Clafoutis comes from the Limousin area of France and dates from the 19th Century.
It is usually made with cherries, but lends itself to any good flavoured fruit that keeps it’s shape when cooked, so apples, pears, apricots, peaches, blackcurrants and gooseberries all work well.
There are hundreds of different recipes and variations for clafoutis, ranging from the very rich, made with double cream, to lighter versions using milk.
The recipe below is my version, light but full of flavour. I’ve used under-ripe plums and roasted them with orange and rosemary to intensify the flavours.
Because I’ve roasted the plums, I’ve made the clafoutis in an oven proof frying pan rather than a dish, it cuts down on washing up, which is always a good thing, if you don’t have one, use an ovenproof dish of the same diameter.
Roast Plum Clafoutis
Serves 4
400g plums – about 6 depending on their size
Rind & juice of 1 small orange
10cm sprig of rosemary
2 eggs
300ml milk – this can be whole or semi skimmed, oat, coconut etc
25g plain flour – if you’re gluten free, use rice flour, cornflour or your usual flour substitute.
- Use a 20cm diameter non stick frying pan. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas4.
- Half the plums and remove the stones, place them in the pan cut side up, sprinkle over the sugar, orange rind and juice, tuck the rosemary underneath the plums.
- Put the pan into the oven and roast for between 10 and 20mins. You want the plums to be soft, but not mushy and falling apart.
- Beat the eggs, milk and flour together with a whisk.
- Remove the plums from the oven & remove the rosemary sprigs. Carefully drain the syrup from the plums into the egg batter & mix well. Turn the plums skin side up.
- Pour the batter over the plums and return to the oven for 30 mins.
- Once the clafoutis is cooked, remove from the oven, allow to cool until just warm, dust with icing sugar and serve. Delicious with a drizzle of cream, creme fraiche or Greek yogurt.
