Apple and Plum Clafoutis |

apple and plum clafoutis jpge.jpg This recipe is adapted from A Little Taste of France, a cookbook I dip in and out of frequently. I've been experimenting with the traditional clafoutis recipe and have found that really almost any fruit will work well. Traditional clafoutis is made with black cherries and Kirsch. Here I have used seasonal fruits which are just starting to reach their peak, plums dropping off my plum tree and the Bramleys from my sister-in-law's garden to be precise. You could try substituting rhubarb and adding a touch of ginger or perhaps pear and blackberries? Really anything goes. What I love about this recipe is it's rustic simplicity and the fact that it reminds me a bit of bread pudding- but much, much lighter. I love it hot out of the oven, but I have been told by Armande, (our French visitor) this is a peculiarly English tradition. The French do not eat puddings hot out of the oven! Well battle lines may be drawn......

Yield

Serves 4-6

Preparation time

15 minutes plus 30 minutes baking time

Ingredients

185g double cream or creme fraiche

125 ml milk

3 eggs

60g caster sugar

40g ground almonds

40g gluten free flour (Doves Farm)

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp cinnamon,nutmeg (optional)

450g stoned plums

1 medium sized Bramley apple, peeled, cored and sliced

Caster sugar (2-4 tbs) depending on taste and fruit used

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 C. In a bowl combine the double cream (or creme fraiche) with the milk. In a separate bowl combine the eggs, sugar, ground almonds and flour. Add the cream mixture and the vanilla essence along with any additional spices you are using.

Prepare the fruit. If using fruit with stones, you must remove the stones and cut the fruit into largish chunks or halves. Spread the fruit into a ceramic or glass baking dish ( mine is an oval dish measuring 29 cm length x 21 cm wide and 5cm deep). Sprinkle the fruit generously with caster sugar. The amount depends on the type of fruit you are using and how sweet or tart you prefer the final dish.

Pour the cream and egg mixture over the fruit and then sprinkle with a little more sugar. I like to use a bit caster sugar and demerera for added colour and texture. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden on top. Serve hot or warm with a little extra cream.

Notes

I've seen many different versions of this recipe, some using double cream others using creme fraiche. I think the creme fraiche adds a nice dimension and gives the clafoutis a slight cheesecake like texture, which I find very attractive!

The A little taste of.....series is published by Murdoch Books and I can't recommend these enough. They seem to capture the essence of a country's cuisine, with recipes that are not terribly difficult, well researched and most importantly work. I gather from Adam (my Webmaster) that the A little tast of India is awesome....so that's definately going on my Christmas list.

Gluten-free Cooking for Kids

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