A Specially Requested Recipe for Danusia

Last night we had a barbeque.  We're still in boxes in the new house, but English summer is so fleeting that you have to make the most of every opportunity.  Fortunately, our friends were completely unfussed about the amount of boxes filling our house and garden, and they bought us a couple of fabulous housewarming presents!  

In the new garden, we have been lucky enough to inherit some raspberry canes which are currently fruiting.  I call them "our" homegrown raspberries, but in fact we are reaping the fruits (literally) of someone elses labour...  I couldn't possibly make a dessert for after the BBQ without including some of these fab little red beasties :-)

A clafoutis is a long standing fall back for me. I have been making them since forever (or so it seems).  They are super easy and require almost no effort.  What goes with raspberries? Well nectarines of course.  Or peaches.  You choose.  The almond batter in this recipe can be used with almost any fruit you like, just make sure the fruit is soft and ripe when you use it or it could turn out hard!

Nectarine and Raspberry Clafoutis (or Flognarde if you're a purist!)
4 Nectarines
A punnet of raspberries (sorry, can't give you the exact amount as I just stripped my canes!)
50g ground almonds
2 tbsp plain flour
2 eggs
2 yolks
300ml double cream

1) Pre-heat your oven to 180C
2) Slice your nectarines into wedges and place in the bottom of a 27cm or 11 inch pie dish.  My nectarines were a bit hard so I cooked them off with a knob of butter in a large frying pan until they were soft enough.
3) Put a good scattering of raspberries across the top of the nectarines
4) Whisk the remaining ingredients together until you have a thick, smooth(ish) batter and pour ove the top of the fruit.
5) Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown and the batter has just set in the middle.  You can test this by touch, or by poking a sharp knife into the middle.

When it is pulled out of the oven it will be risen and look amazing, alas, it will collapse slightly by the time it is cool enough to eat. 

You can make the clafoutis in advance and just reheat it for serving.  And with a blob of ice cream or clotted cream, this makes a simple but divine dessert.