Clafoutis/Flaugnarde

Made with chopped apples, raspberries and blueberries. Cooked in a 23cm round cake tin.

Made with cranberries and sliced apples, dusted with icing sugar. Cooked in a small loaf tin.

I love discovering desserts that are easy and economical to create at home. Finding one that is also quick to whip up is an even bigger bonus. Clafuotis are all of that.

Clafoutis are a French dessert, a delicious baked custard topped with fruits. It's dense enough to be sliced yet is still beautifully soft and light. Traditionally they are topped with cherries but are suited to so many other combinations. When fruits other than cherries are used then the dessert should be called a Flaugnarde, but it's still common in English speaking countries to still call it a clafoutis. But being technical is getting boring, so let's just call it amazing. Other fruits or berries are great substitutes for cherries. You can also add nuts or dried fruits that have been steeped in alcohol or juice. It's great fun to experiment with what you have in the cupboards or what is seasonal in your area.

I definitely recommend giving this recipe a go, once you see how simple and delicious it is it might become one you your favourite's too.

CLAFOUTIS / FLAUGNARDE

Ingredients:

3 eggs
250ml (one cup) milk
zest of 1 orange (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
75g butter, softened
125g sugar
75g flour
pinch of salt
fruits and/or berries etc of your choice (one or two handfuls will do)
icing sugar, to dust on top once baked (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 Celsius.
Butter, or line, a baking dish or a few small ramekins. I often like to use a silicon loaf tin as I like how it makes nice slices for serving. Anything is fine though as long as it has the capacity to contain approx 3 cups of batter.
Blend or whisk all of the ingredients (except the fruits/berries/nuts) until the batter is smooth.
Pour into your prepared baking dish/es.
Place the fruits (and nuts if using) on top.
Bake approx 30 minutes or until middle is set, I just prod it with a finger to check.
It will puff up during baking but will drop again on cooling.
Let cool for a little bit and serve lukewarm, dust with icing sugar before serving.