Ultra gourmet and gluten-free pastry flan without dough

An ultra gourmet flan, very simple to make and also gluten-free and less rich because without dough. Chef Christophe Michalak’s recipe explained.

Purists will say that it is sacrilege to make a vanilla pastry flan without dough, which is also not round as you can see in these photos… There are indeed no markers of the traditional Parisian flan such as can be found in the bakeries and pastries of the Parisian capital.

However I can guarantee you that the taste is there. We find the delicious and subtle vanilla taste without being too sweet. It’s like biting into a flan, minus the dough. It is therefore less rich and much much more easy and quick to prepare. This flan without dough is therefore a little lighter and above all gluten free.

The texture is super creamy and silky in the mouth. Its color is very marked on the surface, as with many traditional flans. This is due to cooking in a very hot oven at the beginning. And its slightly airy texture is due to the blender (optional) used before cooking.

Chef Christophe Michalak’s recipe

This recipe that I am offering you was shared by Chef Christophe Michalak during the first confinement, thus making this great classic of French pastry a very affordable dessert because it is relatively easy to make.

The only preparation is similar to making a vanilla custard which we will pour into a mold in a thick layer of very generous vanilla cream and then bake in the oven. On high heat at the beginning this gives it its colorful top so characteristic of the pastry flan, which looks almost burnt when it is not at all then lowering it a little.

However, the implementation is a bit long. not by complexity but because there are several rest times.

• The Chef advises us to first kindly leave infuse the vanilla in dairy. You can skip this step but it’s a bit of a shame if you want a flan with a good vanilla flavor. Or you have to increase the quantity of vanilla but it is an expensive product whose prices have exploded recently.
• Then you have to let rest the pastry cream for at least thirty minutes before baking.
• And finally, after cooking, you must let the flan cool and rest for at least two hours, ideally more. It will thus take on its characteristic density of the pastry flan.

A little focus on the real recipe for Parisian flan

The basis

A pastry cream. I have already posted the recipe for pastry cream on this blog. I encourage you to go and see because I give you a whole bunch of explanations, tips and tricks for making a perfect vanilla custard.
The proportions are not the same as in this recipe Christophe Michalak who opts for cornstarch / gluten-free Maizena but the main principles are the same.

The classic Parisian flan

It is carried out in a very high moldideally 6 centimeters, to give it a nice thickness (either a springform pan or a circle of pastry placed on a baking tray covered with parchment paper).
According to the recipes, we use a puff pastry, shortcrust pastry or shortcrust pastry that we shirt in the mold and put in the fridge, in the freezer, before topping with the pastry cream for a perfect finish.
The pastry cream is like here cooled, ideally even cold rather than at room temperature. Finally cooking is done at normal and very hot temperature as here, the order varies depending on the recipes.
And like here we leave it to rest so that the pastry flan sets well before eating it. So you see that it is more complex and longer.

I tell you the origin and history of Parisian flan in the article before the recipe. If you already know my blog, you know that I love delving into my books on the history of gastronomy to tell you the origins of the traditional French recipes that I share here. You will find historical focuses whenever the recipe allows it, and in this section articles on the culinary traditions and origins of our holidays (epiphany, Easter eggs, Yule log, etc.).