Clafoutis is one of the easiest desserts to make, not to mention an absolute showstopper. Like a soufflé, this dessert puffs to great heights and begins to deflate moments after being removed from the oven. However, unlike a soufflé, clafoutis batter is super simple to make — just whisk the ingredients together and voila!
Many clafoutis recipes, particularly at this time of year, highlight cherries. This is because the clafoutis was first created in Limousin, France, a region celebrated for its black cherries. While I do love the classic cherry clafoutis, I find that clafoutis is even better suited for fruits with more tart and acidic qualities, like raspberries, blackberries, plums and apricots. I also enjoy topping it with chopped nuts and turbinado sugar, to give it a crunch to contrast its soft and delicate texture.
Ingredients
- Softened unsalted butter and sugar (for the ramekins)
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 pinches salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups fresh fruit, such as berries or sliced stone fruit
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pistachios, optional
Directions
- Place a rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 F. Lightly butter and sugar eight ramekins.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the eggs, yolks, cream and lemon zest and continue to whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the melted butter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the ramekins, evenly scatter the fruit over the top of the batter, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar and pistachios.
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until puffed, set in the center and light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. (Note: You can alternate ramekins with a 9-inch cast-iron pan or cake pan and bake for 30 minutes.)
- Serve warm, with ice cream if desired.
Want to master seasonal desserts and more? Click here for more information on ICE’s Pastry & Baking Arts program.
