Fruity Clafouti

posted on September 3, 2009 in berries, dessert, fruit, recipes, summer with 1 Comment

Have you ever made clafouti? Clafouti is a French flan-like desert traditionally made with cherries, though you can toss all number of fruits into the custard. I first made one ages ago, when I was a teenager, from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living. I remember at the time being surprised at how quickly it came together and how simple it was to make. I decided the time was ripe to make clafouti again, so I dusted off my old Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

I used the rest of my sour cherries, two fresh peaches and a handful of beautiful, jewel-like red currants. It was a perfect mix of sweet and sour, with little shots of the uber-tart currants. We liked it so much I had to make another two days later when we had some friends over for dinner. Try it and see how long it lasts in your house.

Summer Fruit Clafouti
adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Clafoutis are immensely adaptable, while sweet cherries are traditional you can use any kind of fruit you like. Apples work well, as do pears (see the clafouti aux poires at the bottom of the page up there?).

3 cups of fruit, pitted, peeled, etc.
1-1/4 cups milk
2/3 cup sugar, divided
3 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a 7-8 cup baking dish (my deep-dish 9″ pie plate was the perfect size).

Place the milk, 1/3 cup of the sugar, the eggs, vanilla, salt and flour into a blender in that order. Cover and blend at the highest speed for one minute.

Pour a 1/4″ layer of batter into the bottom of your dish and set over moderate heat for about a minute until a film begins to form on the bottom of the dish. Remove from heat. Add your fruit to the dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Pour the rest of the batter over the fruit and smooth with the back of a spoon.

Bake for about one hour. The clafouti is done when it has puffed and the top had browned. A needle or knife inserted into the center should come out clean. Julia & co. suggest dusting it with powdered sugar before serving, which I’m sure would look lovely.