We were given half a dozen sweet, ripe plums last week. We ate a couple and used the others in a plum flaugnarde.
A flaugnarde is similar to clafoutis in that they’re both baked French egg custard fruit puddings. However, if you’re a purist, the latter can only ever be made using cherries.
A flaugnarde on the other hand may contain all manner of fruit including pears, apples, figs, dried fruit, nuts…
The addition of a little buerre noisette gives the custard a lovely, nutty flavour. Make sure you only cook it until it goes a nice, golden brown. If the butter’s even just a little bit burnt, it will ruin the dish.
A tablespoonful of almonds isn’t essential, but it adds texture, bite more nuttiness… and looks beautiful too!
It puffs up beautifully while it’s cooking, but don’t worry when it deflates as it cools once out of the oven – it will do this. Serve it straight away with a little double cream or clotted cream.
Plum flaugnarde
Ingredients
- 4 ripe plums
- 20 g/¾oz unsalted butter plus extra for greasing
- 2 eggs
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
- 50 g/1¾fl oz milk
- 75 g/2¼fl oz double cream
- pinch salt
- 1 tbs flaked almonds optional
- icing sugar for dusting optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
- Grease a baking dish with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Shake the sugar around the dish so it's evenly coated. Tip away any excess
- Halve the plums, remove the stones and place them cut side down, evenly spread into the baking dish
- Heat the butter in a small frying pan over a low heat until it turns a light brown colour. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside
- In a large bowl or measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy
- Add the flour, whisk until smooth, then slowly incorporate the milk, cream, salt and beurre noisette.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish making sure the plums are still evenly spread out
- Sprinkle with the flaked almonds
- Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until the top is puffed up and a skewer inserted into the middle comes away clean
- Place on a wire cooling rack, sprinkle with icing sugar and serve warm with double or clotted cream
