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.

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French Nectarine Clafoutis

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • Butter for pan
  • 1 and 1/4 cups milk
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar, divided
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup flour

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter an 8×8 or 9×9 round or square dish or pie plate.
  2. Mix together the milk, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt and flour in a large bowl.
  3. Grease the pan with plenty of butter (I often melt the butter for a few minutes by putting it in the baking dish in the oven, and then making sure it covers the whole surface.) Pour a 1/4-inch layer of batter in the baking dish.
  4. Spread the fruit over the batter and sprinkle on the remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar. Pour on the rest of the batter and smooth with the a butter knife. Place in the center of the oven and bake about 45-50 minutes, until top is puffed and browned and a tester plunged into its center comes out clean. It will sink a little bit in the center as it cools.
  5. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving. (Clafoutis should be served warm but not hot).

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