Flathons (flans)

These Medieval puddings baked in a pastry crust date back to the 15th century and were called flathons'...There were two main kinds. One was filled with a sweet, rich egg custard over a layer of candied fruit on the pastry shell. A second version was originally made without eggs, butter, or milk, and was a Lenten flathon; the filling was of ground almonds and sugar made into a liquid paste and flavoured with spices. In the succeeding centuries names such as 'egg tart' and 'almond tart' came into use.

The word comes from the Old French "flaon," from the Latin "flado," [meaning] a flat cake. Flans have been in existence for centuries. They are mentioned in the works of the Latin poet Fortunatus (530-609AD), and featured in medieval cookery--Taillevent gave numerous recipes for flans.

Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books (England, 1430)

xviij - Flathons. Take Milke an 3olkys of Eyroun, and draw it thorw a straynoure with whyte Sugre, other blake Sugre, and mylt fayre botter, and putte ther-to, and Salt; and make fayre cofyns, and sette hem on the ouen tyl they ben hard; than take a pele with a dyssche on the ende, and fylle the dyssche with thin comade, and pore in-to the cofyns, and lat bake a lytel whyle; than take hem out in-to a fayre dyssch, and cast whyte sugre ther-on, and serue forth. [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books]

Flathonys. Take mylke, and yolkes of egges, and ale, and drawe hem thorgh a straynour, with white sugur or blak; And melt faire butter, and put thereto salt, and make faire coffyns, and put hem into a Nowne (Note: an oven) til thei be a litull hard; then take a pile, and a dissh fastned there-on, and fill the coffyns therewith of the seid stuffe and late hem bake a while. And then take hem oute, and serue hem forthe, and caste Sugur ynogh on hem. [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books]

Flathonys. Take mylke, and yolkes of egges, and ale, and drawe hem thorgh a straynour, with white sugur or blak; And melt faire butter, and put thereto salt, and make faire coffyns, and put hem into a Nowne (Note: an oven) til thei be a litull hard; then take a pile, and a dissh fastned there-on, and fill the coffyns therewith of the seid stuffe and late hem bake a while. And then take hem oute, and serue hem forthe, and caste Sugur ynogh on hem. [Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery-Books]