Clafoutis Limousin
One of the primary pleasures of preparing summer meals is access to a range of fresh ingredients that are in season. Grilled corn, a tomato salad, and a steak can be prepared with minimal effort, with little to no work over a hot stove. And the same goes for desserts, too—fresh berries and cream or a peach cobbler require minimal effort and are always satisfying ends to a summer meal. The cobbler may require the oven, but it takes very little time in the kitchen to put it together, allowing us to swim, garden, or bike until day’s end and still have something sweet to enjoy after a simple summer meal.As much as I love these options, there is one other dessert that I like to make in the summer that allows me to take advantage of the best seasonal fruit—a clafoutis. It could not be simpler to make: A mixture of eggs, milk, sugar, and flour are whisked together, and fresh fruit is set into the mixture and baked. The traditional clafoutis Limousin is made with unpitted sour cherries, which give it more flavor, but blueberries, raspberries, halved ripe figs, plums, and, yes, pitted sour cherries or other fresh cherries also work. You may also use sour cherries in a jar, found in the baking aisle of your favorite specialty food store. Sometimes I will soak the fruit in the Cognac that is later used in the batter, and I have even played with substituting Grand Marnier, framboise, or another eau-de-vie, depending on the fruit. Just make sure to measure out the right amount of the liquid to add into the batter to avoid making it too thin.The end result is a custardy dish sweetened by seasonal fruit that makes an ideal dessert that can be served slightly warm after a nice summer meal; and most importantly, the leftovers—if there are any—make the most appealing breakfast that can be pulled right out of the refrigerator and served with a cold coffee before heading into the garden. After all, aren’t milk, fruit, and eggs just as good at the beginning of the day as at the end of it?The recipe below is somewhat traditional and uses cherries, but substitutions can be made depending on the season and what is on hand. This dessert takes minutes to assemble and can be thrown into the oven as one heads out to the grill to throw dinner onto the fire.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature, for greasing the pan
- 1¼ cups whole milk
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cognac, or kirsch if preferred
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs
- Pinch of kosher salt
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cherries or other seasonal fruit (pits, seeds, stems, and skins removed as desired)
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
- Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
- Use butter to grease a 9-inch round baking dish, cast-iron skillet, or enameled pan. Preheat oven to 425° and set rack to center of oven.
- Add milk, granulated sugar, Cognac, vanilla, eggs, and salt to a blender or a mixing bowl. Blend or whisk briefly to mix, then add flour and whisk or blend until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish or skillet and distribute the cherries evenly over the top.
- Bake about 35 to 40 minutes (until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and a golden-brown crust has formed on its top). Allow clafoutis to cool and then dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Cut into wedges and serve with whipped cream, if desired.