Thinly sliced apples, milk, eggs and vanilla in a crustless dessert with a soft, custard-like centre. Inspired by the Limousin, and lovely served warm.
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Food · International
DessertApple flognarde: a French dessert for autumn
2026-10-29 · Queen of Queens Admin · Estimated reading time: 3 min
Thinly sliced apples, milk, eggs and vanilla in a crustless dessert with a soft, custard-like centre. Inspired by the Limousin, and lovely served warm.
Queen of Queens · Food
The recipe
France · inspired by the Limousin
- Servings
- 6
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 45 min
- Rest / waiting
- 15 min
- Total time
- 80 min
- Estimated calories per serving
- 285 kcal
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients and quantities
- 600 g apples, weighed after peeling and coring (buy approximately 800 g)
- 4 medium eggs, approximately 200 g without shells
- 500 ml whole milk
- 100 g plain wheat flour
- 80 g caster sugar
- 15 g butter, for the dish
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
Method
- Preheat a conventional oven to 180°C. Use all 15 g butter to grease a ceramic baking dish about 26 cm across and at least 4 cm deep. Avoid a springform tin, as the batter is liquid.
- Wash, peel and core the apples, then weigh out 600 g flesh. Cut into 3–4 mm slices and distribute them in the dish without pressing down.
- Whisk the eggs with the sugar and salt until combined, without whipping to a foam. Mix in the sifted flour, then gradually whisk in the milk. Add the vanilla: the batter should be smooth and pourable.
- Slowly pour the batter over the apples. Bake on the middle shelf for about 40–45 minutes, until golden, the apples are tender and the centre is set rather than liquid. Timing depends on your oven and dish; give it a few more minutes if needed. If the top darkens too quickly, loosely cover with foil towards the end of cooking.
- Let the dessert cool in its dish for at least 15 minutes. It may puff in the oven and settle as it cools; this is normal for its texture. Divide into six portions and serve without extra cream or icing sugar.
Story and origins
Flognarde, also spelled flaugnarde, is a dessert from the Limousin documented by the Corrèze tourism offices. Its batter resembles that of clafoutis: local accounts associate the latter with cherries, while flognarde uses other fruits, including apples. This is our home-style interpretation, with vanilla and less sugar than the traditional recipe published by Terres de Corrèze, rather than a claim to one definitive regional formula.
Tips and variations
Apples suit an October menu: CREA’s Italian seasonal calendar includes them among the fruit available in season. Choose firm, fragrant Italian-grown apples, such as Golden, and weigh them after peeling and coring. Expect a soft, moist, custard-like texture rather than a risen sponge; no baking powder is needed. Resting makes portioning easier. Allow approximately 1 hour 20 minutes overall. Estimated energy is about 285 kcal per one-sixth of the dessert, including all the butter used to grease the dish; this rounded estimate varies with ingredients and egg size. Extra accompaniments are excluded.
Allergens
Wheat (gluten), eggs and milk, including the butter. Check the vanilla extract and other packaged ingredients for any additional declared allergens.
Sources and further reading
- Tourisme Haute-Corrèze — La flognarde
- https://www.tourisme-hautecorreze.fr/la-flognarde/
- Office de Tourisme Terres de Corrèze — Flognarde aux pommes
- https://www.terresdecorreze.com/destination/specialites-correziennes/recettes-correziennes/flognarde-aux-pommes/
- CREA — Prodotti di stagione, calendario della frutta
- https://sapermangiare.an.crea.gov.it/528/prodotti-di-stagione.html
Calories are estimates per serving and vary with ingredients, brands and actual quantities. Times are approximate; the total includes the stated resting time.
