It is suggested that you read all the recipe and instructions before you begin.
Some knowledge of cookery will be required.
Ingredients
For the flan
For the filling
- Rind and juice of 2 lemons
- 4 oz butter
- 5 oz sugar
- 1 and a half oz cornflour
- 5 standard eggs separated. Be scrupulous when separating the white from the yolk. You must have no grease in your egg white.
- 10 fluid oz water
For the topping
Method
- Line a large flan tin approx 11ins diameter with shortcrust pastry
- Prick the base all over the bottom to prevent the pastry from bubbling up while in the oven
- Bake blind for about 20-25 mins (until cooked) at 200C or 10 dgrees less for a fan oven, 400F, or gas 6
- Put the cornflour, 1oz of the sugar and 1oz of the water from the recipe in a bowl and mix together like custard powder until smooth.
- Then put in a pan with the rest of the water, sugar, butter, lemon rind and juice and heat slowly until the mixture thickens (stiring all the time) and let it plop for about 5-8 seconds and then remove from heat.
- Put the bottom of the pan into a sink of cold water and continue stirring for about a minute. (this is to make sure the eggs yolks don’t curdle when put into the hot mixture)
- Very carefully, one by one add the egg yolks to the lemon mixture beating each one in thoroughly before adding another one.
- As soon as the egg yolks are all in pour the mixture into the cooked flan case and leave to cool.
The meringue topping
- Place the egg white in a food mixer or mix in a large grease free bowl with a hand held electric whisk and beat until the egg white is very stiff and voluminous.
- Very quickly (5 seconds max.) mix the sugar into the meringue mix.
- Spoon the mixture onto the top of the filled flan pull up in peaks (see picture) and then put back in the oven 150C – 175C check continually until the meringue is light beige all over.
- Remove and cool