Clafoutis (pronounced “klah-foo-tee”) is a wonderful, comforting baked custard studded with cherries in the simple, rustic French tradition. Its magically crisp cake-like edges and smooth custard center are sprinkled with crunchy sugar just before serving.
This recipe is made both more affordable and possible year-round by using frozen cherries, although the traditional recipe uses unpitted cherries which, when baked, give an almondesque aroma to the custard. Clafoutis is lovely in any form: warm from the oven as an elegant dinner party dessert, from the fridge the morning after for a lovely breakfast, or wrapped in wax paper to share for a picnic.
***Sidenote: This recipe is not vegan, but perfecting it was the basis for my delicious vegan custard tart recipe.
Traditional Cherry Clafoutis
- 1 1⁄4 c. whole milk
- 2⁄3 c. sugar, divided into 1/3 cups
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- 1⁄4 tsp. almond extract
- 1⁄4 tsp. salt
- 1⁄2 c. flour
- 2 c. frozen cherries (during summer, fresh unpitted cherries are traditional)
- 2 tbsp. butter
- Preheat oven to 350F and butter a deep pie plate or 8 cup casserole dish. **I also love to use mismatched smaller glass dishes and ceramic ramekins for an adorable assortment of sizes to share, but be sure to decrease cooking time and keep an eye on your little fleet of treats.**
- Whisk all ingredients except cherries and butter in a medium bowl until smooth.
- Pour custard batter into pan.
- Top batter with cherries, then dot top with butter.
- Bake for 45-60 minutes until the clafoutis is a rich golden brown and has puffed up. Test for doneness with a butter knife, which should come out clean.
- After removing from oven, sprinkle with remaining 1⁄3 c. of sugar and enjoy immediately, at room temp, or chilled.
butter in bloom: my plant-based kitchen 