Plum and Cherry Clafoutis

Fresh Plum and Whole Cherry Clafoutis One Perfect Mess recipe easy almond almonds gluten free French Christmas baking pudding dessert 9

This traditional French pudding is delicate and exotic and full of class, but it is entirely simple to whip up! It would work beautifully with any sort of stone fruit, but I opted for fresh plums and cherries to create an vibrant and festive dessert. Clafoutis is essentially the delightful marriage of sponge cake and baked custard. Soft, juicy fruits lay nestled in almond meal, eggs and cream, which bake to form a soft, velvety and surprisingly light pudding that is wonderfully offset by crispy flaked almonds and plenty of icing sugar.

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Sticky Date and Pear Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Sticky Date and Pear Toffee Pudding with Pecans and Warm Butterscotch Caramel Toffee Sauce recipe One Perfect Mess 7

Today I’m sharing with you a treasured family recipe. You know the type; baked first by my Nan for hungry farmers and children over the years, then by my Ma at special family lunches to follow a feast of roast lamb. Now I’ve added my own flair to this classic and secretly simple dish; a delightfully rich and moist Sticky Date and Pear Pudding covered in crispy caramelised pecans, served warm with vanilla ice cream and a generous drizzle of homemade butterscotch sauce. You’ll be able to have this one in the oven in well under an hour, and there are no tricks at all in the recipe. Perfectly embracing so many irresistible and comforting winter flavours, this dessert is a definite crowd pleaser and the ultimate comfort food.

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Coconut and Tapioca Pudding with Caramelised Bananas

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I’m currently staying with family friends in their beautiful house, nestled amongst the imposing indigo mountains of the Tasmanian wilderness. The dark, dense forests filter the long awaited sunshine of this warm summer, giving our little world a wonderfully romantic sense of mystery and anticipation. I’m whiling away the days with a good book, lots of cooking, and runs along dirt tracks that wind through the infinite woods calling from our doorstep. I was given the task of cooking a dessert that would compliment last night’s dinner of Thai green chicken curry with lots of steamed green veggies. I had this deliciously creamy pudding cooked for me at the end of a recent Vietnamese Banquet cooking class; us pupils were a bit slow for the chef, so she took matters into her own hands and finished off the dessert while the rest of us ate a spread of tantalising main courses. Without the recipe from home, I did a bit of research and experimenting and came up with this version. It was a winner with the entire 9-53 year old dinner crowd! Continue reading