The fruit and almond clafoutis is a great recipe you can use to impress your family and friends. It’s also an excellent recipe that can be used anytime you’d like to serve something fancy with a simple preparation method. A truly French favorite dessert, fruit and almond clafoutis is a custardy batter with fresh apples or other fruits that is baked until crisp on the outside and moist within. Clafoutis is most often served with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar, but you may serve it with some whipped cream or ice cream.

Strawberry Almond Clafoutis

Clafoutis…what a fun word to say (pronounced “clä-fōō-tē”). Clafoutis is a baked French dessert originating in France during the 19th century. Traditionally made with black cherries, the dish is now often made with other fruits such as pears, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries.

I have used all of these fruits and every time I end up with an amazing dish. In this recipe, I use strawberries and almonds.

Being such an easy dish (you can prepare it in less than 5 minutes not including baking time), clafoutis often graces my table. All you do is arrange fruit in a buttered dish and pour the custard filling over the top of the fruit.

After baking, you end up with a beautiful light breakfast (or dessert) that is full of protein (from the eggs) and antioxidants (from the fruit) as well as flavor galore!

The neat thing about this dish is you can make it more or less custardy depending on your taste by adding more or less flour.

You can use it throughout the year, depending on what is in season. It’s simple and fairly healthy. There’s really no way to go wrong with this dish.

This rustic French dessert (a bit like a puffy oven pancake) is easy to make: Just mix up the batter, pour it over the cherries, and bake until golden-brown.

Ingredients

• 3 cups small fresh sweet or sour cherries (about 1 lb.), pitted
• 1-1/2 Tbs. kirsch (cherry brandy)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1-1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter (1/2 Tbs. softened, 1 Tbs. cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 oz. (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup plus 1 to 2 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 large eggs
• 1/8 tsp. pure almond extract
• 1/8 tsp. table salt

Nutritional Information

Preparation

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.In a large bowl, toss the cherries and kirsch. Set aside, tossing periodically, for 30 minutes.Meanwhile, scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and toast, turning occasionally, until light golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F.Grease a shallow round 11-inch quiche or gratin dish with 1/2 Tbs. of the butter.Combine the milk, flour, sugar (1/4 cup for sweet cherries; 5 Tbs. for sour), cream, eggs, almond extract, and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl, if using a hand mixer). Mix on medium speed, to aerate, for 5 minutes. Drain the cherries and stir the liquid into the batter.Arrange the cherries in the dish and pour the batter over the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the toasted almonds and remaining 1 Tbs. sugar on top and dot the surface with pieces of the remaining 1 Tbs. butter. Bake the clafoutis until puffed and golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.Transfer to a rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, spooned onto individual serving plates.

Ingredients

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Butter, softened, for greasing

2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup sugar, divided

1 3/4 cup pitted dark sweet cherries

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch salt

1 1/4 cups almond milk

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Blanched sliced almonds, for serving, if desiredAdd to Shopping List

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 1/2-inch pie dish and evenly sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons sugar.
2. Put the cherries in the prepared pie dish, spreading out evenly.
3. Add the eggs, almond extract, pinch salt, remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the almond milk to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Sift the flour into the egg mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour the egg mixture over the cherries. Carefully place the pie dish into the oven and bake until set and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool to room temperature, if you can wait that long! Then lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar and scatter the blanched almonds, if desired, and serve.