Sunday baking project - Fruit flan

I'm off to a baby shower today - and thought I'd take something along.  I debated whether a cake or something savoury would be the ticket but I just couldn't decide.  Yesterday when we did a quick farmgate run I saw how beautiful the strawberries were and couldn't resist on picking up six punnets (yes, I know, a bit excessive!) and then all the way home I dreamed about what I could make with them.    

So I've been a busy baker the past 24 hours, but decided that I really wanted to take a flan.  Last time I made one of these I was single, so it was a good 10+ years ago.   I didn't have the distraction of kids, husband - only my dog and I certainly don't remember it taking this long.    That said, it's only elapsed time, because actually the bits and pieces didn't take long at all, and I was baking other things in between, it just came together.

It looks lovely and summery and smells divine, can't wait to sample a piece this afternoon!

Ingredients:

Pastry

100g butter, cold

1/3 cup almond meal

3/4 cup plain flour

1/4 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg yolk

milk to bind

Custard:

1 egg

2 egg yolks, extra

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/4 cups milk

1 tb plain flour

1 tsp cornflour

Glaze

1/3 cup peach nectar

1 tsp gelatine

Method:

Place butter, sugar, almond meal, flours, egg yolk in a food processor, blitz and add milk until the dough becomes sand like and sticks together (took me about 1/3 cup).  If you don't have a food processor, cream the butter and sugar then mix in the rest...

Chill the dough for about 30 minutes in the fridge.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees c

Place the dough between 2 sheets of greasepoof/baking paper and roll out to fit your greased tin.

Fit the dough around the end, trim and poke some holes in the bottom with a fork.

Fill with baking paper and pie weights (or rice, dried beans) and bake for about 20 minutes until the edges slightly brown.

Leave to cool.

To make the custard mix the egg, egg yolks, sugar, flours, and 1/4 cup of the milk together in a bowl.

 

Heat the remaining 1 cup of milk a saucepan over low heat and add the egg mixture, stir continuously over the heat until thickens into a custard.  Set aside until it cools.

Fill pastry case

Arrange fruit as desired (I have used fresh strawberries, kiwifruit and tinned peaches) then make your glaze by placing the peach nectar and gelatine in a saucepan until the gelatine has dissolved.   Brush over your flan and allow to set!

Voila!  Ready to serve!

You could a big shortcut by buying the pastry case, but I wouldn't buy commercial custard as a shortcut.

Enjoy! 

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