Having recently re-read Julia Child’s autobiography My Life In France, I was reminded of this recipe sitting on my to-bake list. Simple, elegant and effortless, this recipe makes a deliciously light custard-based dessert. I happened to have 300ml of cream in my fridge that needed using up so I used that instead of milk. Similarly, the traditional fruit in a clafouti is cherry but I happened to have pears that needed using up so in they went. You could use any soft fruit that bakes well. A sprinkle of cinnamon over the cooked clafouti finished it off. Feel free to match your spices to your fruit.
Ingredients:
Batter:
1 1/4 cup of milk (or 300ml of cream)
3 eggs
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbs vanilla essence
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup flour
Filling:
2 large pears, cut into 1cm cubes (or 700g of pitted cherries)
1/4 cup white sugar
To Finish:
icing sugar to dust
Cinnamon to dust
Firstly, place all the batter ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Alternatively, place all in a mixing bowl and mix with beaters on high until smooth.
Pour about half the batter into a greased pan (20cm diameter) and bake at 180 for 5-7 minutes until a skin forms.
Spread the fruit over the batter and sprinkle with the sugar.
Pour the remaining batter over the fruit and place back in the oven for 40-50 minutes.
Check after 40 minutes and if it’s golden brown, check with a knife. It should come out clean.
Once cooked, remove from the oven, stand for 5 minutes. It will sink a little on standing. Slice into portions and dust with icing sugar, cinnamon and serve with cream or ice cream.
A Tale of Two Kitchens 