Carlo sometimes makes fun of me for using strange English words that he has never heard of before and which he thinks I make up. For example, he never believed that there was such a word as impetigo until Amy Winehouse got blasted for being all scabby.

Another word he thinks that I made up is clafoutis, and when I ordered one for desert at DB Brasserie a couple of years ago, he finally believed that it was a real word. Clafoutis is just as fun to eat as it is to say: Basically it is a French sweet omelet that is quite custard-y and filled with baked fruit.

Clafoutis are so easy to make and look quite spectacular when you serve them to guests. You can either bake one for dessert or for breakfast, with either occasion making for a delicious treat. This recipe for Plum Clafoutis makes enough for 6 people at 80 cents per serving.

Plum Clafoutis
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk
7 ounces milk
2 ounces cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
just over 1 pound plums
3.5 ounces heavy cream
4 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

I bought these beautiful prune plums from the farmer’s market. They are smaller than red plums and have a yellow flesh that turns pink once they are cooked.

Preheat your oven to 410 degrees F. Wash the plums and slice them open to remove the stones.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Once the butter is melted, add the plums and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the Gran Marnier. You can be super flashy and light the dish to burn off the alcohol, or you can just cook the plums for a few more minutes until the alcohol is cooked off.

Butter a large pie dish and sprinkle the inside with sugar.

In a small bowl, mix the cold milk together with the cornstarch. In a larger bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolk, and then add the sugar and mix. Next add the cream and mix further. Lastly add the milk and cornstarch mixture and beat everything together.

Place the cooked plums in the pie dish, face up. Pour the batter over the plums and cook in the oven for about 30 min, until the top of the clafoutis is golden.

Remove the clafoutis from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes or so. Sprinkle with a little sugar and eat the clafoutis lukewarm with a touch of fresh whipped cream.