Cherry Clafoutis (Clafouti) Recipe
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Rustic and easy to prepare, this French country dessert puffs up impressively before it collapses into a soft, custardy pancake. This classic version is studded with sweet cherries, though other stone fruits, like apricots, can be used. While it’s usually served as a dessert, you can enjoy them for breakfast, too.
Game plan: If you feel like being authentic, don’t pit the cherries. Leaving the cherries whole keeps them from leaking their juices. And the pits are said to add a hint of almond flavor—just be careful where you bite!
This recipe was featured as part of our Summer Ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
- Butter, for coating the pan
- 12 ounces fresh sweet cherries, stemmed and pitted (about 2 cups)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a medium oven-safe frying pan (about 10 inches in diameter) generously with butter and arrange the cherries in a single layer; set aside.
- Combine the eggs, milk, sugar, extracts, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and the sugar has dissolved. Add the flour and whisk until just combined (small pockets of flour are OK). Pour over the cherries in the prepared pan. Bake until set, puffed, and light golden brown around the edges, about 30 minutes.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes (the clafoutis will deflate). Cut into wedges, dust with powdered sugar, and serve warm.
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alittle 'eggy' tasting, but REALLY, REALLY easy--and it's very french. enjoyed it alot and can't wait to try it cold-the day after.
I split this recipe into 2 aluminum 8" pie pans and sprinkled demerara brown sugar on top after 20 minutes of cooking. Came out great.
This is the first time I've seen a clafoutis recipe that doesn't require you to put the pan on a stove-top element for a few minutes to get the batter to "set", and then put the whole thing in the oven. That worked fine with pyrex for me three or four times, and then, the last time I ever did it, the pan exploded, spraying cherries and batter and glass fragments everywhere. Rather put me off making it.... Incidentally I've always used tinned cherries, which are quite good!
I worked in a resort kitchen as a salad girl, late 6os, the man who baked the pie for dessert, accidently used pitted cherries in his pies, when an elderly customer in the dining room almost broke her denture, the Baker got fired!!!! Pits are not customer friendly when you don't know they are there