Clafoutis

I don’t know whether you like to run down the contents of your fridge until nothing is left save a bit of milk, crème fraîche, eggs and a drawer of sprouting potatoes? And then think what to make? But I find it stimulating. The following two or three recipes all feature these ingredients to some degree …

Although I love making pancakes and tarts I had never made clafoutis before this one. Browsing through other people’s recipes I found that the desired texture, batter ingredients, relative quantities, cooking time and fruit used varies enormously. But the following shows how I made the one I ate (pictured). The custard was firmish and a slight caramel in colour, as I don’t usually have any white sugar. It tasted nice when warm and equally nice when cold. I think fruitiness is the main goal for me, and not too sweet. However, once attempted, you can change the recipe to suit yourself and your supplies, as I did.

• Ingredients:

One small apple, thinly sliced. 200g frozen summer fruits (raspberries, blackberries, currants). 90g/3oz white flour, 50g/2oz ish of butter, 150g/5-6oz half fat crème fraîche, 1 or 2 Tbsp demerara sugar, 3 eggs.

• Method

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan. Pour half out into a mixing bowl. Add the eggs, a little sugar and flour. Whisk until frothy. Add the crème fraîche and whisk again. It should resemble a thick pancake batter. If too thick, just add a little milk.

Place the apple slices in the butter pan and add a teaspoonful of sugar. Allow these to cook on the lowest heat for about 5 minutes, moving them around so they do not burn. Then add the berries (defrosted) and continue cooking for a couple of minutes more before leaving to cool.

Butter a ceramic baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cover the base of the dish with fruit. Pour over the batter and top with the remaining brown sugar. Bake in a medium oven (180°C) for about 30-40 minutes. Check on the dish after 25′ and press the crust to decide when it is cooked to your satisfaction.

Serve with another spoonful of crème fraîche, or the fruit juice from the pan to which you have added a little sloe gin or cherry brandy.