You’ll find this batter pudding throughout France under names such as ‘clafoutis’ and ‘flognarde’, adapted to local fruit alcohols and fruits including cherries, apples, plums, and prunes (in the winter). ‘Flognarde’ comes from the Auvergneand and may be made with pears or apples.

Serves 6

  • 3-4 large ripe pears (about 675g/1½lb)
  • butter and sugar for the baking dish
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • For the Batter
  • 55g/2oz/¼ cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 30g/1oz/¼ cup flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 250ml/8fl oz/1 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons pear or other fruit alcohol, or rum
  • confectioners’ sugar for sprinkling
  • 1.5 liter/1¼ quart/1½ quart baking dish

1.  Heat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas 5. Butter the baking dish, sprinkle it with sugar, and turn the dish so it is evenly coated, discarding excess sugar.   Peel, core and slice the pears in crescents.  Sprinkle the slices with the lemon juice so they don’t discolor and spread them in the baking dish.

2.  Make the batter:  Put the sugar in a bowl, add the eggs and whisk for 1-2 minutes until light and frothy. Stir in the flour and salt just until smooth.  Don’t beat the batter at this stage as this will make the pudding tough.  Stir in the milk, and strain the batter over the pears to remove any lumps of flour.

3.  Bake the pudding for 55-65 minutes until it is puffed and brown.  It should be firm in the center and will have started to pull away from the sides of the dish.  Let it cool for 5-10 minutes, then sprinkle with the alcohol. (The aroma from the hot alcohol is a treat in itself.)  Dust it generously with confectioners’ sugar and serve warm.

On the Side: In France a bowl of crème fraîche would be my first thought, but vanilla ice cream is pretty good, too.

In the Glass: A tot of that same fruit alcohol.

From Good Food No Fuss by Anne Willan, 2003

Photo CREDIT: Simon Wheeler