Crayfish Flan (Savory Custard) creamy and indulgent

Name: Crayfish Flan (Savory Custard)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 6 egg yolks; 2 whole eggs; 0.8 cup (200 ml) liquid cream; Salt; Cayenne pepper; 2 g turmeric; 40 crayfish tails (you can now find them pre-shelled, but of course nothing beats shelling them yourself); 1 small tin of shelled crab meat (chapka if you can find it); For the sauce:; 0.8 cup (200 ml) prepared fish stock; 0.2 oz (5 g) curry powder (madras preferably); 0.4 cup (100 ml) 30% liquid cream; Half a cucumber

A recipe by Michelin-starred Chef Patrick Asfaux 4.9/5 (28 reviews) · 🍳 25 made it

Crayfish Flan (Savory Custard), quick to prepare — Photo : Aftouch-cuisine

Prep 30 min

Cook 35 min

Total 1h05

Servings 8 serv.

A recipe from our special end-of-year menu, but of course one you can make all year round. Red-clawed crayfish come from the rivers of the Doubs and Jura regions. This flan created by Chef Patrick Asfaux plays on contrast, the sweetness of turmeric cream against the sweet meat of crayfish, enhanced by a curry sauce that catches the palate.

Ingredients for 8 servings

Adjust for

servings

6 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
0.8 cup (200 ml) liquid cream
Salt
Cayenne pepper
2 g turmeric
40 crayfish tails (you can now find them pre-shelled, but of course nothing beats shelling them yourself)
1 small tin of shelled crab meat (chapka if you can find it)

For the sauce:

0.8 cup (200 ml) prepared fish stock
0.2 oz (5 g) curry powder (madras preferably)
0.4 cup (100 ml) 30% liquid cream
Half a cucumber

Step-by-step recipe

1 Peel, hollow out and cut your cucumber into tiny small cubes (brunoise). Plunge them into boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then transfer to ice water, drain and set aside.

2 Lightly pan-fry your crayfish tails in olive oil for 1 minute and set aside.

3 Preheat your oven to 355°F (180 °C) (gas mark 6).

4 In a bowl, combine the 6 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs, liquid cream, turmeric, salt and season with a pinch of Cayenne pepper. Blend for 1 minute, then add the crab and blend for another 10 seconds.

5 Place your moulds in a shallow baking dish, add boiling water to halfway up the sides to prepare a bain-marie.

6 Place 5 crayfish tails at the bottom of each mould, then pour in your mixture. Cooking time: approximately 30 minutes (check at the end with the tip of a knife, the cream should be set).

7 Meanwhile, prepare your sauce. In a saucepan, gently reduce your cream, then add the fish stock and bring to a boil.

8 When serving, add the curry and adjust the seasoning, then keep warm in a bain-marie. For plating: if you have beautiful black or white plates (for the contrast), unmould the small flan in the centre, then arrange your slightly crispy cucumber dice around it and coat them with the curry cream and a sprig of chervil on top of the flan. If you prepared this recipe with fresh crayfish, place the shell on one side of the plate. If you are preparing the recipe in advance, reheat your already-cooked creams in the oven at 300°F (150 °C) for 7 to 8 minutes and the sauce over low heat.

A chef's advice

Exactly 30 minutes in the oven at 180 °C, not a second more or less. Check the cooking with the tip of a knife: as soon as the cream retracts slightly at the contact of the blade, it is set. One second too long and the mixture will crack when you unmould it.