The chestnut flan, a classic Corsican dessert, is one of the most delicious flans I’ve ever tried! The velvety cream with its subtle chestnut flavor combined with caramel really makes for a wonderful dessert. So you can imagine that this recipe came as a big surprise to me.
Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, unlike in Corsican culinary tradition, we don’t use chestnuts very often in cooking. And when we do, it’s usually in stews, combined with meat and dried fruit, or in soups. In fact, we like them plain, boiled, or roasted.
On the other hand, it was the first time I’d used chestnut flour, and I was very intrigued—and also very pleased with the result: a flan rich in pastry cream with a wonderful chestnut aroma. Add the caramel, and you’re all set!
Ingredients:
- 150 g of sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 550 ml of milk
- 120 g chestnut flour
- 100 ml whole cream (35% fat)
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Liquid caramel:
- 250 g of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- 180 ml of water, divided
Preparation:
Prepare the caramel by adding the sugar, vinegar, and 60 ml of water to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes until the caramel turns golden brown. Then, gradually and very carefully, add 120 ml of water. Turn the heat to high for about 1 minute, then remove from heat.
Put 2 tablespoons of caramel into each of the 6 buttered flan molds.
Next, prepare the flan by placing the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and heating until steam rises (just before it starts to boil).
Beat the eggs, sugar, and chestnut flour in a bowl.
Once the milk mixture has heated up, remove it from the heat and, using a ladle, begin pouring it very slowly into the egg and chestnut flour mixture while constantly whisking the eggs.
Next, pour the mixture into the saucepan.
Whisk constantly over medium heat until the cream begins to thicken. At this point, you can add the vanilla and continue whisking.
Remove from the heat and divide the mixture among the prepared molds, then place them on a deep baking sheet. Add enough water to cover about 1 cm of the bottom of the bowls and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for about 40 minutes.
Let the flans cool completely before removing them from the molds. Serve with additional caramel sauce, if desired.
