Vanilla flan (Julien Delhome)

Another day, another flan ! But even if this is the umpteenth flan I post here, I really recommend that you test this one ! Hyper creamy, with vanilla taste, light, crispy… The perfect custard for me ! Chef Julien Delhome had shared his cream recipe some time ago on his Instagram account, and a few days ago, he again showed this flan, this time made up of a reconstituted shortbread (like for a cheesecake) and the same cream. I followed his example, and even if he did not give the recipe for his shortbread, I wanted to take inspiration from it and make a reconstituted shortbread. The idea is really great, the taste of the crispy shortbread goes terribly well with the cream. The cream is super smooth, and the custard cooks for a short time compared to the usual recipes, even if you still have to be patient and wait for the flans to cool down ;-)



Prep time : 45 minutes + 45 minutes cooking + time in the fridge (min. 3 hours)
For a 18cm mold :  

Reconstituted shortbread :

110g softened butter
62g almond powder
62g brown sugar
40g egg
2 pinches of fleur de sel
90g T55 flour

30g softened butter
20g brown sugar

Mix the softened butter with the almond powder and the sugar. Add the egg.





Add the flour.



Spread out on 1cm thick between two sheets of parchment paper then bake at 170°C for 15 minutes (the shortbread must be golden). Let it cool.




Break the shortbread into small pieces (more or less small depending on the result you want), add the softened butter and brown sugar then put the dough in your buttered mold.

Flan cream :

2 vanilla pods
400g liquid cream with 35% fat
400g whole milk
1 egg
3 egg yolks
170g brown sugar
40g cornstarch
20g flour
30g butter

Infuse the milk and cream with the vanilla seeds and pods for at least 30 minutes : heat everything, then put a plastic wrap on the pan and let the mix infuse.




Whisk the egg, yolks and sugar. Add the flour and the cornstarch.




Remove the pods from the milk / cream mix, bring it to the boil, then pour half of it over the eggs.



Return everything to the pan, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.



Once boiling, continue cooking for 1 minute.



Remove from the heat, add the butter and smooth with a whisk.




Pour the cream over the reconstituted shortbread, and bake for 25 minutes in the oven preheated to 180°C.




Remove from the oven, let the flan cool for 1 hour, then put it in the fridge at least 2 or 3 hours before enjoying it !