It should be fairly apparent by now that I’m not afraid to mix dessert with breakfast. Some of my all-time favourite desserts make perfectly socially acceptable breakfasts: fruit crumble, rice pudding with (booze-soaked) plump sultanas, and of course, clafoutis. 

Clafoutis is a custardy pancake batter encasing tart seasonal fruit baked until it is puffed and golden. Once baked, the texture is a bit like the inside of a canelé, my most beloved of French pâtisserie. Clafoutis works best with tart fruit: berries and plums in summer, rhubarb and tamarillo in winter. This version uses darkly sweet and slightly tart Black Doris plums and is topped with a generous sprinkle of cinnamon sugar for sweet crunchiness. 

Plum & cinnamon sugar clafoutis

Serves 4

8 plums, cut in half and stones removed (I used Black Doris)

1 cup full-fat milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 free-range eggs

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup gluten-free or plain flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

2 teaspoons caster sugar

Grease a shallow baking ovenproof dish with butter and place the plum halves into the bottom of the dish.

Place the milk, eggs, brown sugar, salt, first measure of cinnamon, salt, and flour into a blender and blitz until a smooth batter is formed. Pour the batter over the plums and place the dish into the oven and bake at 180°C for about 40 minutes until it is puffed and brown.

Mix the second measure of cinnamon and sugar together and once the clafoutis is baked and out of the oven, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar generously over the top. Serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche or thick Greek yoghurt on top.