Cape Breton is an interesting place. As an island off the coast of Nova Scotia it has been home to Scots, French and American Indians thoughout the Europeanized portion of it's history over the last 300 or so years. The music of Breton is characteristically Gaelic and quite famous.
The cultures on the island- like the foods - have some things that are distinctly Breton ( or Brittany if you like)
Far Breton is one of those dishes that is claimed by both the Acadian and the Scots as a heritage food. This is likely because plums/prunes are loved by the French, and plum pudding is a typical British food.....
Either way - it is GREAT! Very light, custard like and good for a "with coffee" or a dessert. Give it a try.
Mix 2 cups ( preferably whole - but 2% will work too) milk with-
3 large eggs
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
6 oz all purpose flour
( you can bump this up to 8 oz if you want it to be a bit more dense)
You can mix this how you like - I like to use the blender, and really get it homogenized. Then, put it in the fridge for at least a few hours - overnite if you can. This will make the batter.
Then - put 1/2 cup to 1 cup of pitted dried prunes/plums in a small pot on the stove and add a cup of strong Earl Grey tea, and 2 oz. of cognac ( armagnac is the preferred French liquor for this - but it is not easy to get here ). If you have no cognac - no worry - it will be good too.
Simmer the fruit for 30 minutes or so - to make sure it is plumped and tender. Allow it to cool.
Spray a 9" pie baking tin or casserole with a non-stick baking spray - or you could use butter ( the spray works better )
Pre-heat oven to 375F
Pour the batter in your chosen pie tin or casserole, and place on a cookie sheet ( trick to help prevent hot spots in your oven from un-evenly cooking the dish) Drop in the prunes and try to space them fairly even thru-out the dish.
Bake for 50-60 minutes - or until a knife inserted in the center of the dish comes out clean.
Variations:
You can use the batter recipe with any fruits - and nuts you like. And, without the sugar added - it can be a great base for a breakfast casserole with sausage and cheese, and cooked in a smoker!!!! Oh YEAH!!!
