This French dessert comes in many forms, from crisp, Yorkshire pudding-like creations to custardy flans sold cold by the slice, but all come topped with a layer of seasonal fruit (though, strictly speaking, anything without cherries is a flognarde). This deliciously rich plum-and-almond version, inspired by the three-star chef Guy Savoy’s recipe, also handily happens to be gluten-free.
Prep 20 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 6
300g plums (about 10-12)
Butter, to grease
2 tbsp demerara sugar (optional)
50g cornflour
100g ground almonds
A pinch of salt
¼ tsp mixed spice, or nutmeg or cinnamon (optional)
3 eggs
100g caster sugar
300g full-fat creme fraiche (see step 6)
100ml whole milk
1 Choosing the fruit
You could use cherries for this instead of plums (indeed, Monsieur Savoy does) though you may well need more to fill the dish. I don’t bother to stone cherries for this, as much because it slows down the subsequent feeding frenzy as because the stones are said to add flavour to the finished pudding, but do make sure you warn guests if you follow suit.
2 Other alternatives
Indeed, almost any fruit that’s in season, or that you happen to have in the freezer, will work a treat in a clafoutis, though I find very juicy and acidic berries, such as blackberries and raspberries, can run into the batter and affect the cake’s consistency (the results are still extremely tasty, though).
Cut larger fruit in half or into wedges, and toss juicier ones in a little cornflour to minimise leakage.
3 Prepare the plums and the baking dish
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Wash the plums, remove any stems, then cut in half and take out the stones. Arrange the halves cut side up in a roughly 24cm-diameter round baking dish (or similar) – this is to see if you need all the fruit – then remove and put on a tea towel to dry. Grease the dish generously with butter, then sprinkle it with demerara sugar, if using.
4 Mix the dry ingredients
Put the cornflour, almonds, salt and spice, if using, into a bowl and whisk briefly to break up any lumps. (Other flavouring ideas include a quarter-teaspoon of ground cardamom or ginger, a dash of vanilla or almond extract, or the grated zest of an unwaxed orange, all of which should be added to the batter with the milk.)
5 Add to beaten eggs
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat, then add the caster sugar and continue to beat vigorously until the two are well combined and the mixture starts to pale slightly in colour.
Beat in the ground almond mixture until no pockets of dry ingredient remain.
6 Finish the batter
Stir in the creme fraiche – you could substitute whipping or double cream, if you prefer, but good creme fraiche will give your clafoutis a delicious, slightly tangy flavour that works really well with the plums. Look for one with a fat content of about 40%; the thick yellow Norman sort is ideal, rather than the watery versions favoured by some British supermarkets.
Finally, stir in the milk.
7 Assemble the clafoutis
Pour the batter into the greased baking dish, then gently drop the plums cut side up on top.
This may seem more faff than simply putting the fruit in the dish before pouring over the batter, but it means the fruit won’t be fully submerged. (If it does sink, your clafoutis will still be delicious, but it won’t look as pretty.)
8 Bake until just set
Bake the clafoutis for about 45 minutes, until the batter has turned lightly golden in the middle and darker around the sides, and the plums are nicely caramelised – a careful prod (remember, it will be very hot) should reveal it to be it just-firm in the centre, rather than wobbly and liquid.
9 Leave to cool down, then serve
Remove from the oven and leave to cool to warm or room temperature before serving, because, hot out of the oven, it will taste of very little. To be honest, this particular clafoutis is rich enough on its own, but, for the pleasure of contrast, it’s also extremely nice served with more creme fraiche cold from the fridge, ice-cream, or single cream.
