The most popular lunch dessert & most requested recipe at the beginning of this season has been the classic & humble Clafoutis.

Clafoutis is a sweet batter mix that is baked filled with unstoned cherries, the stones are left in because the give the batter a slight almond flavour during baking.

Clafoutis comes from the Limousin just north of our crousing route & it’s poularity spread throughout France during 19th    century. The name comes from the Occitan word clafotis     meaning to fill, as in a batter filled with cherries which describes the dish perfectly.

These days clafoutis are filled with lots of different fruits such as apricots, apples, pears & nectarines. However when filled with anything other than cherries it should be called a flaugnarde, a similar dish from the Limousin & Perigord.

Clafoutis recipe

100g.    Flour

3.            Eggs

1.            Yolk

160 ml.  Milk

160 ml.  Cream

90g.         Caster sugar

1.               Lemon zested

pinch       Salt

70g.          Butter melted

600g.        Cherries with or without stones, your choice.

Using a 24 – 28 cm baking dish or cake tin, either line with baking parchment or in a baking dish brush with butter & coat with     sugar as you would a soufflé.

Pre heat the oven to 180 C, 350 F, gas 4.

Put the flour, lemon zest & sugar in a mixing bowl, in a jug mix all the wet ingredients, add these to the four to create a smooth     batter.

Finally fold the cherries into the batter & pour into the prepared baking dish & bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, cool just slightly & sprinkle with     caster sugar.

Serve with a warm creme anglaise, pouring cream or creme fraiche.