A Classic British Cheese and Onion Flan (2024)

Recipes By Region
European Food
British Food
British Mains

Elaine Lemm

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 12/9/22

Tested byTara Omidvar

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Ingredients

For the Pastry:

200 grams all-purpose flour
110 grams cubed unsalted butter, or an equal mix of butter and lard
1 pinch kosher salt
2 to 3 tablespoons ice water

For the Filling:

55 grams unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or sunflower oil
1 large yellow onion, finely sliced
3 to 4 large eggs (200 milliliters)
75 grams aged cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup milk
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Place the flour, butter (or butter and lard mix), and salt into a large, roomy mixing bowl. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles sand.
Add the water a little at a time and bring the mixture together to create a soft dough.
Form the pastry into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
While the pastry is resting, prepare the filling.
Heat the butter and oil in a saucepan. Once melted, add the sliced onion and sauté over medium heat to soften (but not brown). Place the softened onion onto a dinner plateand leave to cool.
Preheat the oven to 400 F / 204 C. Roll the pastry to 5 millimeters thickness and line a greased, 10-inchloose-bottomed tart tin. Chill in the refrigerator while you make the remaining filling.
Put the eggsinto a large measuring jug and whisk them. Add the cooled onion,grated cheese, and parsley. Stir in the milk. Season with a little salt and black pepper.
Take the pastry case from the refrigerator, place it on the middle shelf of the preheated oven, and carefully pour in the egg-cheese mixture until it is two-thirds full. Do not overfill as the flan will rise while cooking.
Bake for 25 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and set, but not completely solid when gently pressed in the center.
Remove from the oven and rest for 5minutes before serving.
The flan is lovely warm but can also be eaten cold.

Tip

For a crisper crust on the bottom, you can blind bake the pie crust first before adding the filling. After rolling out the dough and lining the tart tin, place the tin in the refrigerator or freezer to give the dough a chance to rest and firm up; otherwise the crust could shrink and pull back while being par-baked in the oven.

Recipe Variations

Add crisped bacon pieces or tiny cubes into the egg for the meat-eaters.
Use a different cheese;crumbly blue is amazing.
Change or add a different herb. Basil and tarragon are good choices.

What's the Difference Between Flan and Quiche?

Flan, in the British sense, is an open-faced pie or tart with a savory or sweet filling. This can include egg-based pies also called quiche. Quiche is a French dish that is a savory egg tart and can include other fillings like ham, cheese, and vegetables. Flan is also a term used for a Spanish and Latin dessert of set vanilla custard with a caramel sauce.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
487	Calories
35g	Fat
30g	Carbs
12g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	487
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35g	45%
Saturated Fat 18g	92%
Cholesterol 199mg	66%
Sodium 254mg	11%
Total Carbohydrate 30g	11%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 4mg	19%
Calcium 176mg	14%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 202mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

flan
lunch
british
potluck

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