What on earth is a Clafoutis? Every time I suggested making it I’d get asked the same question. First my beautiful spouse. Then, each of my wonderful children. Then, each in their turn, my in laws and closest friends. Finally, a new friend my beloved and I met while baking in the Cuban sun, herself a far more accomplished cook than me, simply asked ‘are you using fresh or frozen berries, cause if they’re frozen you gotta be careful’! Of course, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I’ve eaten easily the best pasta I have ever had at her house and the wife and I, and the kids spent three weeks touring Italy a few years back!
Okay, but I digress. Clafoutis is a dessert that originated in the countryside of the French region of Limousin somewhere about 200 years ago. The word derives from the verb ‘clafir’ or to fill. And, that’s just what you do. Traditionally, a prepared pie plate is filled with black cherries and topped with a batter something between a custard and a pancake. The result looks a lot like something called a Dutch Baby, which I sometimes make for brunch. The finished dish is served in France with fresh heavy cream but, at my house, we sprinkle a little confection sugar on it and top it with a scoop of Dad’s No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream ,
The beauty of this dish, aside from it being dead easy to make and it’s exotic sounding name, is that you can use just about any berry you have in the house. It’s a great way to use up berries that are starting to turn too ripe for their own good. You can also use frozen berries so you can make it year round. Although there is a trick. Don’t let them thaw before adding them and be careful not to stir them around at all once you’ve added the batter. If you do, you’ll end up with a grey, albeit delicious, mass in the middle of your baked batter.
Scroll through to learn how to make this delicious dish. If you like what you see, don’t forget to ‘like’ and ‘follow’.
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
6 Tbsp. + 1 tsp superfine sugar
2 large eggs
⅓ Cup all-purpose flour
¼ Tsp. salt
Zest of 1 lemon
½ Tsp. vanilla extract
7 Tbsp. milk
½ Cup + 2 Tbsp. half-and-half
2⅔ cup frozen or fresh berries (Black cherries are traditional/ mixed berries are wonderful)
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Use a little of the melted butter to grease the plate.
Sprinkle roughly 1 tablespoon of the superfine sugar evenly within the greased plate to coat.
If berries are frozen, use them right from the freezer; otherwise they’ll turn the batter grey
If you’re using frozen berries, it may take a little longer.
The Clafoutis will have risen and turned golden brown in parts and some of the berries will have burst leaving behind delicious pockets of juice
Then, sprinkle it liberally with confectioners’ sugar before digging in.
Try this recipe. If you like it… even if you don’t… please comment, let’s talk about it!
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