Makes

5-6 small flans

Ready In:

40mins (plus 30mins resting)

Good For:

Breakfast pastry, dessert or morning tea

Ingredients

  • 1/2 batch of sweet pastry (see in recipe book)
  • 3 golden delicious apples (or other sour variety)
  • 25g caster sugar (for apples)
  • 20g brown sugar (for apples)
  • 1 lemon- juice and zest
  • large pinch of spice of your choosing- nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, clove
  • 50g butter (room temperature)
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 50g ground almonds
  • 1 egg- beaten with a fork
  • 1 dsp flour
  • pinch salt
  • 60g warm flan glaze OR 40g apricot jam mixed with 20ml hot water
  • PLUS flour for rolling pastry

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1

Make a half recipe of sweet pastry using our measurements from our recipe book section and chill after for up to 20mins or until slightly firm. 

Step 2

Peel the apples, cut into quarters and remove the seeds using a small knife. Cut the apples into 3mm thick slices and sprinkle caster sugar, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, along with chosen spice and mix well together. 

Leave the apples to macerate and soften which will take about 10mins.

 

Step 3

Remove the pastry from the fridge and press the pastry and squeeze to evenly disperse the colder parts into the warmer parts of the pastry. When you can press your thumb into the pastry, it’s ready for rolling. 

Step 4

Dust a clean surface with flour and using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into an even thickness of 3mm. Cover the pastry with a clean dry cloth and rest for 5mins.

Grease 5-6 flan small rings of your choosing. I used 9cm rings so if yours are smaller you’ll have the recipe to make  more. Line the flan rings with pastry and trim and dock each. Place tins back into the fridge to cool and rest. Preheat an oven to 175°C.

Step 5

To make the almond frangipane, cream the butter (50g) with the caster sugar (50g) in a mixer or by hand until light and creamy. Add the eggs and beat through and then fold in the almonds, salt and flour. Chill slightly for up to 5mins.

Step 6

Once the pastry flans have rested in the fridge for 5mins, remove and spoon1 heaped tsp of almond mixture into the bottom of each lined flan. Drain the liquid from the apples and arrange them next to each other, on top of the almond mixture. I put the equivalent of 1/2 apple on each flan. 

Place them into the oven to cook and turn around after 7-8mins. Cook until golden brown or until the almond mixture springs back when pressed. Cook between 14-16mins. 

 

Step 7

Remove the flans from the oven once baked and place onto a cooling rack. It’s very important to remove the pastry from the rings as soon as possible as the sugar will cause the pastry to stick to the flan mould. Remove within 5 mins of baking.   

Step 8

Heat up the glaze over a double boiler or microwave and while hot, brush the glaze evenly over the top of each flan avoiding the sides of the pastry. 

After 5mins the flans are ready to eat. 

Step 9

This deliciously simple but decadent pastry flan can be served with many accompaniments including: lavender custard, ice cream, yoghurt, sour cream, fruit salad, whipped cream or simply by itself. I love it simply with a good cuppa. 

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