Pierre Hermé revisits the flan of his childhood in an Infiniment Chocolat version

At Pierre Hermé, memories become matter. With this Flan Infiniment Chocolat, the pastry chef returns to the essence of a dessert from his childhood: flan without cream, butter or vanilla pod. A simple base, redesigned around an ingredient he has always explored: chocolate.

This is not his first flan. " We used to make them when we first moved to Paris. Then I stopped making it in 2004-2005. "

After testing Pure Origine Ghana chocolate, made from 80% cocoa beans with no added cocoa butter, the desire to use it in a flan was born. Grown in southern Ghana, this cocoa is fermented by hand, revealing a wide range of aromas (vanilla, dried fruit, bitterness, woody and floral notes).

The recipe for success

The flan is based on a heart-baked shortcrust pastry. It is poured cold, with a precisely thought-out temperature contrast. The top is sprinkled with cocoa nougatine for extra structure. " I found the flan a little bare, so I thought it would add a touch of flavor, texture and since it's something I invented over 30 years ago, it was a wink. "Back then, the pastry chef put it on his chocolate tart.

"I wanted to sell it in just one store".

This flan is exclusive to the Infiniment Chocolat boutique for two months. " I wanted to sell it in just one boutique. We set up a special display case for the occasion. "

Since his early days, Pierre Hermé has been questioning the foundations of pastry tradition. With this creation, he continues his work of deconstruction and rewriting around taste and memory. In a place entirely dedicated to chocolate, he presents a flan that says as much about the product as it does about the person who makes it.