Clafoutis is a French baked dessert that originates from the Limousin region in the center of France. It is traditionally made with whole unpitted cherries and a creamy flan batter. This dessert strongly reminds me of my childhood since it was a must-have every cherry season. As a kid, I wouldn’t have eaten a whole bowl of fresh cherries, but when made into clafoutis, they were much more enjoyable.

Nowadays, you will find different versions of clafoutis: you can really use any type of fruits- berries, apple, peach and more.

In Alsace, my home region, we love to make ‘clafoutis aux mirabelles’. Mirabelle is a small, round fruit about the same size as cherries, with a smooth-textured flesh and a dark yellow color. In France they mainly grow in the northeast, including Alsace. Mirabelles are generally used in jam, dessert pies, and “eau-de-vie” (literally “water of life”), which is a clear fruit brandy.

As mentioned above, the cherries or mirabelles are traditionally unpitted, we just remove the pits while eating. However, if you prefer, you can pit them.

INGREDIENTS FOR CLAFOUTIS

• Whole sweet cherries, mirabelles, or another fruit of choice
• Eggs
• Sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Whole milk
• Butter: for buttering the baking dish

DIRECTIONS FOR CLAFOUTIS

1. Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/392°F.
2. Wash your fruits and spread them out in a single layer on a clean towel to dry.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, the sugar, and half of the flour.
   Note: I recommend using a metal strainer for the flour to avoid any lump.
4. Pour in half of the milk and whisk until your batter is smooth.
5. Add the remaining half of the flour. Whisk well.
6. Add the remaining half of the milk. Whisk until the batter is smooth.
   Set aside on the counter.
7. Butter a oven-proof baking dish.
   Note: I am using a 20cm x 15cm dish in this recipe.
8. Add your fruits to the dish in a single layer.
   Note: You should not have fruits stacked on each other.
9. Pour the batter over the fruits and stop just before it covers them.
10. Bake for 35 minutes.
    Note: while taking the dish out of the oven, you should see that the batter has set. If not, bake a few minutes and test again.
11. Serve lukewarm or cold with some powdered sugar.

RECIPE VIDEO

Clafoutis • French baked fruit custard

Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Easy

Makes

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Total time

55

minutes

A French baked dessert that originates from the Limousin region, traditionally made with whole unpitted cherries and a creamy flan batter.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 400 g 400 whole sweet cherries, mirabelles, or another fruit of choice

• 2 2 eggs

• 100 g 100 sugar

• 110 g 110 all purpose flour

• 300 ml 300 whole milk

• Butter (for the baking dish)

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/392°F.
• Wash your fruits and spread them out in a single layer on a clean towel to dry.
• In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, the sugar, and half of the flour.
  Note: I recommend using a metal strainer for the flour to avoid any lump.
• Pour in half of the milk and whisk until your batter is smooth.
• Add the remaining half of the flour. Whisk well.
• Add the remaining half of the milk. Whisk until the batter is smooth.
  Set aside on the counter.
• Butter a oven-proof baking dish.
  Note: I am using a 20cm x 15cm dish in this recipe.
• Add your fruits to the dish in a single layer.
  Note: You should not have fruits stacked on each other.
• Pour the batter over the fruits and stop just before it covers them.
• Bake for 35 minutes.
  Note: while taking the dish out of the oven, you should see that the batter has set. If not, bake a few minutes and test again.
• Serve lukewarm or cold with some powdered sugar.

Recipe Video

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