Dave, my mom and I went to the Elgin Railway Market for a browse around. The fresh produce stand were selling 2 trays of free range eggs for R60 so I bought them. I had thought that Alex would take a tray, but he declined. And James only wanted 6 of the 60 eggs. Then the next day Lorraine posted a recipe for Parisian Flan as she too had a lot of eggs to use up. I think it was serendipity so I made this French Flan.
French Flan The other day I was having a conversation which was very thought provoking. I have a lot of friends who are step-parents. The men who fulfil this role are actually full time parents to a child that is not their own. They get to spend the majority of the time with their step-child, and can certainly influence their lives. As a step-mother you only get to spend time with your husband’s child on the odd occasion. You get the weekends if it is your turn and alternate holidays. This makes it extremely difficult to establish a relationship with a child in my opinion. But the one thing that is common for all step-parents is the fact we choose to love our step children. A parent really has no choice when it comes to loving their child. But as a step parent this is a conscious choice we make.
I can say with the utmost conviction that I love my step-children. And I never refer to them as Dave’s kids. They are our children, even though I did not give birth to them. This is said because they are a part of our family, the one Dave and I created. And when it comes to James’s wife, I call her my daughter-in-law. It felt serendipitous when they blessed us with a grandchild on what would have been my step-gran’s birthday. Hannah is the most amazing little person who seems to spend nearly all of her time happy. She has just turned one and it was so special to celebrate that milestone with her. I was carrying her around at her birthday party, feeding her bits of whatever I had selected to eat. I am sure she would have loved the pastry from this French Flan.
French Flan
This is a set custard tart known as a Parisian flan
For the filling
Cover with cling film and place into the fridge for 30 minutes
Remove from the fridge and turn out onto a lightly floured surface
Leave to rest for 5 minutes before rolling out to 5mm thick
Place into a 23cm spring form tin and press the dough into the sides - do not worry if the dough breaks as you can patch work it together
Place the tin into the fridge for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 200° Celsius
Remove from the fridge and pour the cooled custard into the pastry
Trim the pastry to just above the custard ** and place the tin onto a baking tray
Place into the oven and bake for 25 minutes then reduce the temperature to 150° Celsius
Continue to bake for 30 minutes *** and then remove from the oven
Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin ****
* I used a combination of both, but you could use either one or the other, just double up on the weight
** I did not do this which meant I had to trim it after baking which is what caused the crack
*** I baked mine for 25 minutes and the centre was not quite set
**** I have the worst spring form tin which does not allow for the removal of the base
Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime August 16:
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Published by Tandy
I am passionate about using regional, seasonable and sustainable produce when I cook. I live in Gordons Bay with my husband and dogs. Dave and I are busy building a house which is an adventure all in itself. Each year we visit a new place overseas to experience the food of the area. Follow along on our adventures!
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