Swiss Fruit Flan (Apricot)
This is a delightful recipe with origins from my Swiss roots. You can try it using many different fruits not just Apricots. Here are some alternatives; apples, rhubarb, plums and cherries. It also works with berries such as raspberries, blueberries and gooseberries.
Prep: Pastry 10 mins, topping 20 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients:
Pastry for the base:
300gr plain flour
Pinch of salt
200gr butter (cold, in pieces)
100gr caster sugar
50gr (1 medium egg)
For the topping:
About 800gr fresh apricots - stones removed and cut into quarters
250ml single cream
2 eggs
4tbsp. caster sugar
1tbsp. vanilla paste or extract
60gr ground almonds or hazelnuts
Or alternatively 60gr of marzipan, finely grated (I love marzipan and this option goes very well when using rhubarb or apricots)
Method:
The pastry base:
Cut the butter into small pieces while still cold and mix with the flour in a bowl. Add the salt to the mix.
Add the caster sugar to the flour mix and rub together with your fingertips till the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Next add the egg and gently mix it in until you have a dough like mixture. Do not over work it otherwise the dough will become hard
Finally, leave the dough mix in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or overnight if possible.
For the topping:
Add the cream, eggs, caster sugar and vanilla to a bowl and gently mix them together. This will should make a custard like consistency.
Take your pastry tart base out the fridge and sprinkle the nuts or marzipan evenly covering all the base to protect it from getting the topping soaking in.
Next arrange the Apricots (or whichever fruit you are using) in circles covering the base - see my photo for the look I go for.
Finally pour the custard mix covering your fruit. You should have enough to cover the bottom half of the apricots
But your flan tray in the oven and bake for around 50 mins. Look for the custard setting and the fruit juices are bubbling slightly. You may need to cover the top with kitchen foil to prevent the fruit from burning.
Once its cooked remove it from the oven. Pull away the greaseproof paper and leave it to cool on a wire cake rack. Removing your tart from the tin and greaseproof paper will help to keep the base crisp.
Once cooled you can serve it as it is or try with cream
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C
Line a flan tin (approx. 28-32 cm in diameter) with greaseproof paper or grease a loose bottom flan tin.
Roll out the pastry to around 2-4mm . 2mm will be quite delicate but 4mm is ok. Anything more will mean there is too much pastry and the flan will end up with a 'soggy bottom'!!
Poke the base all over with a fork to release any trapped air and put back in the fridge or even the freezer until you have prepared the topping in the next step
