Plum Clafouti with Cognac Cream

From A Year in My Kitchen
Rose Murray
The best of 25 years of mouth-watering recipes from one of Canada's best food writers. "A year in my kitchen is an invitation to draw up a chair in Rose's kitchen and partake of the pleasures of her cooking." - Elizabeth Baird, Canadian Living Magazine. $17.95.

Makes 4 Servings

When I want something elegant but quick, I enjoy serving a fruit dessert like this one. A kind of custard or thick fruit pancake from Limousin, France, clafouti (also spelled "clafoutis") was originally made with black cherries. I love the look of it with purple plums, but use whatever fruit is in season, varying the liquer to complement the fruit and adjusting the sugar to the fruit's sweetness.

2 cups halved, pitted, purple prune plums (about 10) 500 mL
1/2 cup granulated sugar 125 mL
1 tbsp kirsch or brandy 15 mL
1-1/4 cups light cream 300 mL
2 eggs 2
2 tbsp all-purpose flour 25 mL
Pinch salt pinch
1/2 tsp vanilla 2mL
Icing sugar

1. Toss plums with 2 tbsp (25 mL) of the sugar and kirsch. Set aside.

2. Butter a 6-cup (1.5 L) shallow, pretty baking dish; sprinkle with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the sugar.

3. In a blender, blend light cream, eggs, flour and salt for 1 minute. Add remaining sugar and vanilla; blend a few seconds longer.

4. Arrange plums, cut side down, and their juice in a prepared dish; pour egg mixture over top. Bake in a 375°F (195°C) oven for about 45 minutes or until well puffed and golden. Let cool until barely warm. Sprinkle with icing sugar to serve.

Cognac Cream

1/2 cup whipping cream 125 mL
1 tbsp EACH cognac or brandy and icing sugar15 mL

1. Whip cream, cognac and icing sugar together to form soft peaks. Serve with clafouti.

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