Far Breton (Breton Prune Custard Cake)
Baked Goods · Desserts · Eggs · French
Brittany’s dense, flan-like custard cake: a flour-thickened batter of milk, eggs and butter baked over Armagnac-soaked prunes until gently browned.
Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is part of the collection’s French batch and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.
Ingredients
- 22–24 prunes, pitted
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) Armagnac (or Cognac, brandy or dark rum)
- 2 cups (500 ml) whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ¼ cup (60 g) melted butter, salted or unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (90 g) flour
- Softened butter and flour, for the dish
Directions
Key ingredients
- Warm the prunes with the liquor over moderate heat, stirring, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover, take off the heat and cool (this can be done a day or two ahead).
- Blend the milk, eggs, yolks, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, salt and flour until smooth. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 400 °F (200 °C). Generously butter a baking dish about 10 inches (25–30 cm) long, or a round cake pan (not a springform, which leaks), and dust it with flour. Scatter the prunes in it.
- Stir the chilled custard, pour it over the prunes and bake until gently browned, 45–50 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.
Notes
Source Adapted from David Lebovitz, “Far Breton,” davidlebovitz.com, inspired by Edd Kimber’s Patisserie Made Simple.
The name In Brittany, flan is called far. French recipes with raisins exist too. No water bath is needed, because the flour stabilizes the custard.
The photo The photograph shows a far breton.