French apple flan

Recipe Categories : | French | Flans | Desserts | Index |

Makes : 1 x 23cm flan  Preparation time : 45 minutes  Cooking time : 1½ hours

Ingredients :

• 1½ cups plain flour
• 1 cup ground almonds
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp water
  Filling :
• 5 medium green apples
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1¼ cups milk or cream
• 1 tspn imitation vanilla essence
• ½ cup pure icing sugar
• ½ tspn ground cinnamon

Preparation and Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 210°C. Brush a 23cm deep flan tin with melted butter or oil. Coat base and sides evenly with flour; shake off any excess.
2. To make pastry : Place flour, almonds, sugar and butter in food processor bowl. Using the pulse action, press button for 30 seconds or until mixture has a fine crumbly texture. Add almost all the water, process 30 seconds until mixture is smooth. Store, covered with plastic wrap in refrigerator 30 minutes.
3. To make filling : Peel and quarter apples, remove core and brush with lemon juice to prevent apples browning. In a bowl whisk flour and eggs together, add milk and essence, mix well.
4. Roll pastry between two sheets of plastic wrap. Press into prepared tin, lining base and sides. Arrange apple quarters over base. Sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, pour over egg mixture, reduce heat to 150°C and bake a further hour or until egg mixture is set.
5. Cooks notes : Substitute tinned apples, if preferred. If so, precook base for 10 minutes and cool before adding the apples and custard. Bake for 1 hour.