This is a light flan made from a pastry case and filled with a diplomat cream, flavoured with rum and topped with fresh fruit. It is easy and quick to make, has great visual appeal and sells very well in the summer months. It is the perfect light dessert to accompany a barbecue.

We think that the retail price should be three to three-and-a-half times the price of the ingredients and we charge £15 for an eight-inch round fruit flan.

 

Ingredients

Sweetpaste, sponge, chocolate, diplomat cream (see recipe overleaf), seasonal fruit, sugar syrup, apricot glaze

Method

1 Line a shallow (18mm high) flan case with sweetpaste (approximately 3mm thick). Trim the edges so it looks neat.

2 Bake blind until golden and leave to cool. Remove from tin and place on a cake board.

3 Carefully brush the inside of the flan with a thin layer of melted chocolate. This will keep the pastry case crisp, as it provides a waterproof barrier between the custard and the pastry.

4 Fill the flan with diplomat cream.

5 Smooth over with a palette knife. If you ensure that the custard is slightly domed, this makes the flan look fuller when it is completed, which is more appealing.

6 Cut out a thin layer of sponge and place gently on top of the custard (this prevents the fruit sinking into the custard).

7 Soak the sponge evenly with sugar syrup - we flavour ours with Grand Marnier.

8 Garnish with a selection of fresh fruit, ensuring that the fruit is completely covering the sponge. Seal with a clear apricot glaze.

 

 

Variations

This can be made in a variety of sizes and fruit toppings, such as strawberry. They are also popular as individual pastries.

 

Recipe for Diplomat Cream

2/3 pastry cream

1/3 whipped cream

Rum to taste