What’s the big deal with pastry cream? It is one of those classic French recipes that one learns early on for filling a bowl of trifle, éclairs or cakes, or as the base for other sweet pastry recipes such as crème chiboust (for which a Swiss meringue is folded into pastry cream).

On a recent trip to Paris, however, I came across a recipe at restaurant Amazonia that puts pastry cream front and center in a recipe that was new to me: Paris flan. A classic French dough is placed into a pastry ring (a metal round with no bottom), prebaked, and then filled with hot pastry cream. It is briefly chilled and finished in the oven.

One expects a gut-filling glut of dairy, yet the result surprised me—the baking transforms the pastry cream into something lighter and more ethereal, without giving up the strong sensation of decadence. The perfect dessert.

At Amazonia, pastry chef Stéphane Jimenez showed me how to make his version of Paris flan. His chops are five-star, as he worked at the French Laundry, then helped open Bouchon Bakery as well as Per Se. We started with a lesson in making tart dough, and his method was new to me.

The recipe is flour, a dash of sugar and salt, butter, water and one egg yolk. Nothing new here, but the method is interesting. Mix the dry ingredients with the room-temperature butter briefly on low using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle—do not overmix and incorporate air—and then briefly mix in the other ingredients. Form the dough into a ball and then, using “fraisage,” the dough is quickly pushed away from you into a schmear on the counter. (You only have to do this once.) Then refrigerate for at least one hour. The whole process is quick and easy, maybe two or three minutes from start to finish. (For our recipe, we use a food processor method that is easier for home cooks.)

When the dough is chilled, roll it out and fit it into the metal baking ring. One of the tricks Jimenez used was placing the ring on a sheet of wire-mesh Silpat and then onto a rack. This allows hot air from the oven to flow right up to the bottom of the dough, resulting in a sturdy, well-baked bottom crust. (Since most home cooks do not have this type of Silpat, we adapted this recipe to use a springform pan.) While the fitted dough rests for 20 minutes, you make a saucepan full of pastry cream (milk, heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and eggs). For flavor variations, mix lemon, lime or orange zest into the sugar before making the pastry cream. (Easily done in a food processor or stand mixer.)

Once the pastry shell is filled, it goes back into the refrigerator—you want a skin to form on top, which will prevent the pastry cream from rising up and out of the pan during baking. The flan is baked in a 350°F oven for up to an hour—the top should turn almost black. Chill before slicing.

Oh, Jimenez also showed me a great trick for slicing: Use a bread knife to start cutting through the edge of the baked shell and cut down maybe ½ inch into the custard, then finish with a regular thin chef’s knife. A good tip for any tart.

Paris flan is often sold in bakeries to kids walking home after school. Just grab a slice and eat it out of hand. What is so surprising is the texture. I ate a big, thick slice (the flan is deep, a good 4 inches) and did not feel royally stuffed. The filling is light and tender, and the recipe is simple enough. This is also an impressive-­looking dessert and would be ideal for any holiday dinner or, to my mind, even to replace a birthday cake.

Christopher Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."