Whilst on holiday in Vietnam, we sampled a wonderful local delicacy “Banh Chuoi Nuong”, a dessert made using banana , bread, coconut milk and cream. This is a Vietnamese take on Far Breton, a classical dessert from the Brittany region of France.

Well having enjoyed the local version so much, I had to investigate the original dish. It is fairly easy to make, and is a creamy baked egg custard with prunes and an optional hint of rum.

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Simple, Elegant French Dessert

The classical recipe for Far Breton (or “Farz Forn”, as it was known when spoken in the original Breton language) uses prunes. If this particular fruit is not to your taste, you can use plump sultanas as a substitute. This is a dessert best prepared the day before,  it is at its best when allowed to completely cool and then set overnight in a fridge.

Equipment

• Kitchen scales
• Measuring jug
• Mixing bowl
• Hand whisk
• Baking dish (preferably ceramic)
  • Ideal size 9 x 9 x 2 inches / 24 x 24 x 5 cm
• Small sharp knife
• Small saucepan
• Colander or sieve
• Pastry brush

Ingredients

• 200g soft pitted prunes
• 750ml full fat milk
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g plain flour
• 30g  butter
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 75ml dark rum (optional)

Method

1. Soak the prunes in rum beforehand (optional).
2. Put the baking dish in oven. Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C for fan).
3. Add the salt, vanilla essence, sugar and eggs to bowl, then milk.
4. Add the flour to bowl in stages, whisking vigourously at each stage to get air bubbles into the mixture.
5. Gently heat the prunes in either the rum or water for 2-3 mins, then drain with a colander.
6. When ready, take the dish out of oven. Add the butter to the dish, melt it and spread around the dish. Add the prunes to centre of dish, pour batter around edges to cover prunes.
7. Put dish into oven, cook for ten minutes.
8. Turn temperature down to 200°C (180°C for fan). Cook for 30 minutes or until a knife can be drawn cleanly from centre of batter.
9. Remove from oven, cool on a rack. Once is has cooled enough, place in a fridge to set overnight.

Hints and Tips

1. I get better results using a non-fan setting for the first ten minutes, then a fan setting for the remainder.
2. Using semi-skimmed milk does not work. I tried it once and it didn’t have the depth of flavour or consistency that comes with using full fat milk.
3. Some recipes call for sprinkling with icing sugar, personally I prefer it without.