You’ll never find peace of mind until you follow your heart. (George Michael)
I totally agree. My journey of the last 18 months driven by my heart, stalled at times by my mind. When you get asked to do something that your heart desires and answer with your heart, it feels right. But is it naive to think we can maintain peace of mind when we are pushing outside our comfort zone?
For me, the answer is no! My heart wins out and says yes to something. Then as that time draws closer to the event, comes that voice. It can be less than supportive! Even if you have ventured outside your comfort zone before and succeeded, it still makes an appearance.
In the days before my demo at Foodies Festival Oxford, the self-doubt kicked in. Am I good enough? Will my recipe work? I go quiet, go into my head and throw myself into the preparation to feel like it’s going to be OK. I want to get to the point where I can stand up there and do it! Once I’m in that moment, I relax and enjoy it. To me, the build-up seems worse than standing up and cooking in front of a load of people!
Logically, I tell myself, I’ve done it before and I will be OK. As does my husband and supportive friends. It’s at this time that I have to trust my heart; That I’ve called it right and once the discomfort has gone, I will emerge and experience the feelings of joy. Lifted, fulfilled and the peace of mind George talks of.
In honour of my first foodies gig, I wanted to share with you this lovely seasonal Victoria Plum clafoutis tart that I demonstrated. The season for these plums is short….so freeze some if you can! You could also use cherries that are around a bit longer, or even just bake the filling in a buttered dish, if you are wishing to skip the pastry.
If you fancy making your own pastry, please feel free! For me, this is an awesome standby for when people drop in or you need to take something to a party. A pastry case kept in the cupboard means this is done in 1/2 an hour!
As my foodie journey continues I hope you will continue to see where my heart will take me next! Follow my FB page or my Instagram feed! Lisa x
Plum Clafoutis Tart
Serves 8-10
- 1 sweet pastry case (I used Waitrose 21cm case)
- 60ml full-fat milk
- 65ml double cream
- 2 drops of vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 80g caster sugar
- 1.5 tsp plain flour
- 7 victoria plums (approx. 270g), halved and stones removed
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 tbsp brown muscovado sugar
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c.
- Put the butter and brown sugar into a frying pan and once the butter has melted add the plums. Saute the plums for 3 or 4 minutes, coating them and softening them on a low to medium heat.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan, until just boiled, then set aside to cool.
- Whisk the sugar and eggs in a bowl (I used an electric hand whisk) until it almost doubles in size. Add the vanilla extract and then sprinkle over the flour and whisk in briefly until it disappears.
- Add the warm cream mixture into the sugar and eggs whilst whisking. Pour the mixture into a jug for ease.
- Start by pouring some of the mixture over the bottom of the pastry case, so that the bottom is covered by a small layer. Arrange the plums around the pie case and take over to the oven on a tray and place on the shelf.
- Fill the pie case with the mixture until it is almost at the brim and slide into the oven carefully. Cook for 30 minutes until the tart has a slight wobble. If the pastry is going too brown towards the end, place a piece of tin foil over for the last 5 minutes.
- This is delicious served warm, but also cold the next day.
If you would like to see the main dish I cooked at the festival click the link! Paprika pork with Heritage cider