RECIPE: Quick and easy clafoutis

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon kirsch/brandy/sherry (optional)
1 cup flour
1.5 cups milk
1 400g tin stoned cherries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
   Grease an oval ovenproof dish about 12" long.


2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, the vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of the sugar.


3. Stir in the brandy and flour.
   Whisk in the milk to form a smooth batter.


4. In a mixing bowl, toss the cherries with the remaining sugar.
   Scatter the cherries in the ovenproof dish.


5. Pour the batter over the cherries and place in the oven.
   Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the clafoutis is sponge like.


6. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.
   Serve the clafoutis warm, dredged with icing sugar.

Notes
- Conversion note: 1 cup = 150 ml
- Almonds can be added - substitute half the flour for ground almonds and/or top the batter in the pan with slivered almonds.

Post-workout tea and flapjack

Location: New Bodies Gym, Buxton
Date: 18 July 2010
Details: Post-workout cuppas and flapjack

Notes:

Milky coffee for The Lion, black tea for me, and homemade flapjacks.

Ahhh, little hearts hidden in the saucers.

The Lion makes himself a coffee.

Builders' tea (no cake)

Location: The Carriage Café, Milcote, Stratford-upon-Avon
http://www.carriagescafe.co.uk/

Date: 9 July 2010
Details: Builders' tea, no cake

Notes:

A straightforward cup of builders' tea. No enticing cakes/pastries were available, just a couple of packaged sad-looking muffins. The clientele was mostly taking bacon butties with their cuppas.

The Carriages Café at Milcote, halfway along the Greenway.

Inside The Carriages Café.

Perhaps you can buy one at this establishment...?

A sign especially for someone with my initials...

A nicely designed signpost, hidden in the shadows.

My bike resting at Stannal's Bridge on the return journey.

Tea with chocolate ice-cream pud

Location: Tapa, Leith, Edinburgh
www.tapaedinburgh.co.uk/
Date: 25 June 2010
Details: Tea with 'sticky toffee bomb' pudding

Notes: Dinner out with a rediscovered cousin-something-removed in Edinburgh! Jen had heard good reports about this tapas place (called just 'tapa'; translation: 'cover' - how boring) so we drove out to Leith to give it a try.

The World Cup is inescapable at the moment and particularly so in a Spanish restaurant when Spain are playing, d'oh! Still, it livened up the atmosphere and luckily they won so the crowd of boozy Spaniards was in good spirits.

We had a table-ful of tapas dishes, and didn't really need a pudding but in the name of research for this blog, we managed to share this pud, a 'bomb'. It was similar to those served by dodgy Indian and Chinese restaurants - you know, the ones which hand you a shiny card menu with photos of puddings - usually including one which looks like Pingu. So, it probably just came out of the freezer and onto a plate but it was a fine ending to our meal.

I'll be back in Edinburgh at the end of August so looking forward to exploring more cuppa+cake venues!

Apple turnover and green tea

Location: Marks and Spencer, Birmingham
www.marksandspencer.co.uk
Date: 16 May 2010
Details: Apple turnover and green tea




Notes: A favourite quick+easy bite-to-eat/lunch in Birmingham. Purchasing the turnover in the food-hall saves 60p-ish over buying it in the café. Note the freebie miniature gingerbread man - nice touch, M&S!

Website launch celebration cake

Location: The office, Stratford-upon-Avon

Date: 22 April 2010

Details: Celebration cake

Notes: Made by David Wimperis - vanilla sponge with buttercream and jam, decorated with design by me - the big red 'go live' button! Very tasty indeed.

Tea and Poached Pear Mess

Location: At home, Stratford-upon-Avon
Date: 6 April 2010
Details: Tea and Poached Pear Mess

Notes: This pudding finished off dinner at my house with the Beamsleys. It's not photogenic but it tasted blummin' lovely. Kiz prepared the dish at her place (poaching pears, making meringues etc) then transported it the 12 miles by car and put it together just before eating. The meringues were super - crunchy on the outside and still squishy inside. Perhaps I can persuade her to add a comment with the recipe...?