steps, the amount of work increases, however, I believe it is worth all the effort, especially when celebrating that I have no permanent damage.
I made this French flan pâtissier with two flavors. I decided to make the flan part with pistachio and wanted to add another layer of raspberries as a nice contrast. In a way you may want to classify this cake as a custard cake or even cheesecake. It does remind me of the tarta de queso from Spain. Similarly, the cake is baked at a rather high temperature in order for the top to brown, but for the center still to remain creamy. Once I saw this version posted by the Swiss blogger Marcel Paa , I knew I needed to make this flan pâtissier in memory of my bike accident. Obviously I had to adapt it a little and make some changes. I felt that his version was baked too little, the cake turned out very runny. So I tried a little until I reached below version, which I am very happy about. What I especially like about this cake is the fact that you can prepare all three components one or two days in advance. Since it has to chill at least for a few hours after baking, you can start early on.
Credit: Inspirred and adapted from Marcel Paa (in German)
Think of this French flan pâtissier as a type of cheesecake with raspberry and pistachio flavor. We will make a pie crust and fill it with one layer of raspberry jam and pistachio pudding. For the pie crust combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Place the cold butter in chunks on top, then quickly work into crumbs. Add the egg and work into a ball. Cover airthight for at least half an hour or overnight. For the raspberry filling heat the frozen raspberries with the sugar until soft. Meanwhile whisk together cornstarch with juice or water until you see no lumps. Then add to the raspberries while constantly stirring. Let simmer for about a minute, stir in vanilla extract, then set aside. For the pistachio pudding combine eggs, cornstarch and cream in a bowl. Meanwhile bring milk with sugar to a boil. Then add milk mix to the eggs while stirring. Once combined, pour back into the pot and stir on medium heat. After a few minutes the mixture should thicken, let thicken for about a minute, then take off heat and stir in pistachio cream and vanilla extract. Whisk, until combined and creamy. Place plastic wrap on the surface immediately so that no skin can form. Set aside. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line the bottom of an 18cm springform with parchment paper. Roll out dough on a lightly-floured surface into a large circle. Cover bottom and sides of the springform with it. It is important to also cover the sides. Spread the raspberry mix evenly, then the pistachio pudding. Bake for about 50-55min, the surface should caramelize. If it gets too dark, cover with aluminium foil. The cake will still wobble, but should have set around the edges, if it is extremely jiggly, increase baking time. Let cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge. It is important the cake can chill for at least four hours, better overnight. Once ready to serve, prepare the decoration. Beat the cream with sugar until stiff, then transfer to a piping bag and pipe dollops or similar on the cake. Serve with fresh raspberries. You can also sprinkle with chopped pistachios or simply leave plain. If kept airtight and chilled, the cake will keep for a few days.French Flan Pâtissier with Raspberry and Pistachio
Ingredients
Instructions
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