1 Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Mix 250 g of the flour, 2 pinches of salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, the egg, yeast and butter in a large bowl. Add a little water if required, for a soft dough. Make into a ball, cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to rise for 1 hour.

2 Once it has risen, roll out the dough, make into a ball again and leave for another hour. Grease a flan dish with butter and preheat the oven (gas mark 6 / 400F / 200 °C). Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, line the base and sides of the flan dish, prick the base with a fork and bake for 7 minutes.

3 Mix the remaining 100 g of flour with 100 g of the sugar in a bowl, gradually adding the fromage blanc and the cream. Beat until well mixed.

Pour into the flan dish, spread to an equal depth all over and bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the icing sugar. Allow to cool.

Cheese was always the basis of peasants' meals, but it acquired nobility when Charles d'Orleans gave it to the ladies of his court as a New Year's Day present.