Flaugnarde  or flognarde is a baked French dessert with fruit and a  thick flan-like batter hailing from the Limousin and Auvergne region in France. It is similar to a clafoutis, which is made with black cherries whereas a flaugnarde is made with apples, peaches, pears, plums, prunes etc. It can be served either warm or cold.

Ingredients :

• 100g flour
• 100g sugar
• 1 table spoon oil
• 300ml milk
• 200ml liquid cream (or liquid crème fraîche)
• 5 eggs
• 6 apples
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Peel and core the apples and slice into circles
3. Mix everything together in a bowl in the following order : flour, sugar, oil, milk, cream, salt
4. Beat eggs well and add to mixture
5. Butter a round oven dish and spread the apple slices around evenly
6. Pour the batter over the apples
7. Bake in oven for 45 minutes at 180°C

There is nothing nicer than a good old apple tart – plenty of apples around this time of year and as per usual this is a very simple recipe with a minimum of ingredients but with a great result!

The main difference between apples in France and in Ireland and the UK is that cooking apples don’t exist – eating apples are used which I prefer anyway as you don’t need to add any (or very little) sugar that way.

Ingredients :

• 1 short-cut pastry
• 4-6 eating apples
• Vanilla Sugar
• Butter

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Chop 2 apples into small cubes and place in a saucepan with approximately 2 tablespoons of water
3. Leave to simmer until the apple softens and then mash or use a hand mixer to make a compote
4. Roll out pastry into your tart tin and prick the base with a fork
5. Spread the compote onto the tart base
6. Peel, core and cut your apples into quarters and then slice each quarter3 or 4 times
7. Place the apple slices on the compote, arranging them around in a circle – or anyway you like!
8. Sprinkle some vanilla sugar over the apples and add 3 or 4 small knobs of butter
9. Bake in oven for 30 minutes
10. Enjoy on its own or with some freshly whipped cream or ice-cream

Its another loaf recipe – easy, versatile and perfect for the “goûter” I tend to use my loaf tin more than any other in the kitchen. This recipe is perfect for the autumn season as apples and walnuts are plentiful.

Ingredients :

• 150g softened butter (I just melt it in the microwave)
• 150g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 200g flour
• Teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of bread soda
• Pinch of salt
• 50g raisins (pre-soaked in hot water to plump them up!)
• 60g walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 200g grated apple (2 apples)

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Beat the eggs and sugar
3. Add the flour, baking powder, bread soda, salt and cinnamon
4. Mix in softened butter
5. Add grated apple, raisins and walnuts
6. Pour into cake tin
7. Bake in pre-heated oven for 50 minutes at 180°C

This is really just a variant of the French Yoghurt Cake that I already posted but includes apples.

Ingredients :

• 250g flour
• 150g sugar
• 1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 75g butter
• 100g natural yoghurt or fromage blanc
• 2/3 apples
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla essence (optional)

Method :

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C
2. Melt the butter in the microwave
3. Mix the flour, baking powder and sugar together
4. Add the eggs and yoghurt/fromage blanc to the dry ingredients and mix well with a whisk
5. Add butter and mix well and add vanilla essence to the mixture if using
6. Peel and chop your apples and add
7. Pour into well greased loaf tin
8. Bake for 40 minutes

This is a very simple plain cake, and one that almost all french kids start with when they start baking at a very young age.

Ingredients :

• 1 carton natural yoghurt (wash out the carton to use it to measure the other ingredients)
• 3 cartons flour
• 2 cartons sugar
• 1/2 carton neutral tasting oil – I use sunflower oil
• 3 eggs
• Teaspoon of baking powder
• Vanilla essence

Method :

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
2. Mix all the ingredients together
3. Pour into greased loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes (this could vary by a few minutes depending on your oven)