Greatest Recipes Ever: Stevie Parle’s cherry clafoutis
Thomasina Miers recommends Stevie Parle’s cherry clafoutis as one of her greatest recipes ever

‘Stevie and I met at Ballymaloe longer ago than I care to think. He has been cooking in great restaurants ever since, and, last year, opened the Dock Kitchen in Ladbroke Grove, London, had a baby and wrote this book. The cherry clafoutis is my favourite recipe in it. It's blissfully easy to make, with no need to de-stone the cherries. You just whip up a batter, mix in the cherries and pop it in the oven. Serve with mounds of crème fraîche or clotted cream and you'll be in heaven, particularly if you have a glass of good brandy to sip with it. Try to find English cherries if you can-our threatened orchards need all the support they can get'
Thomasina Miers
* Subscribe to Country Life and save 40%
Cherry clafoutis
Extract from Stevie Parle's Real Food from Near and Far Published in 2010 by Quadrille
Don't stone the cherries, as their flavour is great here. An amazing and simple dessert. Serves 6 Ingredients
80g plain flour A pinch of salt 200ml milk 2 large eggs, beaten 2tbsp caster sugar 500g fresh, sweet cherries 1tbsp unsalted butter 2tbsp granulated sugar
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F/gas mark 6. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly pour in the milk and eggs, whisking to make a smooth batter, then stir in the caster sugar. Put the cherries in a 20cm ovenproof frying pan or round roasting tray. Add the butter and granulated sugar. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then pour the batter over and cook for another 20.
(Image: emmainthekitchen.blogspot.com)
Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by HRH The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.
-
Can't you hear me S.O.S? Our treasured native dog breeds are at risk of extinction
Do you know your Kerry blue terrier from your Lancashire heeler? A simple lack of publicity is often to blame for some of the UK's native dog breeds flying dangerously low under-the-radar.
By Victoria Marston Published
-
'There are architects and architects, but only one ARCHITECT': Sir Edwin Lutyens and the wartime Chancellor who helped launch his stellar career
Clive Aslet explores the relationship between Sir Edwin Lutyens and perhaps his most important private client, the politician and financier Reginald McKenna.
By Clive Aslet Published
-
How to make raspberry-and-pistachio choux Paris-Brest, perfect with a glass of rosé
Melanie Johnson makes the most of juicy British berries with these sweet recipes.
By Melanie Johnson Published
-
How to make elderflower cordial and wine
The English summer is thought to start when the elder blossoms and ends when the berries ripen. Country Life recommends some recipes for this versatile plant.
By Country Life Published
-
Turning the humble potato salad into a thing of beauty, with a touch of salmon and pomegranate
Potato salad is turned into something with a real dash of panache by our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson.
By Toby Keel Published
-
Pan-fried sea bass with caper-and-anchovy potato cakes, samphire and cream
Our kitchen garden cook reveals a delicious recipe that makes good use of seasonal samphire.
By Melanie Johnson Published
-
Summer pudding recipe: buttery pistachio tarts
The very best pistachios might be costly, but they make a suitably sumptuous pudding.
By Simon Hopkinson Published
-
Recipe: Roast-chicken with fennel and lemon, served with red Camargue rice
A delicious summer supper dish from our kitchen garden cook.
By Melanie Johnson Published
-
Recipe: Blueberry-and-lemon tart with Italian meringue and confit lemons
Our kitchen cook reveals a showstopper of a pudding, perfect for summer.
By Melanie Johnson Published
-
How to prepare a posh picnic
A picnic spread should consist of delicate tarragon chicken, linen napkins and chilled rosé, rather than sandy sandwiches and boiled eggs.
By Simon Hopkinson Published