Clafoutis

I was wondering yesterday whether I could be bothered to make a pudding for lunch. Then I thought about the cherries in the fruit bowl; and I looked for a simple clafoutis recipe. I found it in Mediterranean Cookbook by Arabella Boxer (out of print with Penguin). It took about 10 minutes to prepare.

This custardy batter is just right for a clafoutis, I think. A bit of vanilla and of nutmeg might have made it even better.

I halved the ingredients in Arabella Boxer's book, to serve three. I used a gratin dish. Roasting tins are good for toad-in-the-hole batters, which should be crispy; but that is not what you want here.

15-20 cherries
280 ml milk
2 small to medium eggs
1 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour

Butter the gratin dish, and scatter the cherries in it. (I did not stone mine; we had to pick out the stones as we ate.) Warm the milk in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar. Pour the heated milk on to them, gradually at first so as not to curdle the eggs. Whisk in the flour, and pour the batter over the cherries. Arabella Boxer tells you to bake the dish in a gas mark 6/200 C oven for 30 minutes; you might get a more tender batter at a lower heat such as gas mark 4/180 C.