Easy Banana Flan: A Twist on Far Breton

Delphine, the owner of Crêpes, Cidre et Companie, in Aix en Provence, is a lovely blend of Spanish roots and a childhood spent in northern France. She recreates her Bretonaise recipes daily at 23, rue de la Cépède in Aix. Her crêpes and galettes (savoury crêpes) are made with love. She does not skimp on ingredients – lots of butter, whole milk and eggs.

Delphine serves some other traditional treats from her oven. There are usually (if not sold out) delicious, buttery cookies and sometimes, if you are lucky, a slice of her traditional Far Breton. This dessert from Brittany is a tasty delight somewhere between a flan and a pudding. A Far Breton is similar to a Clafoutis or a Fiadone from Corsica. The key ingredient, much like for perfect crêpe batter, is flour.

Far is the word for flour in Brittany. With origins as a savoury dish made with buckwheat flour, Far Breton was traditionally served with roasts in the 18th century. As tastes changed and refined products became readily available, the recipe evolved into a sweet dessert.

Far Breton aux Bananas (Banana Flan)

Agnes Virginie

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” said Leonardo da Vinci. It’s particularly true in patisserie! Most people really enjoy straightforward pastries such as crepes, clafouti and quatre quarts, where you only need a bit of milk, flour, sugar and eggs. Today, we want to add a twist to an established recipe by replacing the traditional pruneaux (prunes) with bananas in a far Breton. You could, of course, replace them with another fruit of your liking (peaches, strawberries, or rhubarb).

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 6 people

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2 cups milk
• 3 Bananas
• 4 oz Sifted Flour
• 3.8 oz Sugar
• pinch Salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/3 oz Rum

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
• In an electric mixer, mix the sifted flour, sugar, salt, and eggs.
• Beat the mixture until you reach a dough with a homogeneous consistency.
• Next, add the milk, little by little, and then add the rum.
• Next, butter and lightly flour a cake pan.
• Cut two (2) of the bananas into round slices, and place them in the pan with the mixture.
• Then, add the third banana, cut lengthwise, for the cake decoration.
• Finally, cook the cake for 10 minutes at 180°C (350°F), then for another 35 minutes at 170°C (340°F).

Keyword Bananas, Flan

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Agnes Virginie

Agnes was raised near Bordeaux but has worked in Dublin and Sydney for nearly 15 years. She started her career in client communication and professional coaching.

Residing in France since 2014, she’s the founder of French with Agnes, a top-ranked French tutoring school. As a certified teacher of French, Agnes offers personalized French lessons (online, conversation, business, intensive) to all levels. Her French students come from over 20 different countries, with ages ranging from 17 to 72, so no one day is the same!

Passionate about intercultural connections, Agnes organizes tailored French classes in a supportive and engaging environment. She loves to share her knowledge of the French language and culture both virtually and in-person. You will also get helpful resources to be inspired and progress in French on her blog.

When she is not teaching, you can find Agnes cycling, hiking and travelling around the world. She also enjoys baking delicious French pastries and cakes, sharing her dad’s (a former baker) secret recipes.