Strawberry Clafoutis Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini (2024)

If the calendar is to be trusted, spring has now officially commenced. Depending on where you live, it may seem like this fresh new season has forgotten its yearly appointment, or perhaps it is stuck in traffic somewhere, or it has hit “snooze” one too many times. We just have to be a little patient: Spring will make its bright appearance in its own time.

And since no fruit announces spring as beamingly as strawberries, let’s while away the wait by pondering what can be made with the first sprightly rubies when they hit the market stalls. Gobbling them up straight from the box is an excellent option, but if you’d like to enroll them in a little baking and concentrate their jam-like flavor, I can suggest a strawberry clafoutis.

Clafoutis is the epitome of the French grandmotherly dessert: unpretentious, easy to make, and blissfully comforting. The fluffy custard, light as a cloud and studded with fruit, hails from the Limousin region in the heart of France, where each family has its own well-guarded recipe. Clafoutis is most classically made with cherries — leaving the pits in for maximum flavor and a nice jaw workout — but it will gladly open its arms to any other fruit, and in this case, strawberries.

An introductory nugget of horticultural trivia: These plump and luminously red berries belong to the rose family. Their delicate taste and delightful scent, sweet and acidulated like candy, make them an infallible crowd-pleaser. (Well, almost infallible: Since a small portion of the population is allergic to them, it’s a good idea to ask your guests about it ahead of time.)

While you may be able to find strawberries year-round, their peak season runs from April to June — with a brief reappearance in September — and this is when you’ll experience them at their juicy best, and at their cheapest, too. Choose small and deeply fragrant strawberries, firm but not rock-hard, with their green little collars still attached, and no sign of blemish. If you have access to a farmer’s market, it’s best to buy your berries there: They will be freshly picked, and if you wear your brightest smile you’ll be able to taste before you buy.

Strawberry Clafoutis Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini (1)

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Strawberry Clafoutis Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Serves 6

Strawberry Clafoutis Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini (2)

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (55 grams) unsalted butter
  • 3 cups (600 grams) fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup (50 grams) whole blanched almonds
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • A pinch of salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) milk
  • 1 tablespoon light rum (optional)
  • Confectioner's sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square glass or ceramic baking dish (or 6 1-cup / 120-ml ramekins) with a pat of the butter.
  2. Melt the remaining butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat (or in a small bowl set in the microwave for a few seconds) and set aside.
  3. Rinse the strawberries under cool water — do not soak or they will loose some of their flavor. Drain in a colander for a few minutes, and gently pat dry with a clean dishtowel.
  4. In a food processor or blender, mix together the flour and almonds until finely ground.
  5. Add the sugar, cornstarch and salt, and mix again. Crack in the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
  6. Pour in the melted butter, milk and rum if using, and mix again until well blended. The mixture will be thin, like crepe batter.
  7. Hull the strawberries, cut in halves or quarters depending on their size, and arrange in a single layer in the prepared dish or ramekins.
  8. Drizzle the batter over the strawberries, and put the dish in the oven to bake for 40 minutes (30 minutes if you use ramekins), until puffy and set.
  9. Transfer dish to a rack, and let cool to room temperature.
  10. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar, and serve directly from the baking dish or ramekins.

Notes

Clafoutis is traditionally served on its own, but if you like you can add a few fresh strawberries on the side, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a little whipped cream.

https://cnz.to/recipes/desserts/strawberry-clafoutis-recipe/

Unless otherwise noted, all recipes are copyright Clotilde Dusoulier.

This recipe was originally written for NPR’s Kitchen Window.

Strawberry Clafoutis Recipe | Chocolate & Zucchini (2024)

FAQs

Do you eat clafoutis hot or cold? ›

Clafoutis is most perfectly delicious when it's a bit warm or at room temperature, best eaten within an hour of coming out of the oven. Leftovers should be refrigerated, and they can for sure be enjoyed cold.

How do you know when clafoutis is cooked? ›

How Do I Know When My Clafoutis Is Done Baking? Once your clafoutis has turned golden brown on the top, you can test for its doneness. Insert a toothpick in the middle of the clafoutis, avoiding any cherries. If it comes out clean, you can take it out of the oven.

What does clafoutis taste like? ›

How does clafoutis taste? Clafoutis has the texture of an oven-baked pancaked. It is sweet, but not terribly so, and the chunks of fresh fruit are enjoyable to the palate.

Why is clafoutis rubbery? ›

With your clafoutis perhaps reduce the cooking time by five to 10 minutes or turn the oven down by 10 degrees. Make sure the eggs are the right size as too much egg white to flour will make a more rubbery texture.

What is a clafoutis in English? ›

noun. cla·​fou·​ti ˌklä-fü-ˈtē variants or less commonly clafoutis. : a dessert consisting of a layer of fruit (such as cherries) topped with batter and baked.

Why is it called clafoutis? ›

Clafoutis originated in a region in south-central France called Limousin. Its name comes from the Occitan word “clafir,” meaning “to fill.” So popular was it “to fill” a dish with fruit and batter, that by the 19th century, clafoutis' renown had spread from Limousin to other regions of France and bordering countries.

What is the difference between clafoutis and cobbler? ›

Contrary to clafoutis, the fruit needs to be cooked down, which lends the dish more malleability in the integrated flavors. As a result, cobblers are more compote-like in palate, as opposed to clafoutis's more natural fruit taste.

Is clafoutis similar to a cobbler? ›

Clafoutis Offers A Different Texture Than Cobbler

And while the fruit filling is generous, it's not the majority of the texture, like in a cobbler. Alternatively, cobblers serve up a fruit-forward medley with a slightly congealed but nonetheless runny filling.

Why is my clafoutis runny? ›

It'll be moist, but the center shouldn't be liquid or runny. Too much fruit can cause runny clafoutis, so if the center of your clafoutis is uncooked after baking, you may want to use less fruit in the future.

When should I eat clafoutis? ›

A cherry clafoutis is never served hot, straight out of the oven. First leave to cool and either serve slightly warmed, at room temperature or chilled. Serve slices directly from the dish. Although served for dessert or teatime, we also love this chilled for breakfast or brunch on the weekends.

What desserts can be served both hot or cold? ›

Many types of pie, like apple. And while ice cream itself isn't served hot, you can have cold ice cream within a baked Alaska, or on top of hot dessert, like apple pie or a brownie. Other desserts can be served hot or at room temp, like brownies and cookies and coffee cake/struedel.

What is an interesting fact about clafoutis? ›

Clafoutis originated in a region in south-central France called Limousin. Its name comes from the Occitan word “clafir,” meaning “to fill.” So popular was it “to fill” a dish with fruit and batter, that by the 19th century, clafoutis' renown had spread from Limousin to other regions of France and bordering countries.

How do you eat pudding hot or cold? ›

Creamy puddings are typically served chilled, but a few, such as zabaglione and rice pudding, may be served warm. Instant puddings do not require boiling and can therefore be prepared more quickly.

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