And now as we slide into a new season and realise just how quickly life is speeding by, I thought it timely to revisit some favorite desserts.
\nSo, just where did summer go? My favourite summery-type desserts over the decades have been: banana splits with ice-cream and passionfruit syrup; or simply a soup bowl full of vanilla ice cream with milo sprinkled very generously over the top \u2013 pre-teen vintage. I used to plough through bowl after bowl of this \u2018specialty\u2019.<\/p>\n
More sophisticated desserts for the summer were Eskimo Pies or pineapple fritters dusted with icing sugar and a side of ice-cream.
\nSkip forward twp or three decades and the super velvety homemade chocolate mousse, or indeed the chocolate iced dessert we made at Clat\u2019s in the late 70s \u2013 garnished with crystalised violets \u2013 Mt Donna Buang it was called on the menu \u2013 and you can see the culinary skills have been slightly elevated. Oh and what about a brandy snap basket filled with summer berries. Oh yeee-es!<\/p>\n
Now I\u2019m reaching for the lap rug in the evening cos the chill is settling in and I\u2019m not hankering for any \u2018iced\u2019 confections. Rather I\u2019m dreaming of a warm dessert, and one that is easy to make at no notice. Sometimes I just fancy something sweet to finish off the evening meal, and hence a homely clafoutis seems to tick all the boxes. In the same way that we reach for a cardigan to keep out the chills of the evening at this time of year, it\u2019s a warm yet light dessert, to tide us over as we make the transition into the next season!<\/p>\n
Clafouti is a rustic, simple French dessert that’s a cross between a thick fruit pancake and a custard. You can use other fruits, but black cherries are traditional. Originally from the Limousin, the dish’s name comes from the verb clafir, meaning “to fill up” (the batter with cherries is the implication). Clafoutis apparently spread throughout France during the 19th century.<\/p>\n
So providing you happen to have handy a can of pitted black cherries in the pantry cupboard, you will most likely have all the other ingredients. If you don\u2019t have cherries \u2013 fresh strawberries, grapes or even slices of mango or apricot can be used. You\u2019ll need a buttered flan dish, a ceramic one is good, to bake this in the oven. There\u2019s still some delicious stone fruits around, and so fresh peaches, or plums are also great in this recipe. It really doesn\u2019t need it \u2013 but it\u2019s luscious with a dollop of double cream. For presentation, the clafoutis can be dusted with icing sugar.<\/p>\n
As we\u2019re all still keen to catch up on friends and family at any opportunity, this recipe can easily be doubled to serve six to eight drop-ins at short notice! And when I think of that sage advice of life being short, I think that all of us have now totally re-evaluated what\u2019s truly important; we\u2019ve hit the reset button \u2013 and we treasure every special treat as it rightly should be.<\/p>\n
Live like there\u2019s no tomorrow!<\/p>\n