French Nectarine Clafoutis

Clafoutis (pronounced clah-foo-tee) is a delicious French dessert that can be made with any in-season fruit, such as berries, cherries, peaches, nectarines or plums. I used to make clafoutis often with sweet cherries from the cherry tree at my old house, but I recently made it with in-season nectarines and peaches and it was delicious! Peach season is just amazing here at Wolff’s Apple House! French cooking features many fruits that American chefs often steer clear of. For example, plum tarts are a common dessert. Americans often bake with sour cherries, but the French often bake with sweet cherries.

The ingredients are simple: milk, eggs, flour, sugar, a little bit of vanilla and butter for the pan. The taste is similar to a Dutch Baby or German Pancake, but with the fruit baked in. I made mine in a 9×13 pan because for various reasons that’s all I had at the time. However, I’d recommend an 8×8 brownie pan or 9×9 pie plate. I lightly modified Julia Child’s clafoutis recipe below, however in the past I’ve used a recipe handed down by my friend’s French grandmother. The main difference is that the Julia Child version uses vanilla extract, and some of the sugar is sprinkled on top of the fruit to give it a little bit of a caramelized taste and texture.