Best French Pear Flan Recipes

FRENCH PEAR TART

Steps:

• Position one oven rack to middle, and move the second rack to the top slot.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt. Add melted butter and combine to form dough.
• Transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. With your hands press dough down to spread on bottom and onto the rims of the pan.
• Place in the oven on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until crust turns golden brown. When ready remove crust from oven and let sit to cool. Leave oven on.
• Meanwhile, heat the fig preserves in microwave for about 40 seconds. Pour heated fig preserves through a mesh strainer to separate chunks from liquid.
• Now, slice five pears into 1/2-inch slices, discarding core.
• Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a large cast iron skillet. Add pear slices and 1 tbsp water. Cover and cook on medium heat until pears are slightly tender; about 3 minutes.
• Remove pears onto a large platter and let sit to cool.
• Take the remaining three pears and cut them in the same manner.
• Now melt 2 tbsp of butter in previously used cast iron skillet. Add newly-sliced pears, chunks of fig reserves, and salt. Cook on medium heat, covered, for ten minutes; stir occasionally until pears are very tender.
• Take a potato masher and mash the pears and fig reserves into a puree. Let cook for another 5-7 minutes or until pureed mixture reduces and thickens.
• Transfer pear-fig puree onto the now cooled crust; spread evenly.
• Now, take the cooled pear slices and begin to assemble them in layered circles, starting at the outer edges (see photo).
• Place tart on the middle rack of the oven. Bake in 350 degree F-heated oven for 30 minutes.
• Warm up the strained liquid fig preserves for 20 seconds in the microwave.
• When tart is ready, remove from oven and brush surface of the pears evenly with the warmed fig liquid.
• Return to oven and place on the top rack. Broil very briefly; watching carefully until pears gain a nice caramelized look.
• Remove from oven and let cool for at least 1 1/2 hours before serving.
• When ready, place the bottom of the tart pan on a wide can of food. Hold the ring part of the pan and carefully slide it downwards (see photo).
• Cut pear fig tart into eight slices and serve. Enjoy!

FRENCH PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sprinkle pears with lemon juice in a bowl. Mix white sugar and nutmeg in a separate small bowl; sprinkle over pears and mix thoroughly.
• Fit pie crust into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Cut butter, brown sugar, and flour together in a bowl using a pastry cutter until mixture resembles crumbs. Spoon pear mixture into pie shell and sprinkle top with brown sugar mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until filling is bubbling and crumble topping is lightly browned, about 35 more minutes.

FRENCH PEAR FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Lightly grease a 8 inch flan dish.
• Peel the pears, cut them in half, remove seeds and cut them into 1/4 inch slices.
• Place the sliced pears in a saucepan with the butter, and sauté over a low heat for 5 minutes, turning once.
• Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, sugar, whipping cream and cinnamon.
• Drain the pears and arrange in the greased flan case.
• Pour the egg mixture over the top of the pears and bake for about 40 minutes or until set.
• Serve warm.

FLAN PATISSIER WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Pate Brisee: Place the flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; with the mixer on low, add butter. Increase speed to medium and mix until butter is well combined. Slowly add water and mix until fully incorporated.
• Turn dough out onto work surface and flatten into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. Place a 9-by-2-inch baking ring on prepared baking sheet and brush sides with canola oil; set aside.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface until it is 3/16-inch thick and 14 inches in diameter. Gently fit dough into prepared baking ring, leaving an overhang of about 2 inches, reserving any scraps. Transfer baking sheet to refrigerator or freezer and chill for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Line dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Transfer to oven and bake until edges of dough are lightly browned and bottom is set but still light in color, about 45 minutes.
• Carefully remove parchment paper and pie weights. If any holes or cracks have appeared in the dough, patch with reserved dough scraps. Brush with egg and return baking sheet to oven. Bake until bottom is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to a wire rack; let tart shell cool completely.
• Filling: Preheat oven to 350.
• Place eggs yolks, eggs, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl; whisk to combine. Add custard powder and cornstarch; whisk for 30 seconds to incorporate. Slowly add milk, whisking to combine. Strain into a large saucepan.
• Place saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking gently to avoid forming air bubbles; Let boil for 1 minute, whisking gently but constantly to avoid scorching. Transfer custard to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low to cool and slightly emulsify custard.
• Meanwhile, arrange prunes in tart shell; pour custard over fruit, keeping in mind you may not be able to fit all of the custard. Transfer to oven and bake until set but with a slight jiggle and a dark brown skin has formed on top, about 1 hour and 20 minutes to 1 hour and 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.
• Transfer tart to refrigerate and chill for 12 hours. Using a serrated knife, trim away excess crust from top edge of baking ring. Tilt ring on its side with the bottom facing you and run a small paring knife between the crust and the ring to release the tart. Set tart down and carefully lift ring to remove. Refrigerate tart until ready to serve, up to 2 days.