Peach clafoutis

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4

To poach the peaches, dissolve the sugar in the water over a low heat in an ovenproof saucepan. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the vanilla pod, seeds and peach halves

Place the saucepan in the oven and gently poach the peaches until tender but still firm. Remove from the oven, set aside and lower the heat of the oven to 175°C/gas mark 4

Remove the vanilla pod and rinse thoroughly under cold water to clean. While the pod is still wet, flatten it with a ruler, cut it into thin slithers and leave in a dry warm place to dehydrate – this will be used to garnish your clafoutis

Chop the peaches into a 1cm dice and separate them into 2 piles – half will be used in the clafoutis itself and the other half will be used to garnish

To make the peach coulis, add the peaches to a blender and blitz to make a smooth purée. Pass the purée through a fine sieve to remove any stubborn lumps, then whisk in the sugar until dissolved. Set aside in the fridge to chill while you prepare the other elements

For the almond cream, cream the butter and sugar together in a heatproof bowl, then gradually mix in the eggs until smooth. Combine the ground almonds and flour in a separate bowl, then mix the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and set aside

For the crème pâtissière, warm the milk in a heavy-based saucepan. Mix the egg yolks and sugar together in a mixing bowl until thick and pale, then stir in the custard powder. Slowly add the warm milk to the egg mixture, stirring constantly until there are no lumps

Return the mixture to the saucepan and place over a medium heat. Stir constantly until it comes to the boil – the constant stirring will stop it burning. Remove from the heat, pour the mixture into the almond cream and mix well

Grease the ring moulds, line with a band of greaseproof paper and place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. If possible, place another baking tray underneath – this will prevent the base of the clafoutis from burning

At this point you can choose between 2 methods of finishing the clafoutis; either stir half of the diced peach pieces into the mixture and use this to fill each mould or, alternatively, you can create a layered finish by adding some of the mixture, topping with peach pieces and finishing with another layer of the clafoutis mixture. Whichever method you use, only fill the moulds to two-thirds full. Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden, risen and cooked through

Add some of the peach coulis to the centre of each plate and move it around in a circular motion to spread it out. Place a clafoutis in the centre of each plate, then garnish with the remaining chopped peaches. Add a quenelle of vanilla ice cream on top and serve immediately